Kwaussie

Friday : Our 5 days in Texas flew by and yesterday we packed up the car for a family road trip to Memphis.
It was with some sadness we left the Lone Star State. Texas is big and bold and brash but very likeable and I can see why Sophie has fallen in love with her temporary home. Our top 10 impressions of Texas, in no particular order.

1.The Big Things. Everything really is bigger in Texas.... hats, cars, water towers, pizza slices! Even the birds are big . We loved watching eagles soaring above us on the highway.
2.Queso. The addictive yellow cheese mixture that covers everything.
3.Spaghetti roads. Bizarre 'George Jetson' layers of highway , one above the other with very small barriers on the side.
4.Cheap stuff; food, clothes, fuel (We're driving a Kia 7 seater. It cost $45 to fill it.)
5.Friendly faces. I felt safe everywhere we went in Texas (except maybe the road).
Texas drawl. Actually, it's not a drawl because it's us who drawl (especially those of us who've spent time in Woorndoo!). The accent is amazing but honestly there were times I had no idea what people were saying to me. Geoff chose vinaigrette dressing for his salad one night because I'm pretty sure it was the only word he recognized.
6."Y'all". Great saying. I'm keeping it.
7.Poverty. Unfortunately this is one of the negative impressions. There are homeless people and beggars at lots of intersections.
8. Fast food billboards. The interstate is literally wall to wall billboards. I counted 19 golden arches alone from Dallas to Austin. There are so many fast food chains you could not visit them all in a year. So far we've tried Wendys, Taco Bell and Sonic. Sonic is the only one that might get a return visit!
9. Our first look at squirrels
10.Orange. There's no getting away from burnt orange in Austin.

With memories of all of the above indelibly etched in our hearts, we set off on the 1000 km journey to Memphis. The day after Thanksgiving turned out to be an inspired choice of day to travel because most people were at home today and the roads were much quieter.

We traveled north, back toward Dallas, stopping at a roadside diner for breakfast where we met our first Elvis impersonator.

After Dallas, the ever present billboards on the roadside gave way for masses of trees adorned in autumn foliage and we started to see the gateways of some pretty impressive cattle ranches. The GPS said 'bear right in 482km'. There are still plenty of long, open spaces in Texas.

We were excited to cross the border into Arkansas (which we will always affectionately pronounce with an 's' at he end even though we know better ;-) We drove through Hope (home of President Clinton) and turned off to look for food in a little town called Emmet. Here was the country America I had been looking for. Only one way in and one way back out to the interstate. To cross from one side of town to the other you had to cross the railroad line. Unfortunately for the locals, a train had pulled up across the road and no one could get from one side to the other. The girl in the gas station told me the train had been there for 30 minutes and everyone just had to wait! This town looked just like something we would see on TV, possibly during an episode of 'Pickers' or 'Gator Boys'. I would have loved to look around further but Jaime was in the car with the doors locked!

By the time we got to Little Rock ( home of the Clintons as a couple and Lieutenant Nellie Forbush in South Pacific) it was time to get off the road. Taine had traveled well but 800km was enough for everyone. We found ourselves a la Quinta to stay at and stumbled upon an amazing tepenyaki restaurant for dinner. It was delicious and only cost 80$ for all 6 of us for dinner. Unbelievable.

Saturday: Walking in Memphis

La Quinta includes complimentary breakfast which is a great bonus. Taine got to make his first batch of breakfast waffles and Xavier volunteered for our first taste of grits. The look on his face decided the rest of us to stick to the bagels, which were delicious.

The drive out of Little Rock passed nearly as many churches as the drive in. Almost every block contains a church of a different religion, some that I have never heard of before! Oxymoronically, the other side of the road was littered with billboards for an Adult XXX Superstore. Go figure!

It only took us two hours to get to Memphis. When we stopped at the info centre I discovered my dslr camera had decided it's contact points were dirty and stopped working. This is a bummer because taking photos is one of my favourite holiday pursuits. We went downtown looking for somewhere to stay. The hotel we had chosen refused to let us book a room before 3pm which turned out to be a blessing because after an hour's walk downtown we realised we did not want to stay in the city. As safe as Texas had felt, Memphis felt the opposite. The streets were eerily deserted and apart from Beale St, the whole place felt like a ghost town. The Peabody Plaza was a huge mall of vacant shops and at one stage, a man actually stood in the middle of the road and we had to drive around him. It was bizarre.

