The Big American Road trip – Final day New Orleans – Round Rock

Our final day did not start off very well with Hertz informing us that we had to go 30 mins out of our way driving to get a new car after our Air conditioning went in the Optima we had hired.  Their office was right across the road from our hotel and after being rude letting me stand at a door which was not unlocked and just watching me the staff were even less helpful when I got inside.  The previous day they had told me that if I went to their office in the morning they would have a car for me.  I turned up to be told that they might have one but there were 40 cars due out that day and frankly they were too busy to help me so i needed to go to the airport.  We were in no rush so i asked if we just waited would they have one and the girl behind the counter just said – ‘Look if you want a car you need to go to the airport chances are we will be too busy to help you all day’.  85 degrees and no air con with two children in the car.  Guess who will not be getting my business in the future?

I complained on facebook, twitter and online and they did apologize on Facebook but nothing more…rude to say the least.  Anyway we drove to the airport and swapped out the Optima for a Nissan which was nicer and more roomy than the Optima but they had hooked up the sat nav to the front electrics and that meant the front charger did not work!!  Anyway enough moaning as the day started off poorly but got better!!

We now had only about 530 miles left in the big trip and after taking a wrong turning on a New Orleans bridge (don’t do that it put us 22 miles!!!  out of our way – those bridges are huge) we were on our way.  New Orleans still had some fascinating scenery for us on out way out including the dead trees which lined the highway  which were an eerie and interesting sight to say the least.  We travelled for quite a while through Louisiana and encountered some cool things along the way like the huge bridge in Baton Rouge which looked like it was a ramp to nowhere.  The kids are too old now to fall for the tail about it being a ramp we needed to jump in the car…’aye aye Dad very good’.  The wee ones are growing up!

Before we left Louisiana we wanted to grab some souvenirs for our neighbours who had generously looked after our fish whilst we were away but out hertz mess meant that out time in New Orleans was cut a little short and we didn’t have time to pop back in for a present.  Carol noticed a sign along the way for the Swamp Shop which is a souvenir place along the road.  It was a fascinating wee place as it was obviously previously a house and sat next to the Tourist information office.

The staff were uber friendly and even took our picture (being token Scots) for their Facebook page (although we are not up there yet!).  The shop sold all sorts from Man Cave stuff to Alligator eggs (fake ones obviously but nice toys).  After we had procurred our presents we walked over to the Tourist info to use the facilities and found two baby alligators in their tank.  Not what we’d expect to see in Fort William that’s for sure!

It took a very long time to get out of Louisiana and we were driving for at least 3-4 hours before the texas border came upon us but it felt good to be in our home state even if we did have 280 miles to drive at that point!  We were welcomed to the state with a sign about watching out for snakes (better than Alligators??) and Ben took his obligatory photo with the welcome sign!  Although it was chucking it down so we had to take the picture quick and retreat back to the car.

Each state had these welcome centers as you went in and for giving them your zip code you got a good quality map of the state which is useful even when using Sat Nav.  We actually snagged two in Texas so we can start a board here to document our travels!

We have tried to eat local as much as we can (although on the road it’s unfortunate but the locals have been drowned out by the chains like McDonalds etc) and we had our last meal on the road at a place called Al-T’s which was a Cajun place just outside of Louisiana ironically.  The place had a smoking and non smoking area (smoking was bigger which tells me something) and when we arrived we were actually the only folks in the non smoking area!  Anyway the food was pretty good and there was plenty of eating in the portions.  Ben went with the huge burger because (he was hungry Dad…) and despite the waitress warning him off he actually managed to eat the whole one pound of meat in a big bun!  Anyway the place had been frequented by lots of famous folks over the years such as Percy Sledge and Jerry Reid, the country singer who is most famous in the UK for being in the Smokey and the Bandit movies!

After that it was just a dash to get home ahead of the rain which was lashing down.  Just to be clear Texans cannot drive in the rain!!  Either too slow or much much too fast.  We arrived back at 10pm which when we left the hotel at 10am meant we were on the road for 12 hours for a 7 hour journey…Carol liked to make her stops along the way!!

After 3200 miles, 10 states, 7 days, 2 cars, snow, floods, 85 degree heat, sun, mountains, plains, Graceland and the White house we were back home with lots of stories to bore everyone about afterwards!!  Oh and I bought a new hat on the last day to remind me of our trip.

