Abbey's Road

My first day out of Paisley I was hoping to make it to St. George Island, but it wasn’t meant to be. When I called from about an hour away they only had 2 campsites left. So I stopped at a state park I stayed in last year on the Ochlockonee River. Hearing from a couple of people that nearby Apalachicola is famous for it’s oysters I decided that sounded better than cooking. The drive was a bit longer than expected, but since I have a car now it’s a lot easier, and cheaper, than it used to be. I guess I was expecting Apalachicola to be a little bigger than it is. I was thinking it was going to take me a while to choose from one of several seafood restaurants serving up the finest oysters. Well, let’s just say I spent more time driving around thinking “where is everything” than I did deciding which place to go. I had a 50-50 shot so I went with Boss Oysters’ and it did not disappoint. I know raw oysters are supposed to be some kind of delicacy but I prefer mine cooked. So I was a bit surprised when I ordered a half-dozen flame-broiled oysters, with some topping I can’t remember now, that the oysters were still raw. Only the topping gets cooked. Oh well, they slid down nice and smooth regardless.

The coast along the panhandle is kind of funny. It seems to me that it is either nearly deserted, or is booming like crazy with huge high-rise condo complexes. In hindsight, I should’ve left the coast after passing through the nearly-deserted sections, but I made the mistake of following the coastal route all the way to Pensacola. Now I know why I didn’t want to tow a car the first two years. On the open highway, it’s no problem, but when you’re in a crowded city and not knowing which way you’re going to have to turn next, it is a real pain. You can’t just shoot across two lanes of traffic at the last second. Not to mention that I was paranoid that I was going to turn down a dead end street and would have to unhook the car in order to turn around. It didn’t help that I arrived in Pensacola at rush hour, but I finally made it through to the other side. My destination that night was Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores, AL. Normally, this wouldn’t warrant much of a mention, but this was the first time in my life that I had stayed the night in Alabama – my 48th state! 3 ahead of my brother, Michael, I might add. I got a little nervous when I saw this sign in the campground while walking Abbey in the morning, but we made it out unscathed. On the way out of town I stopped at a fish market and bought some of the freshest fish and shrimp I have ever had. If you had blindfolded me I don’t know if I would’ve been able to tell there was fish in the bag. When I pulled it out of the bag that night to put it on the grill I couldn’t smell a thing. If nothing else I’ll remember Alabama for the Red Snapper.

Lake Charles, LA, on the other hand, probably won’t stick in my memory too long. The state park I stopped at wasn’t bad at all, but the area around there isn’t the most memorable. It was at least a quiet, safe place to stay and we were off early the next morning headed for Austin.

Posted by Ed at 1:46 PM | Permalink

On the way to New Orleans on Friday I drove along the coast at Gulfport, MS. Going down to the coast from the highway, it didn’t look too bad, but once I got to the water the hurricane damage was very evident. I drove down the coast as far as the road was open, then I headed inland a bit. The damage was the worst along the coast, I’m assuming from the storm surge, but there was still quite a bit even further inland. I didn’t take any pictures. Somehow it didn’t feel right.

I made it to New Orleans right around rush hour and I was surprised at how much traffic there actually was. Hearing so many reports of how depleted the population is I never thought I would see traffic jams. I guess it is partly due to all the relief workers that are still in the city. On my way through I didn’t notice all that much damage. That would change the next day, however. Friday night my cousin, Nancy, and her husband, Johnny, took me out in the French Quarter. The Mardi Gras season was closing in, but Bourbon Street was not that packed. There were crowds, but not what they’d normally be. Of course, the parades didn’t start until the next day and it was still early in the season. After being downtown I did start to notice businesses that hadn’t reopened yet, 5 months after Katrina. Part of this is due to the lack of workers in the city, and the lack of housing for the workers. We went to dinner at the Bourbon St. Seafood House, where Nancy’s son Marcus works. The meal was fantastic – some good Cajun seafood – and Marcus treated us real well. So if you’re looking for a great place to eat in New Orleans…..

I had told them that I wanted to take a “devastation tour” and on Saturday they were happy to oblige since they hadn’t really seen many damaged areas themselves. There were other people out doing the same thing we were so I didn’t feel as bad taking pictures. We went through some neighborhoods that were so bad they hadn’t really started any cleanup except for the streets themselves. We even saw a house that is still in the middle of the road and a car on top of a fence. You can tell the houses where the people are going to renovate because they’ve gutted the insides down to the 2x4’s. But the vast majority of the houses in a number of neighborhoods haven’t been touched since Katrina. The Lower 9th Ward of TV news fame more than lived up to my expectations. It was really sad to see. I really don’t think they should rebuild there. New Orleans is far from dead, however. A lot of the city didn’t sustain much, if any, damage including the Garden District, Audubon Park and the French Quarter. I was surprised to see as many people and as many areas with little or no damage as I did. Then again, there are still major intersections without running traffic lights. It’s hard to say how long it will take to rebound and what the best thing for the city will be. It was an interesting visit and it was also real nice to see Nancy, Johnny and Marcus.

"I think we're gonna have to turn around, Martha"
Slight understatement, perhaps?
Whew, that was a close one.
I think this one needed a little work before Katrina
Not looking good.
Cousin Nancy and her husband, Johnny

Posted by Ed at 2:55 PM | Permalink