Abandoning our plans to stay one night downtown and one nearer to Graceland, we drove directly to the home of Elvis Presley. I'm so glad we did. Graceland is beautiful. It's not the palatial, over the top mansion I was expecting. It's just a lovely, wonderfully preserved home , straight from the 70s. despite the fact that thousands of people have walked through it since Elvis' death, it still feels very much like someone's home and it was quite surreal to think we were in the same rooms that the Presley family had lived their lives. Of course the gift shops and food outlets associated with the Graceland complex are over priced and touristy but I really didn't find anything tacky about the house itself. The memorial garden at the end of the self paced tour is just that, a grave site where people come to pay their respects to a talent that left us too soon.

Having been very satisfied with the service at la Quinta the night before, we sought out another one for tonight. We went for a drive to look for dinner and something to fill in the couple of hours before bed and found ourselves at the Southland Mall. Nothing like a bit more shopping to finish off the day. Pretty sure one of our next stops will have to be a Post Office to find out how to send some of this stuff home!

BTW Tom, I'm enjoying the way you can connect my story with yours, please feel free to continue.

Gardyloo

Are you going to have time to head down into the Delta?

TDudette

Kwaussie, I’m so relieved that you missed the car pile-up. Thick fog was the culprit according to TV.

Your Thanksgiving sounded excellent! And yes, Tomsd, I’ve seen the leather balls sticker on the cars of Maryland players. A scrum in American football would probably cause legal suits! LOL.

My husband and I had the same experience of not understanding a word when we were in England. Amazing differences not only in accents, but with slang.

It makes caring Americans embarassed that there are even any homeless—a real sadness. There are plenty of shelters and help for them but it doesn’t make it any less a horrid problem. And, crass commercialism makes thinking American crazy. I cringe to think what others must think of this side of the U.S.

Again, I'm enjoying your TR. It is truly cool to read the impressions of others from a different country/culture. More, please!

travelerfromtx

Glad you enjoyed your time in Texas! It's always interesting to hear someone's perspective from another country, particularly that you encountered so many friendly faces and felt safe.

Squirrels are abundant where I live, but I never tire of watching them. There are cute little animals aren't they? You should see their antics as they try to navigate their way into my squirrel-proof bird feeder, quite a funny sight to behold!

Those spaghetti roads (aka mix-masters) can be intimidating. Traffic can certainly be bad, and I-35 from Dallas to San Antonio is one of the worst areas. It always has so many 18-wheelers on it. Maybe if you return you can see some more of Texas off the freeways.

Oh, unfortunately, those weren't eagles you were seeing soaring above you in the area of Texas you were in. They were vultures most likely. While they are peaceful and graceful to watch soar through the sky, they aren't nearly as majestic as an eagle up close.

Thanks for sharing your reports with us.

Tomsd

Another great report/impressions. Feel like I am in the "shotgun" seat with ye.

And bummer. The chap who is Mr. Graceland - and lived across the hall from me - hosted a Regis College Reunion a few weeks ago and then took off for some well deserved vacation time - so he wasn't around right now - when you are there.

They stayed at the Peabody Hotel - and saw the infamous ducks walk - http://www.peabodymemphis.com/peabody-ducks/ but as for Beale St - and downtown Memphis - my friends said the same thing. OK during the day - but a bit seedy and you might not want to be there at night - unless you were a big group. They did enjoy dining at BB King's - was it?

As for the "Eagle" - it probably was a turkey vulture. Hey - for the squirrels - you need more of the Falcons that I saw on a tall streetlight post this am. Just sitting up there - looking majestic - without being afraid of anything.

We also have some Red Tailed Hawks here - and occasional Golden Eagles - but the famous Bald Headed Eagles are up further north - and a lot of them winter in my old town of Klamath Falls, Oregon. http://www.fws.gov/klamathbasinrefuges/eagle.html

As for Rugby: Well - loved the sport - even if didn't play it much. Every year at the annual banquet - (I may have told you this story?) - they showed the famous field long try by the All Blacks at Wembley stadium in London - and one back goes almost the length of the field by himself. Blond chap and very very fast.

