hells belles

 Margie and I rode about 800 miles yesterday. Through my favorite part of the new land so far  (well, new to me ;) . Mateo, our new friend in Victoria, highly recommended we stop in Goliad on our way out of town. Goliad was a fort back when the Texians were fighting the Mexicans for independence and the location of an old spanish mission, dating back to the 1700's. After the Alamo fell, the leader and about 300 troops retreated to Victoria.  However, surrendered to Mexican forces who had overtaken them in Goliad,  about 20 miles or so west of Victoria. It is believed that the terms of the negotiation included the men were to be treated of prisoners of war, however, on the 27th of March 1836, they were ordered executed. This is where the battle cry "Remember Goliad! Remember the Alamo!" came from. The mission is also very cool, and the staff was very friendly. I wonder if they have camping, might be a fun place to stop in the future.

The ride to San Antonio was cool and overcast. That part of the state, the land is mostly used fracking (from what I was told Victoria population is booming because of it) but it looks like farmland to me. Big trucks with cattle catchers driving around, hauling tractors and what not. It reminded me of Sidney, Iowa where I have family. Some hills, fun and easy to ride.

Oh a word about driving in Texas. People will PULL OFF THE ROAD to let you pass. Granted, the shoulder is wide enough that they don't have to go in the dirt, but still. I've even had semi's coming the opposite direction drive onto the shoulder to help me avoid the wind blast that attacks you when driving around a big semi truck. It is amazing. And the speed limit- the speed limit is somewhere about 65 to 80 in between towns. Margie and I made good time in Texas ;)

LEGO scientist at the fort in Goliad

 Now, Nick, (who works at Transportation Revolution,  the Ducati dealership in New Orleans) is my new favorite person. While I had my map spread out on the floor, he suggested that we ride through Alpine and Marfa on Hwy 90, and stop to look around. I am SOOOO glad he did, because we were planning on crossing West Texas on Interstate 10. From what I understand,  I 10 is a gas desert. Several people told me the ride through West Texas was awful. "Its was the armpit of the world" and "you don't know how far you've gone because the mile you're driving looks exactly like every mile for the last hundred. And every mile for the next hundred looks exactly the same."

 On this trip I've realized on this trip highways are a better ride because those roads were originally paved when people took drives for pleasure. Likewise, the interstates were paved for convenience and practicality.
   


 Back to the ride, Hwy 90 from San Antonio to Marfa has been my favorite stretch of road thus far. Admittedly, part of this has to be that the terrain is so completely different than Georgia. The desert scrub and wildlife give me so much to look at that I am usually surprised when it's time to stop for fuel ("What? Already?"). Honestly, I thought by this point I would have dug out my ear buds out of boredom,  but today is day 7 and I'm still rocking the earplugs. The roads are windy and lonely. They are cut through and careen around desert mountains. The colors are mostly reds and browns. The foliage is green but it's a different shade, it's more dull. The rocky desert terrain builds into mountains dispersed through flat scrub land. Just outside of Del Rio, we crested a hill coming around a curve to the most pristine lake I have ever seen.  Amistad Reservoir and Recreation Area out in the middle of the desert is turquoise. It was mostly deserted (ha:), I saw one lonely sailboat on the entire expanse of the lake. So many places to see.... and to return to one day :)

Tax dollars at work

 As the day wore on and the miles passed under our tires, the sun started setting on the horizon. We literally chased the glorious sunset through the desert. And pulled into a Alpine TX diner for dinner. We've been eating mostly protein bars during the day and stuffing down a huge meal at night at a mom and pop restaurant. This is usually an easy way to guarantee a good meal. This one, for example, had an amazing jalapeño burger.

Just as I was about to pack my dogs up and move to Alpine, on the road between Alpine and Marfa, I got a reminder that Texas isn't idealistic. It was just dark, there was a truck parked on the side of the road. And just before we blew past I watched a man in a green shirt yank a woman in a white tank around by her arm.  Her head jerked sideways and her hair flew. I wouldn't say it ruined Texas for me....  but it did challenge my brain and broke my heart a little.

