I’m home in Melbourne now. I flew out of LA on Monday 27^th July. Azulo is waiting for a ship home!

Me with Maggie (left) and Mister

Merry has had her second operation on her ankle and is doing well. It’s a bad break and she has had a bone graft. She will have to go to rehab and won’t be home for a while. It’ll be a long haul for her.

San Antonio to Los Angeles

I liked San Antonio. Apart from the Alamo and the other Spanish Missions, the City has a fabulous “Riverwalk” area. This is a sort of an “American Venice”! There are dozens of restaurants lining the narrow river…Maybe it’s a canal…I’m not sure. Anyway it’s excellent

Riverwalk – San Antonio

The next day, my journey to LA began in earnest. I decided however to detour a little from the main “Interstate 10” to see some interesting countryside.

I headed South West towards El Paso but detoured South to the Deep Bend National Park which is on the Mexican Border.

I decided to lash out and stayed in a lovely Hotel called the Gage Hotel in a little place called Marathon. I really could have stayed a few days there!

That night I had dinner with a father and son who were going camping in the park together. The son, Jack, 15, was driving Brian’s Hummer! Brian asked me if I would like to have a drive! Naturally I said yes but unfortunately we had too much to drink and the moment was lost!

Jack and Brian at the “Gage”

I had something called “deep fried chicken” for my main course….Actually it’s not chicken but beef that is “deep fried”….it tasted a bit like schnitzel to me.

The next day was as long ride of about 700 K. Again, instead of going straight down the I-10 I detoured North towards Albuquerque stopping at Socorro where I headed West through the mountains to Scottsdale near Phoenix. This route had been suggested by my “Travel Agent” – Stuart. It proved a good choice as the road crossed some varied countryside from green mountainous to dry desert. I stopped for breakfast in a little village at a local diner and had the best bacon and eggs in a long while

Scottsdale

I reached Scottsdale where I stayed with my good friend and ex-business Partner, Jim Josephson and his wife Susan. Jim cooked a fantastic steak on his new and very fancy BBQ. The BBQ had a special “searing element” (I haven’t seen that before???) Anyway the result is that the steak had a tasty charcoal crust which was superb. Why it had a charcoal taste mystifies me as there was no charcoal. Maybe someone can explain that?

Los Angeles

The next day, Sunday I rode the 600 k to LA. It was a long and hot ride and I arrived around 4.00 pm.

In LA I stayed with my relative Andy Wainwright and his wife Melissa and son Alex. They live not far from Newport Beach and the GPS took me through the Cleveland National Park (I think that’s what it was called) It is a simply fantastic ride through the mountains and a biker paradise. Azulo was in second heaven with lots of long bends. What a great way to end the ride!

Alex (left) and Andy Wainwright

We went out to a nice restaurant and later Andy and I polished off a bottle of Port sitting outside on his Patio. It was cool so he lighted a “fire table” (I’ve forgotten what it’s actually called). Again, that was something I hadn’t seen before…It’s a table with a hole in the centre where an element is heated by propane. The element is covered with glass cuttings. The net result is that it feels like you are sitting by a camp fire. I might try and get one of these for our home!

It was a great way to finish the trip spending my last two nights with friends in their homes

Andy kindly drove with me on Monday to the shipping agent and we said goodbye to Azulo who will now be shipped home to Melbourne for a well-earned rest. Andy then dropped me off at LAX

Melbourne, Australia

It is good to be home. I got home at about 7.00 AM and received absolutely NO welcome from my two dogs! They were fast asleep. Some guard dogs.

Later Stuart and I visited Merry. It was good to see her and she is doing well

Merry – she must be feeling better!

So, another trip is over and this is the end of the blog.

A word about Azulo, my Kawasaki KLR 650

I must make a tribute to my trusty faithful bike Azulo. He has now covered 60,000 K on my travels around the world. We have gone from Buenos Aires to LA, Vladivostok to London and Halifax Nova Scotia, Canada to LA.Over these trips, I have had no serious mechanical breakdowns. The only issues throughout the journeys have been water on the petrol in Kyrgyzstan, a puncture in Colombia, a broken side stand switch in Siberia and several problems with the pannier struts and foot pegs.