We got back to Round Rock tired and ready for bed but it was worth the time and effort and despite the flu hampering both of us in the first few days (Ben and Sophie were not affected thankfully) we got a true taste of life on the road and would do it again…but maybe next year.  Grand Canyon anyone??

Our final map!

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The Big American Road Trip Day Seven – New Orleans

Well it was a quiet day yesterday and a big day today!  We took in 5 states on our road from Chattanooga to New Orleans.  Granted some of the states were just flying visits but we hit Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and finally Louisiana.

Sorry Arkansas but your roads were the worst of our 10 states we visited.

We were expecting a 7.5 hr day but we managed to get the driving reduced by a half hour because we picked a hotel on the southern side of Chattanooga so we missed all the city traffic which may seem like a small thing but for us was a big thing!!

Anyway the road was great and the scenery was beautiful on the way down.  It was very nice to travel between the states and when we hit Mississippi and were not expecting it we were actually pretty pleased.  The whole journey has been a discovery and an adventure so finding things we do not expect is a real thrill for us and so good for the kids as they learn more about their adopted country every day.  The roads are similar but we tried to make sure we stopped at rest stops and tourist info places along the way and that helped frame the state we were travelling through.  Interestingly you could tell the state by the quality of the roads but also by the toilets!  Each toilet in the states had a different type of urinal…weird observation I know but very true…Alabama was the only one with all metal triangles to pee in!!  I loved the fact that Alabama welcomed us with a Sweet Home Alabama which was a nice touch.

The other interesting thing was the town markers.  Official state markers have the shape of the state around the road number so you can tell which state you are in by the shape around the number on the green signs.

The flying McAllens!

We arrived in New Orleans (having gained our hour back that we lost on the way up as we moved back to Central time) around 4pm and checked into the hotel.  We had traveled through a small snow storm as we left Washington but it was 85 degrees in NO so we took advantage of the nice weather and shook off the cob webs by going for a swim (well, Ben and Sophie did!) in the rooftop pool.  It was pretty nice and the kids performed acrobatics in the pool much to the chagrin of the 2 old couples who had the quiet pool all to themselves before we arrived.

After swimming we were headed into New Orleans for our dinner.  We decided to walk to the famous Bourbon Street to see what we could get to eat.  i have to say that with two children it probably wasn’t our best bet.  When the lady walked by me naked but for a pair of tiny bikini bottoms I knew we probably were not in a family friendly environment!!

After a bit of walking about we found a really nice food place called Jimmy J’s which had some really nice beer on tap.  They didn’t tell me till I was walking out that it was 8%!!  the sore head the next day was caused by those 2 beers!   The Gumbo was really nice though and we’d recommend it as a very friendly place to eat just off of Bourbon street which is a little calmers than the hustle and bustle of the French quarter without leaving the place.  We stayed next to the convention center which is not a bad walk to the French quarter at all at 1.5 miles.  The hotel (Hilton Garden Inn) was friendly and well presented even if it was a little more pricey than the hotels we had stayed at along the way and did not include breakfast for the extra cost (we passed on the $14 (inc tax) breakfast and found our own along the way.  Parking was also an issue but if you are ever there before you pay the $35 for valet parking (the only thing the hotel offers) take a look about there is a garage across the street and we actually found on street parking for $3 for 2 hours which stops at 6 so we arrived at 4.30pm so only had to pay the $3 till 8am the next morning.

Unfortunately our aircon in the car busted about a half hour outside New Orleans which made for a pretty hot trip across the city!  Visit tomorrow to Hertz to get a new car will be in order!

The Big American Roadtrip – Day Six

Today was our longest on the road and frankly least eventful.  We had 9 hours worth of driving to do to take us from Washington to Chatanooga so we set out at 6am and after I broke about every traffic law known to man by accident we ended up out of Washington for just after 7am.

A short stop for breakfast and lunch and a quick bio break were the only stops of the day so we made it down to Chattanooga by 5.30pm.  we did find Glasgow along the way which was nostalgic for us but apart from that a quiet day.

I am typing this whilst the kids go to the pool in the hotel to shake off the travel rustiness.  I may now join them!

Big American Roadtrip Day Four – Washington – The Smithsonian

Day Four did not involve huge amounts of travel (Thankfully) but was none the less a superb day. I had to go and do some work first thing and so Carol and the kids made their way from the hotel into Washington themselves a couple of hours after me.
Whilst I was meeting with clients they made their way to the White house first and got some pictures taken then over to the Washington and Lincoln monuments and the War Memorial. These are serious icons of the world so the loved it. The kids did say it was a lot of walking and after being cooped up in a car for the previous three days it was probably quite a shock to the system.