And from a source no less than Cigar Aficionado - a bit about Rugby: http://www.cigaraficionado.com/webfe...sport_7365/p/2

BTW - I have stayed at a La Quinta - one time years ago when everything else seemed booked in Salt Lake during a three day ski weekend. Nice enough - and clean. And the kids really do like turning over the waffle maker - if you had that kind. (Big kids too.)

Also glad you seem to be navigating the roads fairly well. Keep on trucking!!!! (And reporting - pleez).

Kwaussie

Hmm, I'm a bit disappointed to learn that our 'eagles' are actually vultures! Let's hope they just stay in the sky where they look majestic! As for the navigating, we bought a GPS for $90 on eBay before we came and it has been spectacularly useful. Combined with a car full of iPhones and Google maps we've been able to avoid too many missed turns.

After another helping of waffles at the Memphis La Quinta (I have a frequent stayers card now!) we headed further south today. I can't say I was sorry to leave Memphis but I'm glad we went out of our way to visit.

Jaime & Xavier had been watching a documentary about 'Ole Mis', the University of Mississippi and James Meredith, the first black man to attend the university and the riot that followed his admission in 1962 so we decided to take a visit to Oxford and check out his statue. The university is absolutely beautiful, like a picture postcard of southern architecture, its beauty emphasised today by the clear blue skies and magnificent autumn foliage. It took us some time to find the statue of Meredith but in the process we learnt a lot about the history of the buildings and the riot. As with so many sites of tragedy, it was hard to imagine such violence in this tranquil environment. Racial conflict and segregation is, of course, interesting to us, especially coming from a virtual mono culture in country Victoria. We don't understand it at all but can't help be intrigued and a little bewildered. This trip to the south has certainly piqued my interest in exploring more about the history of the area and the civil rights movement. Given that most of my prior learning has come from repeated readings of 'Gone With the Wind', I think I have plenty to learn!

From Oxford, we headed on down to Jackson. The drive was very reminiscent of the highway between Tauranga and Taupo in NZ, minus of course the flax and punga. I keep trying to connect the names of the counties to stories and songs and whilst driving over a bridge in Madison made that one easy, I was stuck for ages on Carroll County till I remembered the words to 'Harper Valley PTA'. No one else in the car is old enough to have heard it so I had to hum along quietly to myself!

Geoff came down with a nasty virus on Thanksgiving Day but has soldiered on to drive us over 1400 miles in the last few days. It's a lesson learnt that if you only sign up for one driver you may be in trouble if they become incapacitated. I'm sure he would be recovering faster if he was able to curl up in the back of the car and sleep.

Tomorrow we hope to join the Natchez Trace Parkway and drive it to Natchez to check out some antebellum houses and then on Tuesday, hopefully we'll get to NOLA where we'll spend the last few days of our big family road trip before we all split up to go separate ways. If anyone has any 'must dos' in the Delta please let me know.

Gardyloo

Don't miss Port Gibson, "the town too beautiful to burn," but then I'd cut over to the Mississippi and look for the small roads that run along the levees adjacent and parallel to the river. (NOT Hwy 61, which is very unattractive in places.) You can't really get lost, and it's a real glimpse of a vanishing world. Shame you'll miss the Vicksburg battlefield - amazing.

TDudette

Lovely!

Tomsd

Ahhh yes, for Civil War Buffs: The Battle (really siege) of Vicksburg - giving the Union (North) forces control of the mighty Mississippi - and about the same time as Gettysburg - the turning point in the Civil War with the South/Confederacy.

Kwaussie

Gardyloo, how right you are. This is indeed part of a vanishing world. Who knew such beauty lay right beside the highway!

I had to think very hard to remember where we'd come from this morning. We've covered so much territory in the last few days that I can hardly remember my own name!

We left Jackson (home of Johnny Cash and Reese Witherspoon) in teeming rain but once we'd found our way onto the Natchez Trace Parkway the sun came out and allowed us a chance to enjoy the beautiful woods on either side of the road. It was awesome to get off the highway, especially after a near miss just out of the city when a car in front of us lost control and slammed into the barrier. The speed limit on the parkway is a sedate 50 miles an hour. It was like a glorious Sunday drive and I finally felt myself relaxing for the first time since we got in the car. We made a point of stopping at every historical marker and learnt a remarkable amount about the civil war as we went. It was along this track that General Lee marched his troops before winning the siege of Vicksburg, giving the Union control of the Mississippi.

