While traveling this summer, several of us got the idea to meet in New Orleans for Halloween.  I had been there once before, and it was fun, so it was a great chance to see friends and revisit the infamous French Quarter.  You can follow along with some of the trip pictures, and get an idea of the route on this map.

Ohio had a warm spell in October, with temperatures reaching 80F for a few days. My trip started the following day, with a huge rainstorm approaching and high temperatures in the low 50’s. A check of the Weather Channel showed a storm system reaching from north of Indianapolis to south of Memphis, and extended far back to the west.  It was parallel to my planned route to Jackson, Tennessee, where some of us were meeting at Bubba’s house.  From the way the storm was moving, I would hit it in about an hour, and it was going to last all day.  Rain isn’t fun. Cold temperatures aren’t much fun, either.  But I was not going to be cold and wet if I could help it.

After checking, and rechecking the maps and distances and storm track, I made the decision to reroute through Indianapolis and drive through the narrow part of the storm. I would still get wet, but hopefully I would be able to get past the rains quickly.  Then I could turn south and reach Bubba’s. My schedule allowed for some extra time, and the flexibility helped.

I headed directly west, and didn’t hit rain until Dayton, Ohio, and was out of it by the time I hit the Indiana state line. Sweet! That wasn’t a problem at all.  The temperatures dropped quickly, but I stayed dry and warm in my leathers.  The next decision was where to turn south. Just prior to the trip I got a new smartphone, and had easy access to the weather radar. Since many places have free wireless Internet, it took all the guesswork out of checking the weather.

I ended up heading west, most of the way to St. Louis.  The storm was hanging just below Interstate 70, and extended west to Interstate 57.  I headed south towards Memphis, getting a motel room near Cairo, Illinois, where the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers meet.  Very fitting, since I was heading to New Orleans, just down river seven hundred miles away.

On the way to Jackson, I met up with another biker packed with gear. Not being able to see under their leathers and face mask, I had figured that it might be one of our group.  We stopped for gas, but it was not one of my friends, but a biker from Nashville who was returning home after a week riding the highways.  We talked for awhile, and he followed me as far as Jackson, Tennessee.

I arrive at Bubba’s to find “Aussie Brian” there. The other three arrived within an hour, with a chase vehicle.  We were due in New Orleans the following afternoon, and since it was mid-afternoon, we decided to ride a few hours to Tupelo, Mississippi, where we could spend the night.

The backroads we followed were really nice divided highways, with only a few towns with low speed limits. In southern Mississippi, we hit the interstate for the rest of the trip to New Orleans.

We suddenly notice that the tail bike was no longer with us. We all pull off the highway and try to call. There’s no answer, so I ride ahead to the next exit, planning to turn around to backtrack. When I reach the exit I call Bubba, and they tell me that they talked to the guys. Turns out the tail bike lost a chain on the highway (who still uses a chain, anyway? Those were always a pain in the backside… oh well). The chase vehicle had him and they had already called for a tow truck. They would meet us in New Orleans.  I wait at the exit for Bubba and the others to catch up, and we head on our way.  Fairly painless.

Traffic gets heavy as we cross into New Orleans. We make our exit and Bubba leads us to his friend’s house, where we will be staying. These guys have a nice house in the Bywater District, near the 9th Ward that was flooded during Katrina. There’s a pool, an outdoor bar, hot tub… the works! We’re living in style!

Just an hour later, the chase vehicle arrives. The tow truck arrived quickly to get the broken bike, and hauled it to a bike shop just outside New Orleans, so it was on the way and relatively nearby. Yay!  Mike and Paul, from Texas show up at the house, as do the others in our group. The party is in full force!

The next day, several of us head to the French Quarter, where we spend the afternoon walking around and visiting bars. For lunch, we walk into Verti Mart, a small, narrow little grocery store that has a huge menu board full of incredible options (and they deliver!). You would never guess that this small store had such wonderful food. Wow.

Mike and Paul come down to meet us, and my cousin’s daughter, Katherine, who lives in New Orleans, meets us after she gets out of work. We spend the evening catching up on news and sharing stories, and introducing Katherine to the group. We find a great Italian restaurant called Mona Lisa, and enjoy a fun meal.

The food in New Orleans was great.  We ate seafood at Jack Dempsey’s one day, and The Joint barbecue had excellent food and BBQ Bloody Mary’s that were really zesty. One morning we tried, unsuccessfully, to finish a huge breakfast at Elizabeth’s.  One of the breat finds of the trip was a restaurant in the Hotel Maria, named Vacherie (after a local town where much of the food is grown). This was a very nice restaurant, with linen table clothes and all, but that didn’t stop us grungy bikers from trying it. We each order a different entree and share, and all of the food was flavorful and wonderful. After our meal, the chef walks out (maybe to see the motley group), and it turns out that he grew up within a few miles of my hometown.  Small world!

