Return From New Orleans, October 24, 2014

I went to N.O. to be with my brother, Ray, because he had a serious heart attack on my birthday, October 15.  I say serious because they coded him twice and used the paddles while he was in the Emergency Room.  Thank you Pat for not arguing with him about going to the hospital.  Or maybe I should thank Ray for not arguing with Pat about going.  Well, it was tight for a while and then he started coming around, sore as heck from all of the chest compressions, and then he started having a lot of conjestion.  With broken or strained ribs anything that causes you to move such as laughing, coughing, moving about, moving your arms, etc., causes pain.  Then I entered the room.  "Little brother, if you did this for my birthday, what do you have planned for my Christmas present?"  Couldn't help it.  Somehow when I go to a hospital I can't think of much that isn't funny.

Enjoyed visiting with son Shane, mother-in-law Dot, and all of the girls along with Geno.  And of course, Nell's Diner and B&B was running at full blast, Nell being my Mom.  We spent a considerable amount of time at the hospital and finally late Thursday afternoon they released Ray to come home.  Much to his gratification even though it was questionable for some hours while the hospital was trying to get the paperwork and oxygen for his house.  Since he and Pat said that I wasn't needed I bid them farewell and packed for leaving the next day.

Before we start on the return trip I would like to acquaint you with the area where I use to live.  I lived in Harvey, LA on Orchid Drive for over 40 years.  I still go back there to visit some friends and neighbors most trips home.  Since most of South Louisiana is below sea level, I thought I'd show a pic or two and some of the surrounding area.

Water pumps in other parts of the world usually refer to a pump on top of or beneath the ground in a well that supplies water for personal or farm use.  In S. LA. it has a whole different meaning.  It is a station with pumps that are designed to pump water from a canal and send it to another canal so that you won't have to tread water too long when it floods.

This and the above pic is the Hero Pumping Sta. located at the corner of Patriot Street and Destrahan Ave. in Harvey on the Westbank of the Harvey Canal, which is really the Intracoastal Waterway that runs from Brownsville, TX around the Gulf of Mexico to the tip of Fla. and up the Atlantic coast.  These 3 large pumps can pull about 360,000 gallons of water a minute from the drainage canal and discharge it into the ICWW.

They even have their own emergency electric power in case a storm takes out the power line supplying them.  The pumping station just below this one has several diesel engines to augment the electric driven pumps at that location.  That station is about 4 times larger than this one.

This is the Patriot St. Canal leading to your right and a cross over canal that leads to the Lapalco Canal where a larger pumping station is located.  Oh, there are fish in these canals, but I wouldn't eat them, there are some Neutreau Rats along with some Alligators.  And since they drain a large area, I wouldn't suggest swimming in them either.

This is looking back at the in-take side of the pumping station.  When the canal is full you can see all kinds of stuff pulled up against the in-take structure.  It has to be cleaned often when pumping as debris will gather up at the in-take point.  Including refrigerators, lumber, trees, etc.  Probably a body or two had gone through as well.




Destrahan Avenue was once a bustling road of businesses, mostly oil field related.  There was a lot of off-shore oil equipment manufactured here, service companies, barge builders, tug boat repair shops, etc., but now there are a lot of vacant yards and building.  One business that has expanded is one that builds aluminum boats for excursions and other such uses.  They are really beautiful boats which mostly go to the Caribbean area or Bahamas.



The elevated Westbank Expressway crosses the ICWW, Harvey Canal, just a short distance from the area the aluminum boats are built.  It does not open as it is high enough for most all boats using the canal.  If not, the boat has to lower it's antennae.  Or bend it a little so that it doesn't scrape the bottom of the bridge.                                                              



My house is the first residential neighborhood West of the Harvey Canal which is approx. one half mile away.  It is on a quiet street and doesn't normally have much traffic except for those that live on the street since it's not a major thoroughfare.  It was sold in March of 2007.

This is the backyard of the house.  The lot is small compared to where I live now and to many other subdivisions in the area.  But it was a nice place to live except for the occassional indoor swimming pool when it flooded.

The house was built in 1967 and it was the first house I owned.  The boys were raised here as Shane was just 3 mos. old when it was purchased.  We had great neighbors and use to throw block parties often.  Real family affairs.  Garages were opened, tables set up, food from each house delivered and fun and feasting held until you were sated.




Here's a shot of the highrise bridge over the Harvey Canal looking toward the Canal.  It is really a pretty overhead expressway.  I was amazed at how easily they seemed to construct it.  A lot of the materials were pre-constructed and hauled to the location to be installed.

Standing in the same location as the above shot but looking in the opposite direction.  Converging roadways, as it appears but not in reality.  Love these type photos.

Here's a shot of my Mom's house in Marrero.  Sweet Thang is parked on the side driveway so we can get the car out for the hospital runs.  Mom refused to ride the bike.  Even after I told here I would buy her a helmet.  Crazy woman, why ride inside when you can ride outside in the air.

All that greenery in front blooms during the spring and summer along with all kinds of stuff further in the front along the fence, on each side fence and in the back yard also.  She has a green thumb and her whole neighborhood knows it.  Since she has had two strokes she can't work her gardens and that makes her angry.  Mom is 91.  Time to look at it instead of growing it.

This was a sunset from her backyard late one afternoon while I was there.

Then Friday morning, Oct. 24, I pulled out of her driveway and headed for TN.  It was about 57 degrees, nice and cool which makes Sweet Thang sound off with her alto voice.

Crossing the I-10 bridge across Lake Ponchatrain, sun is slowly coming up.

Just a few minutes more and the colors had already changed.  I just love sunsets and sunrises but catch more of the sunsets due to laziness in getting up tooooo early.

Across the lake and up I-59 all the way to Chattanooga where it meets I-24.  Flat in LA and lower MS but then turns to nice rolling hills.  The further you go the higher the hills get until you start seeing the mountain ridges in northern AL.

Coming into Smoky City as it once was called.  Now they just refer to it as Birmingham, AL.  Of course back in those days there were numerous foundries, steel mills, and cast mills which caused the smoke.  Today as this picture shows, it is clear as can be.

In Northern Alabama the trees are just beginning to turn.  Cold weather hasn't gotten there to much yet.  Give them about 2 weeks and those faded greens and light yellows will have another look about them.

And when you start seeing the mountains you sort of get a shiver over your body.  Home at last, home at last, good God Almighty, home at last.  I just love those mountains.  My problem is that I love those mountains wherever they may be located.







It was a trying week, a week filled with worry and need but a week that prayers said came true.  Bro is doing well as I talked with him today.  Mom is settling down from her number one job, