The Grand Finale: The Grand Canyon

This is my last blog for our US Road Trip. What a trip this has been. I think it is perfectly appropriate that we ended with the Grand Canyon. What a treasure this park is for the world. No wonder it is one of the Seventh Wonders of the World and I'm glad we were able to experience it.
If you go...
I recommend hiking sections of the South Rim each day We hiked from Mather's Point to the Village the first day. The second day we hiked from The Village to Hopi Point. Round trip this was five miles on each hike. The third day we rode our bike to the South Kaibab Trailhead. The only part we missed was the Hermit's Rest. We didn't want to take the Shuttle (which is a great way to travel from vista to vista, but means you are with the crowds...always). The only way to get to Hermit's rest was by bike or by Shuttle. I wasn't willing to ride our bikes on the roads because we didn't have helmets. There are "Greenways" for bikes and that is what we rode.
Mather's campground was perfect for camping. It was great walking around and listening to all the different languages spoken. World travelers come and camp in our National Parks. I think I have mentioned before how much I appreciate this flavor. On another note, we had Elk in our camp! Beautiful, majestic creatures; much more so than humans who seem to be pretty oblivious when it comes to interacting with wildlife. I.e. parents allowing their young children to approach a Bull Elk, during rutting season. "Hi, Elk" Or, the very nice college student who made eye contact with same Bull Elk, almost nose to nose and asked us afterward if "Elks are dangerous" That would be yes, they are wild animals. It is NEVER a good idea to make and sustain eye contact with a Bull Elk or any other wild animal. That is your survival tip of the day.
Thank you for reading my attempts at writing this chronicle of our trip. It has been a wild ride:)

Eating and walking our way through New Orleans! What an historic, beautiful city!

Jackson Square

French Market Cafe with great Jazz

Tribute/dedication to the tomb of the unknown slave at St. Augustine's

Laura's Plantation, a Creole Plantation. 

Slave Quarters at Laura's plantation, still occupied by descendants of slaves that still worked the lands in 1977!! 16 by 16 cabin! Yes, 1977!!! They told us that no one leaves that community. Everyone in the community traces its roots back to the plantations. Amazing! 

Café de Monde! Think beignettes. 

The music neighborhood, rebuilt through a focused effort to bring the culture of music back to NOLA after Katrina. This house is always decorated, but especially so for Halloween as is much of the city right now. 

Dinner with friends at Galvez, a Spanish restaurant on the Mississippi with wide open verandas/windows

Bamboulas. FABULOUS! Great Jazz!!!

A restaurant on a corner of Jackson Square. 

Hard to see, but captures some of the vibrancy of Jackson Square. 

New Orleans is an experience, and not what you might think. Sure, there is Bourbon street that we walked down one night just to have the experience. That said, New Orleans should not be defined by "party town". That truly is not the culture (one could say it is the tourist culture but not New Orleans). I reconnected with my Catholic roots once again, because that is one of the foundational cornerstones of the city. New Orleans was originally settled in the early 1700s as a French Colony. Robert Cavalier de la Salle, explored the Mississippi from Canada to the Gulf Coast and claimed all lands touching the river for France and named it after King Louis, hence Louisiana. 

The city itself was pretty perfectly situated as a port city and as a way to protect Louisiana lands from intruders, mainly the English. New Orleans changed hands, held for forty years by the Spanish who found the people ungovernable:) they had a much looser definition of being a Catholic than the Spanish had, who saw their love of Carnavale, etc., too much. They tried to restrict those who would not be restricted. King Louis had given the colony to Spain, but it ended back under French control, eventually all of that whole track of land came under American control in 1803 through the Louisiana purchase. The Creole people are the original French colonists, The Cajun came from Acadia (Nova Scotia), the Americans came after the purchase. The French and the Americans DID NOT get along. They tried to build a canal between the groups but had to settle for a broad boulevard, Canal Street. 

It is amazing to see the influences of the French, African and American cultures throughout the city; leading to music, architecture, religious influences unique to New Orleans, all mixed up together. 

A good example would be Saint Augustine Catholic Church in Tremé neighborhood. The neighborhood itself was the Tremé plantation. Many of the descendants of that plantation live there. The church has a 173 year history for which we attended mass on the anniversary. The service itself is uniquely New Orleans, a mix of gospel music from African American roots. The church was founded for Freedmen (Free men (women) of color) , there was a competition for buying the pews between whites when they realized what was happening and the the Freedmen Families bought pews then. The Freedmen bought three rows of pews to every one the Whites bought. The Freedmen also bought pews for the slaves so that they could attend mass.  In Louisiana, the law stated that all slaves would be baptized catholic, could be "severely punished but not tortured" and had to be allowed to attend mass. Interesting, eh? 

So, the end result was Saint Augustine Church was uniquely integrated from its inception. If you ever get to New Orleans this is a wonderful experience, Catholic or not. This church radiates love and validation, I don't know how else to describe it. The music is inspirational and uplifting. They have a tomb for the unknown slave outside that is dedicated to all slaves buried in unmarked cemeteries. 