I think Mr Kawasaki should be very proud….. I should tell them!

Goodbye for now. Thank you all for reading my blog and a special thanks for those who have sent me messages.

Bad news. Stuart rang and told me that Merry had fallen off her horse, broken her ankle, has some fractures, and is in Hospital

That was late on Saturday night. Since then, she has had an operation on her ankle…She has to have a second operation soon. She was in as good spirits as possible but fuming that she has to cancel our Alaskan Cruise and drive through USA/Canada.

Poor Merry’s foot after the first Operation

It seems that because of the fractures and the second operation,she will have to go to rehab. So she might not get home for a while.I hope I can get home before her!

I’ve been pondering what to do. I’ll definitely cut my trip short as I want to get home to be with Merry but that’s easier said than done…I have to do something with Azulo. To cut a long story short, trucking the bike to LA wouldn’t save me much time and shipping from Houston is not an option according to the Agent, so I’ll ride faster to LA!

Stuart and Lucy have been fantastic and her friends are rallying around the flag! It gives me much relief to know she is in good hands

My journey from New Orleans

After that news, my journey seems a bit insignificant, but as they say…the show must go on!

I rode hard from New Orleans to Houston but took the long route via Galveston. There is a free Ferry that crosses the Bolivar Peninsula

Houses on stilts along the Gulf shore

Houston

My Melbourne friend, Peter Harford had kindly “dobbed” in his son Philip into having me stay whilst in Houston. Poor Philip!

Philip has a lovely home with lots of room! ….

Philip Harford outside his lovely Houston home

He kindly had me to stay for the weekend. Philip works for BHP and there are a whole bunch of Aussies here!

On Saturday we went to a Wine tasting of Australian and New Zealand wines and then onto a Bar with his Aussie mates.

Now, as we know, Aussies like a good time and lots to drink….Boy oh boy! By about 9.00 (the wine tasting was at 2.30) I was almost on my ear! They are a great bunch of mates but I wouldn’t like to be here every Saturday night!

The beer here is strong so I thought I would change to wine. Bad move! They serve wine in tumblers….everything is BIG in Texas!

I was talking to this Harley rider who was there with his two daughters and he had bought a tumbler of wine for one of them but she didn’t want it so he gave it to me…so I had TWO tumblers which it seems make up ONE PINT. The photo of me shows me with my PINT of wine. No, it’s not water!

On Sunday I had a big hangover but boldly got up early to beat the crowds to visit the Space Centre. The Americans really do this sort of thing very well. There was several films and exhibits etc. and we saw Mission Control. I was hoping to see the OLD Mission Control where they controlled the Apollo Missions but unfortunately that is being refurbished

New Orion Capsule – next generation…going to Mars in 2030

Phil and I had a huge steak that night…the best I’ve had in quite a while…then an early night!

Austin

Austin

On Monday I rode to Austin, Capital of Texas.

Phil had suggested I go via Lockhart where there is a famous “ribs” BBQ restaurant called BLACKS. I went there and sampled the ribs…they are sensational!

In Austin I visited the State Capital Building which is huge and impressive. They financed it after winning independence from Mexico by selling land…they had no money but lots of land!

Inside the building is a big painting of David Crockett….Better known to people my age as Davy Crockett, king of the wild frontier! There was a terrific movie of that name in the 1950’s. I went to see it five times! Every kid of my age was wearing Davy Crockett hats…I think they are beaver hats with the tail hanging from the hat! The music from the film “Ballad of Davy Crockett” was top of the hit parade for weeks! Davy Crockett was killed at The Alamo in San Antonio. Whenever I feel like irritating Merry I sing the song from the film…”Farewell to the mountains”…..I get kicked very quickly!

The point of all this totally irrelevant information is that the David Crockett in the painting looks NOTHING like the Hollywood version that featured Fess Parker! (Compare the pictures below!)