Halloween in New Orleans is a great party.  While Mardi Gras gets packed with tourists, the Halloween party is more of a local party.  There are many people on Bourbon Street, but it isn’t wall-to-wall. And, of course, it’s a fun crowd and there’s a festive energy enjoying the perfect weather.

While I don’t have a costume (A biker? Again?), some of my friends do.  Karl and Ken dress as “noodlers”, the people who catch catfish with their hands.  Karl made these creative costumes himself, and they attract much attention and laughs.  Bubba wears his ‘demon eye’ contact lenses, and shows his horns.

As we walk down the street, I have fun watching the reactions people have to the “noodlers”.  There are some really creative costumes.  I joke with people that I ‘found this cheap beard’. It gets lots of laughs.  A fun night!

Later in the week, to thank our hosts for the free accommodations, our group takes them to Vacherie’s, as they had never eaten there. Katherine and a coworker join us. It’s a crazy group of ten grisly bikers and two pretty young women.  The chef is from the same town where Katherine grew up, so it is fun to make the introduction.

There were two fun neighborhood bars in the Bywater near where we were staying. Both had fun, friendly crowds, and we made friends easily.

One of the bars, JJ’s, has an, er, interesting men’s room. There are several dozen pictures of the women from Gilligan’s Island hanging on the walls. Just over the urinal is a photo of Marianne and Ginger with horrified expressions on their faces, an Mrs. Howell is looking through her opera glasses. It’s enough to make one pee shy.  The women’s room is similarly decorated with pictures of the various James Bond actors, so I guess the gals feel the same way. Ha!

The day of my stay in New Orleans is spent at the Merliton Festival. The merliton is a variety of squash that became a common ingredient in the New Orleans region. This festival celebrates the art, foods, and music that makes the Bywater District unique and special.  Within just a few minutes of being at the festival, we were greeted by some of our friends from JJ’s.  How fun!

Opening the stage was Charlene Neville, sister of the musical group The Neville Brothers. They are from the Bywater, and she got the crowd singing and dancing along to her music. We spent much more time at the festival than we had planned, but we had such great food and met many fun people. It was certainly an ideal way to spend my final day in New Orleans.

Paul and Mike coerce Bubba and I to follow them back to their rooming house/hotel. Their section of this house had a living room and several bedrooms.  So, we didn’t have to make it back to the Bywater, since we could sleep here. Fun!  Ever since my first big trip with Paul and Mike, there are always especially fun times with these guys.  We stay out very late that night. WEE!

 

My trip home starts with a jolt.  I had planned extra time for the trip home, knowing that this was November, and storms could be unpredictable.  In fact, we were in New Orleans while Hurricane Sandy hit the northeast, and I was sent pictures of snow in Ohio. So, there is good reason to allow for extra time.

Well, I get back to the Bywater and take a look at the weather radar. It’s beautiful and sunny in New Orleans, but there’s severe storms approaching quickly. If I wait any longer, I will be in rain most of the day (gee, reminds me of the start of this trip).  But, if I leave NOW, I should be able to stay ahead of most of the storm. I say very quick “goodbye’s” and jump on the bike and leave. The downpour hits just blocks away.  I am already soaked.  Well, at least it’s 80 degrees out today, so it’s a warm rain.  I make it to Interstate 10, to find very slow traffic. This is a heavy rain.

The rain lets up just about 20 minutes later. In another 20 minutes, the sun was out.  Phew!  I managed to stay ahead of the rain for the remainder of the day.  I get just north of Jackson, Mississippi, when I stop for the night.  It doesn’t take long for me to fall asleep.

The next morning brings brisk temperatures, and it’s definitely Fall away from the Gulf of Mexico. Trees are changing colors, and it isn’t until Kentucky when most of the leaves have dropped.  There are clouds, but only very scattered rains in the forecast. I manage to stay dry, hitting just a brief sprinkle just as I hit Nashville.  I make it just northeast of Louisville, Kentucky, when I stop for the night.  I am just three hours from home, but the cool temperatures bring out the deer at night. I’d rather get a good night’s sleep.

The girl at the front desk is very friendly. She likes to travel, and was very interested in my trip stories. I share a calendar with her as I leave to get diner.

I sleep in and let the temperatures warm up a bit. If I leave early, I will be in morning rush hour in Cincinnati, and I don’t need the stress.  Because they were working on the bridge where the Interstate crosses the Ohio River, I decided to avoid the traffic and enjoy the outerbelt around the city. It’s certainly longer, but there is significantly less traffic than downtown, and it is easier to enjoy the hills and river valleys of southwestern Ohio.

I arrive home by 1pm. Early enough to get settled in before returning to work the next morning.