I would say that the overall sense of the culture one could come away with is diversity and a pride in that diversity. Another experience I would like to highlight is the Katrina exhibit at one of the two museums on Jackson square. This horrific event might seem morbid if it weren't for the strength and character of the New Orleans people coming back together and reclaiming their culture and their history. Awful things happened in Katrina that should never have happened due to the incompetence and bad decisions in building the levies and not learning from prior hurricanes. The city itself was not ready for such a catastrophe and there were all kinds of examples of astonishing lack of coordinated services to downright abuse by those in authority. Yet, at the end of the day, New Orleans reclaimed their city. 

The restaurants are amazing. I thought about listing them all but I don't think there is such a thing as a bad restaurant. There is a wide range of pricing however:) Thank goodness, you can walk and walk and walk which we did. You can walk along the promenade of the Mississippi or just walk endlessly through all of the streets. The architecture will draw you in as will the shopping:) Speaking of shopping, go to the French Market as well. There is so much to see and experience just right there. That is also an historical feature that has always been there since the inception of the colony! 

Also, I highly recommend (again, I know) Free Tours by Foot! Our Australian guide who married a New Orleans musician, was so very knowledgeable with not only the history but great advice on what else to see and do. We followed her advice and were grateful. 

IF you are looking for an authentic nightlife experience, head to Frenchmen Street. The clubs along that street offer great jazz with great vibes. I especially liked Bamboulas. The band was from England, happened through the doors that very day and were hired for the night. They invited the waitress to sing with them and her voice was incredible! AND HER STAGE Presence! She truly was amazing and a prototype of many who hope to make their way in Jazz music. 

One other unique experience we had was witnessing a Jazz Funeral Procession. Literally jazz music is played down the streets with families and friends celebrating their loved one. It truly feels like a celebration and at first I didn't know what it was! I took pictures but declined to post them as it felt disrespectful after I realized what I was witnessing. 

Go to New Orleans for the culture and for the experience. Walk down Bourbon Street but know that it does not in any way define the French Quarter or New Orleans as a whole. 

Saint Andrews State Park; Panama City, Florida

Panama City is magical. St. Andrew's State Park is highly recommended if you come here via RV. It is a BEAUTIFUL park with many waterfront sites, including both the Bay and the Gulf. 

St. Andrew's Bay, Massalina Bayou and the Gulf Coast! What more could anyone ask for???

 Every day we saw an abundance of sea life: herons, egrits, pelicans and dolphins! Tommy took us out on the Panache, the venerable sailboat that has served his family throughout their lives. Sailing on the bay was relaxing, as we enjoyed the sea breezes, noting the wildlife fish and go about their daily existence. We kayaked through the bayous and the bay, had glorious sunsets accompanied by fabulous food with our brother-in-law, Tommy Beason at their condo. 

The best part though is that we had a week with Tommy, had quality time. So...very...special. 

Gator Time at St. Mark's National Wildlife Refuge

We had a great time with family both in Jacksonville and Tallahassee. I will share a highlight here of the St. Mark's National Wildlife Refuge through pictures.

Snowy Egrets and Roseate Sandbills

Steve, Brother-in-law Tommy, and Niece Laura at the wildlife refuge

Butterflies

My fave! Dragonflies trying (and failing) to eat the swarm of love bugs!

See the alligator?

How big is that gator?

THAT Gator!

baby gator

another view

Georgia on my mind

Savannah, Georgia! Beautiful! The original design of this city allowed for plazas (squares) throughout around which neighborhoods were organized. Each plaza has an historical figure as a central focal point. All statues are facing "the enemy". In early times (1700s) this was Spain, then England, then the North. We enjoyed a tour of the city that allowed for an overview of the history. We especially enjoyed our walk along the river. True to our trip so far, we again looked for the "road less traveled". We settled on Pin Point Heritage Museum. This was one of the first Freedmen communities after the civil war and also the only still existing community along the Moon River/Waterway. The community itself was a rice plantation that Sherman settled on African American Union Solders (40 acres and a mule). They settled on the island along the river. Andrew Johnson, President that followed Lincoln, rescinded the land gift. The settlers were told to get out or share crop (a step above, barely, from slavery). They fought instead. They lost but several families stayed and after a hurricane in the 1890s the land was again available for sale to those that stayed. They bought their parcels for 29 dollars. The tour guides were descendants of those Freedmen. They had such pride in their community, which focused around their church. There was a factory on site from 1925 until 1985 that employed many of the community members, mainly women, who were strong and worked hard. They cleaned crabs during crab season and shucked oysters during oyster season. It was a fantastic museum experience, even more authentic because the people running the tours and museum were from those original folk. Clarence Thomas was born here, but that wasn't what struck me. What struck me was the pride in the community and the resolve to keep the community vibrant. 

Another highlight was the Historic Savannah Theatre! It was a two hour venue of music that for my generation took us down memory lane. It was very well done and captured our hearts. All of the music was good but again, what struck me was the rendition of "Georgia, on my mind"...

Promenade along the Savannah River

Kayaking on Moon River, yes THAT Moon River

Sunset at our campsite, Skidaway State Park

Boiling Blue Crab

The pot for boiling blue crab

Art Sculpture, notice the shells underneath. In Pin Point and throughout Savannah, there were roads and buildings made with "Tabby" a mixture of oyster shell, limestone and other ingredients I can't remember!