David Crockett (Davy Crockett)

Davy Crockett as we saw him in the 1950’s Movie (Fess Parker)

very disappointing don’t you think!

On a more intellectual subject I visited President Lyndon B Johnson’s Library. The LBJ Library is quite superb. Again, the Americans do this so well. It is a fantastic legacy on the life and times of their Presidents and how they carved their place in history. I spent most of the day there and was enthralled

My last night in Austin I wanted some good Texas Ribs. Stuart kindly looked up a few places and suggested Lambert’s Downtown BBQ. An excellent choice!

Lambert’s Downtown BBQ

After Austin my next stop was San Antonio to see the Alamo

San Antonio

The Alamo is incredibly small…..

The Alamo

The Alamo is right in the middle of town as you see from this photo. Over the years, much of the original property has been built over so it’s a bit hard to get a good perspective of the Alamo as it was in 1836

I also visited one of the other Spanish Missions, The Mission of San Jose.

Mission of San Jose

I’m not quite sure where I’ll head tomorrow but it will be a long ride so an early start tomorrow!

I’m in New Orleans now. I’ve just had the best time on the SWAMP TOUR on an Air Boat. Amazing. It’s worth boarding a plane RIGHT NOW!

Back to the story

The last part of my Elvis pilgrimage was to visit Tupelo, Mississippi, 160 K from Memphis.

Elvis was born here

Elvis was born there and lived there till he was about 13, I think.

Elvis was born here

Before doing the Elvis “bit” though, I needed to change  Azulo’s oil. I thought that would be easy but no…Could I find anywhere to do it…No. None of the car service places would help and I couldn’t find any motorcycle places. Eventually the lady in the Tupelo Visitors Centre located the local Honda Dealer so off I went

They immediately took Azulo off to the workshop and I was admiring the Honda bikes in the showroom when the Owner, David Hill came and spoke to me. He then offered to show me the sites while Azulo was being serviced. So off we went in his huge Ford truck. How kind is that!

Elvis came from a very poor family. His father Vernon spent three years in jail for forging cheques which made life very hard. They lived in a tiny “shotgun” house…They call it “shotgun” because if you fire a shotgun through the front door the shrapnel comes out the back door! David told me the Presley’s were a fairly feisty lot, ready to have a fight if you wanted one!

He said that the whole area was devastated first by the civil war and then the Great Depression so it has taken over 150 years for the area to recover and prosper. This is a familiar tale I’ve been hearing throughout the South. I never realised the huge disruption the War caused for the South with their Cotton and Sugar industries devastated when the slaves were released…not to mention the sheer destruction and huge loss of life. Over 600,000 soldiers died in the war

The tiny church where the community gathered has been moved near the house and they have a simply superb movie “re-enactment” of a Pentecostal Service.

It was so unexpected. I was sitting in the pews and suddenly three screens come down…One in front and one each side. They completely cover the whole interior of the church. There then follows a typical service….shown on all three screens. Having never seen a Pentecostal Service it’s sort of like the Negro Spiritual…All were white in the film but there’s lots of singing and joking and the minister holds forth about the glory of god but in a showman like manner. All great fun. No photos allowed though!

Later, I met this guy who told me Elvis was dead!

I said to him that I didn’t doubt it. He then insisted that HE KNOWS FOR A FACT THAT HE IS DEAD…I asked how he knew and he said because his brother was the Paramedic who picked him up from Graceland! He added that the sheets from the Ambulance were taken and ended up in a bank vault but he didn’t know where they were now!

Azulo was waiting when we returned so off I went. David’s daughter and four Grand kids were there too so they received a koala!

My next stop was Vicksburg in the Mississippi.

I went down the Natchez Trace Parkway.

Typical of the Natchaz Trace Parkway

Vicksburg Mississippi

The siege and surrender of Vicksburg was a major Union Victory in the war and like Gettysburg was a turning point. By taking Vicksburg the Union controlled the river.

Battle for Vicksburg

There was also a naval battle here and one of the Union Ironclads as they were called was sunk when it hit a mine. USS Cairo as it was known was recovered from river and preserved.