We've been meeting a lot of really cool people
on the road :)

 Hwy 90 turned north and straightened out as we drew closer to El Paso. The memory of the couple fighting at the truck faded as I watched lights dance beyond the horizon. We'd been warned to keep an eye out for the deer, elk, and jackrabbits. But we didn't have any trouble with any crossing our path. The country is flat and very dark. It was so flat that I could see the glow from headlights of approaching cars over the curvature of the earth. It took me a while to figure this out because they looked , like a fog of light, and when they finally broke the horizon, they looked like a tiny little candle. Minutes passed and we were moving fast. After a while, the "flame" grew, and I started to wonder what the f*ck is that? More miles past (to give you an idea of the expanse of this sky), and the flame finally broke into a recognizable two lights.  The stars were out and to the north of us there was a breathtaking storm, the lightning blew up the clouds, making me think of Zeus riding a cloud and throwing the bolts around :)

  I really REALLY enjoyed riding through the desert at night. The city lights as we approached El Paso danced in the distance. Yes we decided to push through and ride to El Paso! As I said earlier, it was about 800 miles. And I could've kept going, but we were happy to see our friendly face in the city.

Talk to you soon!

Until tomorrow,
~Amanda Terranova

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bob's your uncle!

When Margie signed on for this trip, her one request was for us to spend two nights in New Orleans. Mostly because I'd never been to NOLA (but also- I suspect- because she loves this place). I have to admit, I was hesitant. I knew I wanted to get to the west coast as quickly as possible, so I could take my time on the Pacific Coastal Highway. I've never been west of Colorado/Wyoming, and I want to explore... did you know there is a RAIN FOREST in the state of Washington!

Live music on Frenchmen St

I digress, I am so effing glad we took our time here. New Orleans has a great energy vibe. Jazz, bluegrass, and all forms of music flood the streets at most hours of both day and night. Last night after I posted, we headed down to Frenchman Street. Our hotel concierge suggested it as a place to find good live music. Eric, the pedicab driver, suggested we order a Sazerac at The Spotted Cat and check out the music there. The music was great and we made new friends visiting from Australia. A Sazerac(generally accepted as the oldest known American Cocktail from Pre-Civil War, NOLA) typically consists of cognac or rye, absinthe, Peychaud's Bitters, and sugar. It will knock you on your ass. It was delicious, I'm just warning you, drink with caution and lots of water. 

Working on Bourbon 
St... yes, working... 
and drinking of course ;)

I understand that most Bourbon street bars are open til 4am, while some don't close. I remember hearing that NOLA smelled bad, but Bourbon Street is the only place that was rank that I visited. I didn't spend much time on Bourbon Street, I guess because it seemed like the kind of party I could find on any night in downtown Athens, but with more hookers. 

Speaking of hookers, late last night, well, this morning (near abouts 3am- headed back to the hotel). I was recruited by a pimp. Apparently, my tshirt, red jeans, and heels suggested I was looking for work (now that I think about it- it was most likely that I was lively at such a late hour).  He was made a good argument for the oldest profession of the world, but I couldn't be convinced.  He certainly didn't convince me he made sure "his people" got home safe, but he did try to introduce me to one of his employees... There’s a first time for everything.

Needless to say, we slept in this morning. From what I understand, not much happens in NOLA before lunch anyways ;) When we finally climbed out of bed and struck out on foot for the French Market area to get a Muffaletta. Its a sandwich with a medley of deli-meats on a roll of muffaletta, swiss and provelone, and this olive...CRACK. I don't know all the ingredients (olives, onions, capers, peppers, spices, garlic and I don't know what else). Just a good sandwich. Its a lot of food too, so take someone to share it with. We picked ours up from General Grocery, reported creator of the Muffaletta 60 years ago. Though I heard Napoleon House has the best muffalato sandwich in NOLA, the General Grocery Muffaletta was delicious! 