Late afternoon I was able to join them and met them all on the National Mall before we went to the Air and Space museum at the Smithsonian. Sophie was desperate to see Amerlia Earharts plane after doing a project on the intrepid airwoman last year but we go all excited about the other stuff too. The Spirit of St Louis had been taken off the roof for the day which meant that we could see it a bit more close up than I had when I visited on my own last year. Chuck Yeager’s plane where he broke the sound barrier and the literally Granddaddy of them all the Wright brothers flyer were also on display. For aviation history this is the place to be it’s quite an incredible walk through air and space exploration. They even had the command module from Apollo 11!!!

After that amount of history we walked out and across the mall over to Ford’s Theatre…this is where Lincoln was shot and is a historic site all on it’s own. Across the street is the Petersen house where he actually died but by the time we got there it was closed (open 9.30-5.30pm) so we didn’t get to see inside. We actually walked past the National Gallery of Art (West) building shortly beforehand which is where President Garfield was assasinated also so two assassination sites in one day (his site used to be an old railway station but this was knocked down and replaced by the gallery).

In the evening we went to a newly opened local Asian Bistro place called East Pearl.  We thoroughly recommend it (and not just because they gave use 50% off our meal as an opening incentive!).  Food was great and there was plenty of it!

We arranged with our congressman for a tour tomorrow of the Capitol building which they have had to rearrange from the afternoon to the morning…because some bloke called Charles is coming and they have messed up the schedules but that’d something to look forward to!

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The Big American Roadtrip Day Five – Washington – The Capitol!

Today was what was supposed to be a rest day for us.  We were travelling nowhere and off the road for a day but that didn’t mean we were completely stopped.  We had arranged through our Congressman for a tour of the Capitol building in the afternoon which was rearranged to the morning when Prince Charles was in town.  i wonder if he had to go through the same number of X-Ray machines as us!

We arrived at the building next to the Capitol (Rayburn building) at 10am and we got ourselves organised.  The nice thing was we could leave our things in the office so that we didn’t need to constantly get bags checked etc as we went through the building.  The Congressman (John Carter) had one of his interns show us around and the tour lasted a good couple of hours.  We started with a film in the movie theater inside which told us about the building itself then onto the tour.  After the main tour we were given passes for the actual houses themselves and we could go and watch Government in action.

The main reception area of congress was full of statues from various states.  My favourite was of Jack Swiggert (of Apollo 13 fame) I had no idea he had such an interesting career after Apollo 13 and such a tragic death just after being elected.  

In the old chamber there were a bunch of other statues as well including one of Ronald Reagan which had a very interesting story.  You can see a small darker piece on the statue base (pictured) this is actually a piece of the Berlin Wall which he helped to bring down in some way…very cool and not obvious when you walk past the statue.
We headed to the house of Representative where they were debating a bill on ‘secret science’ which seemed to be about transparency in scientific work being authorized by the EPA.  It sounded like the standard craziness where the republicans said it was bad for business and the democrats said it was bad for science…What I was amazed by was the utter disregard for actual debate.  Lots of people strolled in – said their piece then walked out again – usually before anyone had a chance to debate.  It looked like a bunch of folk going through the motions!  Which we all know it probably was. The Republicans won btw…despite seeming to be using that well we’re doing it because it’s right thing that right wing people recently seem to love and which boils my blood…

We had lunch in the very nice restaurant in the Capitol building which was reasonably cheap and the food was pretty decent before going back to the Congressmans office to collect our things.

After lunch we headed over to the museum of Natural History and had a wander round there.  Legs were tired by the end but it is a great place to visit and houses the Hope Diamond of all things(curse and all)…which is pretty impressive looking to say the least.  there was also a slightly bizarre section where they had skeleton of various animals and mammals.  Interesting to see that amount of animals without their skins on!

After that we headed out to Georgetown for cupcakes!  Sophie and Carol had been watching some Cupcake wars show on the TV and the winners were here in DC.  It was a bit of a trek as they were 20 mins from the nearest metro station but (don’t tell them) the cupcakes were superb and worth the walk.  I had the Peanut butter fudge cupcake and it was tremendous.

Tomorrow we’re back on the road and headed back to Texas.  First stop Chattanooga…a long journey so we’re starting very very early!