We also stopped at the Locust House, an original inn turned plantation house. How remarkable to imagine that in it's heyday this house was a thriving farm, complete with slaves, as witnessed by the slave cemetery down the path behind the house.

At the end of the Parkway we found ourselves in Natchez itself and got another view of the mighty Mississippi river. Natchez is an interesting town, full of magnificent antebellum homes. Seriously, these houses are jaw droopingly beautiful. I had to shake my head a couple of times because I was so sure I saw Scarlett O'Hara settling her crinoline under the shade of a magnolia tree outside one of them! When we stopped tonight I realised I had been in so much awe of them I hadn't even taken a photo.

We wandered down the main street, that like a lot of the towns we have visited in the South , was pretty much deserted. Taine thought all his Christmases had come at once when we visited a curio shop full of christmassy things and yummy fudge. I just enjoyed listening to the lilting accent of the girl behind the counter who referred to her boss as Miz Lisbeth.

After a lunch of ribs, pulled pork and sloppy joes, we decided to push on to Baton Rouge so we don't have as far to go tomorrow. We arrived just on peak hour so we had dinner at a Thai restaurant while we waited out the traffic. Again, the food was excellent and ridiculously cheap. Even with a 20% tip, the six of us ate for less than $100.

Thanks to all the Fodorites who are following my trip. It's great to have company on our journey I'm pretty much just cross posting the blog I'm writing for my friends and school classes at home (I've left the poor kids an assignment to do on my travel itinerary!) so if you'd like to see the pics that go with it you can check it out at http://demansersintheusa.blogspot.com

Tomsd

Ahhh - have always wanted to enjoy this very beaucolic part of the South - ever since 1970 when U of Mississippi QB - Archie Manning - was competing for the Heisman Trophy against Jim Plunkett of Stanford, and Jim narrowly won.

To add to your recent appreciation of College football - Archie - as you may know - is the father of two great NFL Quarterbacks - the older son being Peyton Manning - who had starred for years with the Indianapolis Colts and then after 4 neck surgeries - signed this year with the Denver Broncos - and is on track to earn a record 5th MVP award.

"Little" - droopy eyed brother - Eli - just lead the NY Giants to their 2nd Super Bowl trophy since he became their starting QB - and btw - both boys played football in New Orleans. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/recru...ory?id=5179792

But my real curiosity for "Ole Miss" - was their legendary tailgate parties - in the "Grove" - http://tinyurl.com/d5v5qpk with formal dress and concomitant catering.

Only perhaps LSU - fine Bourbon anyone? (and who some accuse of being professionals http://seattletimes.com/html/steveke..._kelley07.html ) and the Eucalyptus grove down on the farm at Stanford - where you can't find better wine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ngQFYVOyS4 -- may attempt to challenge the exalted status of Ole Miss' social events before the games.

Anyhow - love reading your reports and hope the adventure continues apace.

TDudette

The Natchez Trace Parkway has long been on my list of "to do's"--your description is as I imagined it.

More, please!

bardo1

t

Gardyloo

Just a slight friendly amendment proposal. It was General Ulysses Grant who marched his troops along parts of the Trace; General (Robert E.) Lee was engaged elsewhere during the Vicksburg siege - in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Your trip has brought back a lot of memories from a similar (but reverse-order) trip we took over the Thanksgiving weekend almost a decade ago. Here's that trip report: http://tinyurl.com/cnlbzbt

Tomsd

Didn't know there was a mixup - but Yup - after Lincoln fired some of the wuss Union generals - Grant started making things happen in the Mississippi area - while elsewhere - Lee was at the most pivotal battle of the Civil War - Gettysburg - where the brave Rebels - especially under Pickett - on the 3rd day - got mowed down when they charged up Cemetery Ridge ("Pickett's Charge") - time after time.

Johnny Reb was a game soldier - but the industrial might and population of the North ultimately spelled the difference.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gettysburg

Michael

Funnily enough, although eating out is ridiculously cheap here, the meat was very expensive.

Two different quality of meats. You would have to shop in a regular supermarket (Wholefoods is high end) to purchase meat at a price which probably represents what most people buy.