Margie and I sat in a mini park near the Grocery with a group of people who said they "weren't homeless, but home free!" We recorded Sara singing one of her original songs, and she was actually pretty good! I'll try to find a way to share her song, it was quite beautiful, and actually suits this trip of mine :) They were friendly and helpful and we hung out until an officer came by to tell us to clear the area.

Beignets at Cafe Du Monde

I checked out Cafe Du Monde (in the French Market) for these famous beignets that everyone was talking about. (The beignets did not disappoint!) I also did a little shopping at the vendors in the market. There is a lot of great art, some of it is local. I suggest you start at the far end of the market and stroll to the entrance, ending at Cafe Du Monde for beignets and chicory coffee. There were street vendors playing music, people singing. I picked up a children's book by a local author for one of my nieces/nephews. Some cajun seasoning for my folks... I found a mascot for my trip- a LEGO Wonder Woman. Now to find a way to adhere her to Welly.

  

Lego Wonder Woman!

We took a carriage ride with Robert and Cadillac from Mid-City Carriages and Tours around the French Quarter. Born and raised NOLA resident, Robert was a wealth of local knowledge. Restaurants he recommended: Gumbo Shop For really good, local food at a reasonable price) and Napoleon House (for Muffalettas). Fun things to do: take a class or shop at New Orleans School of Cooking. Visit Preservation Hall, a historical site which was instrumental in the development of Jazz

Cadillac, our trusty steed, 
already asleep, 30 seconds 
after parking the carriage

Stroll down Royal Street, a fun street to window shop. Hit Maskarade for fun, custom masks.

working while on the 
carriage tour

A little French Quarter and NOLA history:

France claimed Louisiana territory in 1682. After the Seven Years War, the territory was split, part was given to Spain, and the other to Napoleon. Napoleon turned around and sold the territory to us (ha-gettit? oh nevermind) for $15 million US because he was waging an expensive war. That's about 4 cents an acre. Sounds like a good deal to me :)

Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop

 In 1788 a fire burned 856 of the 1000 or so buildings that made up NOLA, a few years later another fire burned ~200 more buildings. Most of the French architecture burned and the city was rebuilt by the Spanish. You can see the Spanish's influence all over the French Quarter, with the tall windows and doors... One of the buildings with French architecture that survived the fire is Lafitte`s Blacksmith Shop on Bourbon Street. (It's now a bar.)

Jackson Square, the cathedral and
one of the twin Pontalba buildings

the Baroness' other building

Jackson Square, a park in the French Quarter is bordered by the Market, St. Louis Cathedral, the oldest continually operated cathedral in the States, and the twin Pontalba apartment buildings. The twin brick buildings were built by Micaela Almonester, Baroness de Pontalba.  She seems like a very shrewd businesswomen, supposedly, these were the first apartment  Margie made the comment that this is a town that has been heavily influenced by women. It certainly seems true. Marie Laveau, (the Voodoo Priestess), another famous NOLA native. She was known for her love potions, and her grave is one of the most visited in the nation.

Zach and his mother :)
 (another cool NOLA female-
she started their shop!)

 Before dinner we headed out to visit the guys out at Transportation Revolution. They are the Ducati (and Vespa/Triumph) dealers here in New Orleans. They have some really cool stuff. If you look in the picture to the right--> behind me there is a bike who's tank was decorated with a Sharpie. It made me want to go get markers and start coloring on my bike. But since I cannot produce anything nearly as cool as that thing, I will just keep collecting stickers :) 

 I got some great advice on roads to ride in the southwestern United States while I was there too! Im looking forward to coming back. Between my experience here in NOLA and Max's invitation, I may come back soon for my first track day. 

 Okay, I could keep writing about this place for hours more, but I need to get to bed. We push off early in the morning for Killian, Texas, so I need some sleep. 

Westbound!
~Amanda Terranova
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