Big American Roadtrip Day Three – Johnson City – Washington. Dirty Dancing Location

A shorter journey was had today but we took in so much in such a short time. We tackled 4 states – Tennessee, Virginia, Maryland and DC itself (I know not technically a state but not in a state either.
It was a day of surprise also as we had a wee detour as a surprise for Carol along the way. I had a few calls for work to do early on so Carol did the majority of the early driving and I just gave directions. I had told her that we were going somewhere out of the way for lunch and strangely she just accepted that thinking I had heard of a nice place with a view that we were going to.
So the backstory is that when we first started going out (the first time when we were 16 and 15) carol was obsessed with Dirty Dancing and it was the first movie we every watched together before our first date to see Ghost all those years ago. Anyway on the trip I noticed that we could visits by going about 45 mins out of our way the place where they filmed the majority of the movie. I could not pass this up and the place is still a working holiday place and it said on their website you could eat there so I thought…superb lunch is taken care of and a wee bit a surprise.
The place (Mountain Lake Lodge in VA) is a bit ofa trek as it is literally on top of a mountain and miles from anywhere but it was so worth it. I wasn’t sure if Carol would recognise the place or the significance but as soon as we entered the grounds she got all emotional and knew where we were straight away. Turns out it meant more to her than I had thought and she said it was a bucket list item which I had just surprised her with…bonus points to Robert there!
The place itself looks largely like it did in the film (except global warming had dried up the lake where the famous lift scene (which we recreated at the end of our night on our wedding (thank goodness smart phones were not around then…) but the cottage where the Housemans   were staying and the main buildings were all still there.
Unfortunately when we got there it was shut!!! In the winter and spring times it only opens Thursday-Sunday which I had not noticed. It made no real odds as we were able to walk about with no-one else there so it was a little bit of a bonus (although the kids (unimpressed by the place itself) were hungry so there was a bit of moaning)). We’ve put a ton of photos up and they do have a little tribute to the late Patrick Swayze there and a little hut with details of the filming and what to watch out for (which was open on the day which was great).
After that excitement we made our way back across Virginia towards Washington. It was another long long drive (5 hours drive after the location) which made for a long day but we were up the side of the Appalachians which was stunningly beautiful and well worth the drive.
We arrived in Washington about 7pm and grabbed dinner at the hotel…tomorrow Washington DC (well work for me during the day and Washington at night but for Carol and the kids…Washington!!)

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The Big American road trip Day Two – Forrest City to Johnson City – Graceland

Day two and we’re both starting to recover from our flu and enjoying the day. Our original plans were to make it to Memphis on Day One but the best laid plans etc and we actually timed it wrong. So Day two started with us crossing the Tennessee border and making our way to Memphis early on…and Graceland.

We got to Graceland just after it opened at 9am and the original plan was for me to have a quick look around before us heading out. When we got there however we realized that this might be the only opportunity Carol and kids might have to see this world famous place so we stumped up the $100 for all 4 of us to get in and take a walk around. I am so glad we did.

We’d heard all sorts of stories about it being tacky, too small or too cheesy but frankly and quite honestly I think a lot of people are missing the point completely about a visit to the biggest and most famous entertainer of the 20th centuries house. Elvis’ house is modest (in a I’d love to love there kinda way) but it is set on it’s own 13 acres and the whole surrounding area is just Elvis land with lots of places to buy memorabilia etc and you could call that tack but the house itself was not tacky or cheesy. It is a time capsule to another period in history…the 70’s!! It’s not too small – it’s just right. If I was to choose an ideal size of house for my dream house this would be it. Anyway when you get there you arrive on the other side of the street from Graceland and then they give you an ipad for your tour. The ipad is superb as it’s an audio and video tour which you take at your own pace and you can favorite videos and moments through the house and grounds to watch later. Firstly you tour the house (first floor and basement only – the upstairs is for Elvis and his family even now! Then out to the external buildings. The house has some fabulous 70’s kitsch and the TV’s were state of the art in the 70’s but are a little dated now but you could tell there was some atmosphere to this house back when it was a residence.