Kwaussie

Thanks Gardyloo, an American friend has also alerted me to my wrong choice of General so I've fixed that up on my blog!
TDudette, the Parkway was truly lovely. At times, drifts of autumn leaves flew down over our car like snow. I imagine it's also lovely in Summer but the colour at this time of year is pretty special.

Today was the last stretch of our road trip from Dallas to NOLA via Austin & Memphis, around 2000 km in all. The Kia Sedona (I think it's a Carnival at home) has been magnificent. There is so much leg room for everyone and it fits all of our luggage and bits and pieces no worries. I'll be sorry to hand it over on Friday and we might seriously have to think about changing our vehicles to one of these for the rest of our trip.

Because it was still raining in Baton Rouge we decided to spend a couple of hours at the Mall of Louisiana before we traveled down to New Orleans. Besides, we hadn't really bought anything but food for at least 24 hours! The mall was BIG. Taine rode the full size carousel inside the shopping centre while his big sister shopped for warm clothes to take to Washington. I had no intention of buying anything today but somehow I wandered in to a tea shop and before I knew it the salesman had schmoozed me out of $52 - for tea! I think I must have 'gullible tourist' tattooed on my forehead. Most of the hotels we stay in don't even have a way to heat water to make tea!

The drive to NOLA was a short one compared to previous days. The swampland starts many miles before the city and we saw some amazing houses built on stumps fully submersed in water. What possessed anyone to build a huge city on below sea level ground is a mystery.

We're staying at the Country Inns & Suites for the next couple of days, a step up from the La Quinta but still within a budget that will allow us the splurge necessary for accommodation in NYC and Orlando. We were all excited to find a gym so we can work off some of the food we've been eating and Taine was eager to have a swim in the heated pool. While we were at the pool we got chatting to some folks from Wisconsin and another family who were there recognised our Aussie accents and it turned out they were from Stawell, just an hour or so up the road from us at home. Small world.

We only had enough daylight for a quick stroll around the city. NOLA (Bourbon St in particular) is an assault on all the senses. I just can't wait to explore it properly tomorrow.

NorCalif

I just happened upon your trip report today. I'm really enjoying it and looking forward to more! Thank you for sharing your experiences. I think it's great you're seeing parts of the country that many visitors don't make it to.

(I do have to say I take exception to your appreciation of squirrels however. One just assaulted my backyard lemon tree last week and ate EVERY bloom off it. Had to make an emergency run to the hardware store to get chicken-wire and the poor tree is now surrounded by a chicken-wire cage. I think maybe I should have purchased a shotgun instead. I'm with tdudette above - you have my permission to take as many squirrels as possible back home with you.)

YankyGal

>>What possessed anyone to build a huge city on below sea level ground is a mystery.>>

Well, urban sprawl for one - I'm pretty sure the original footprint of the city wasn't below sea level (it certainly wasn't high ground either, of course). Also, sea levels do change, and land erodes, over time.

I hope you have enough time to get off Bourbon Street, and even out of the French Quarter - New Orleans is so much more than that. (I used to live there - it's a magical place.)

Enjoying your exploration of our country! Thanks for sharing.

Lookin_Glass

>>What possessed anyone to build a huge city on below sea level ground is a mystery.>>



"Disappearing Bayous

The bayous are disappearing. Since the 1930s, the coast of Louisiana has lost 1,900 square miles of marshes and coastal wetlands. This is an area the size of Delaware that has been swallowed up by the Gulf of Mexico. Despite recent efforts to reduce the erosion of the bayou, Louisiana still loses about an acre of land every 33 minutes. That results in a loss of 25 square miles per year. Levees have funneled marsh-building sediment into the ocean; engineers have cut 8,000 miles of canals through the bayous to help the petroleum industry, all of which contribute to the faster erosion of the bayous.

Bayou As Protector

Many people do not understand the importance of the bayou, not only as a natural habitat for many species of animals, but also as a protector of inland areas. Cities like New Orleans are under an increasing threat from hurricanes as a result of coastal erosion. When the bayous shrink, it means the storm surge from tropical storms and hurricanes can reach further inland. These storm surges can result in greater flooding. An example of this effect was apparent when the levees were overrun by Hurricane Katrina's storm surge in 2005."