Natchez

The next day Azulo and I moved on to Natchez. This is a town on the Mississippi where the wealthy Cotton Plantation Owners built their “Scarlet O’Hara” Mansions. There are many to see but I had time for just one…It’s a bit like seeing Churches in Europe…after a while you become “over Churched” Anyway, I visited a House called “Rosalie” which was quite beautiful

RosalIe

I visited a Native Natchez Indian museum

The Natchez Indians were first discovered by the French explorer La Salle when he went down the Mississippi in 16-something. All went well for a while then there was fisticuffs between the French and the Indians so they evacuated to seek protection from the British

Natchez Indian Wigwam

I then headed off to see a Sugar Plantation near New Orleans called Oak Ally.

The night before I stayed in a cheap Hotel about 20 k from the Plantation. The whole area is virtually an oil field and there was nowhere to eat except for…..wait for it…..CHUCK LIM’S CHINESE DINER!

Well….what a photo opportunity missed. I didn’t have my camera. Chuck Lim’s place needs a “Gordon Ramsey Makeover” …actually I think even Gordon would give up…

I ordered a Chicken Spicy Curry and Fried Rice for the princely sum of $9.00. When the food arrived I almost fell off my chair….The very large waitress carried two HUGE plates piled high with food. There was too much for 4 teenage boys. She sheepishly said …”I think you’ve ordered too much!

The other problem was that it was almost inedible! I chose poorly!

The Oak Ally Plantation is a gem. Again, the Plantation was devastated by the Civil War and the owners went bankrupt. Somehow the property has survived. A must visit if you’re down this way!

Oak Ally Plantation LA

 There was an excellent guided tour of the house. I love the costume and the added plastic bottle! Very authentic!

New Orleans

I checked into an adequate Hotel in the French Quarter called Andrew Jackson. It’s only $125.00 per night which is great value here. The Hotel is on the site of the old Court House where the great man himself (General Andrew Jackson was fined $1000 for refusing to lift the curfew after the war (not the Civil War, the war of 1812)  That’s a lot of money then!

My Hotel..Andrew Jackson

Merry and I visited New Orleans in 1977 and stayed in one of the better Hotels in town, the Royal Sonesta. It’s funny isn’t it that all these years later, I’ve slid down a couple of stars! I suppose in 1977 the A$ was 1.14 to the $US compared to .75c today. Also we both had good jobs and no kids!

Royal Sonesta

New Orleans has changed dramatically since 1977. Then, Bourbon Street was full of Jazz Clubs playing all sorts of Jazz and lots of Dixie. That’s completely gone. Bourbon Street now is a bit seedy with strip clubs and many grotty bars. Apparently the night life has the moved to another part of town near Frenchman Street…No Jazz to speak of though. I guess it’s a sign of the times. It’s still a terrific place and the food is awesome!

It may have no jazz but it’s a great place to see and walk about

Great Cajun dish. Sorry, not sure what it was but it was terrific

My highlight was a SWAMP TOUR in an Air Boat.

I must thank Carrie, Stuarts friend who raved about it!

It was absolutely fantastic. The boat reaches speeds in excess of 75 KPH and swerves around through the swamps. The driver stops to see the Alligators….They’re so tame you can touch them

There are cedar trees everywhere covered with what they call Spanish Moss. The French called it Spanish Beard and the Spanish called it French Wig!

Spanish Moss…The French call it Spanish beard and the Spanish call it French wig

We were told that Henry Ford used the “moss” as filling for car seats. The moss was put into cedar boxes and shipped to Detroit. The boxes were then used as floorboards for his cars. A good plan you might say…until it turned out the moss was full of bugs and lice and hadn’t been treated properly. The cars had to be recalled when people complained about lice in their cars! The world’s first “recall”! Sounds like a tall story but they claim it is a TRUE story. I’ll have to google that someday!

Sadly I must say goodbye to New Orleans. I wish I had more time here.

Tomorrow I ride to Houston. I’m looking forward to visiting the Space Center from where the Apollo missions were controlled….Remember the famous line from Apollo 13…Houston, we have a problem! 

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