The external buildings were the bits that got me the most though. Vernon’s office (Elvis’ Dad) is perfectly preserved and you go through it and through the trophy/gold disc area in stages – early music, movies, charity work, army etc. It’s a great background and introduction. Then you are pointed in the direction of the racquetball court. This is a trick…don’t think you are going to look at a sporting area. I almost missed this piece out but I am so glad I didn’t. The Racquetball court has been transformed from a court to a place to store some more of his gold disc but the poignancy of the place is not evident till you get int there. Before the court is a lounge area with a piano. When you arrive the tour tells you that on August 16th 1977 Elvis played on that court before stopping and playing a couple of songs on the piano (one of which was Unchained Melody) then he told folks he was going for a sleep before leaving for his tour. He played his songs, said goodbye and never did make it out on that tour as he died later that afternoon…the way they tell it is quite moving. Although I blame some southern pollen for my reaction ;-).

After the racquetball you head round to the memorial garden where Elvis, his mum, Dad and Grandmother are all buried. It’s a moment of quiet reflection before you get back on the bus to head back to the tour center. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and people who see only the 70’s stuff (which is excellent btw) are missing out on a glimpse into the life of a superstar in that period of history.

Anyway after that we stopped off across the road for lunch in the Rock and Roll Cafe which was necessary but a mistake as it threw out the rest of our day. We had originally planned to go on a tour of Sun studios afterwards but as we still had 8 hrs of driving ahead of us we scrapped it and headed out on the road.

The weather had taken a turn for the better so our crossing of Tennessee was beautiful. We went the long way by doing the diagonal (the long way across not the longer route) through Tennessee and it paid off beautifully. we ploughed through the journey with a couple of short stops. One in Nashville for ice cream at the fabulous Bobbi’s Dairy dip which is a Nashville tradition since the 50’s and where we got superb ice cream even if they did lay it on a bit thick…even I was ice creamed out by the end of it!!

Taking longer at Graceland and then lunch meant we didn’t get to our hotel (with the time change incorporated) till 10pm at night and we were all completely beat.  After a dinner of Ramen noodles at the hotel (Holiday Inn Express) at this point we were all beat and I’ve never seen the kids fall asleep so quickly!  Tomorrow three more states…West Virginia, Maryland and DC!!

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The Big American Roadtrip Day One – Round Rock – Forrest City. Clintons Birthplace…

We decided that we had to stop talking about a road trip and actually go for it!  I had a work meeting in DC next week and we decided that instead of me flying up alone.  We’d take some time out and drive the 1500 miles to the Capital of the US and see some sites along the way.  Of course we also need to drive the other 1500 miles the other way!  So it’s going to take us 7 days in total (with 3 nights in Washington DC thrown in for recovery!).

 

So we started this morning very early.  A 4.30 start meant that we were able to be away for 6.15am (that seems a long time but in our family that is a minor miracle!).  Our first leg was going to land us up the other side of Arkansas which is about 580 miles away.  The road itself was pretty quiet for most of the way so it was largely uneventful as we headed to Dallas and beyond.  What the trip made us realise was that Texas is BIG…really very very BIG!   We had driven for 5 hours north and were still in the Lone star state!!

We stopped around 8.30 in Waxahachie for a quick breakfast and then were on our way again.  Someone did park a beautiful old car next to our rental which we wanted to swap for.  Roadtripping America in a Ford Fairlane (56?) would have been much cooler than a Kia Optima but I suspect we’d have used up more gas!!

After breakfast we were on our way again and actually didn’t stop again till we were in Arkansas.  we stopped at the visitor center just across the border (where the picture of Ben above was taken) but couldn’t eat there so we grabbed free map and headed out looking for food.  We found out the nearest town was called Hope and it was the birthplace of one of our ultimate destinations (DC) famous ex residents.  A certain William Jefferson Clinton was born in Hope, Arkansas so as we were passing we popped into see his old house and Birthplace.   Very interesting that the town itself (like a lot of small US towns is looking a bit run down with the notable and eye catching exception of the local Bank which looks incredible.  There is a story in there to be told I am sure.

Anyway after that we had planned to go check into our hotel (Hampton Inn) then hit Memphis but we got there later than we first thought so we scrapped Memphis till tomorrow.

Interestingly the city of Forrest City is named after the same person that Forrest Gump was named after!  Now he is an even more controversial character than President Clinton so I will leave well alone!   One thing I will say is that we did not have the most friendly of welcomes in Forrest and maybe it was because we were staying well outside town but we ended up scrapping dinner out (after I had an altercation with the rudest waitress ever) and had burgers in our room before heading to bed.  Carol and I both had been suffering from the remains of a flu and although i was on the road to recovery she was struggling so I did the driving and it must have been my biggest day ever from a driving point of view with 587 miles and 2 states down…tomorrow Tenessee!!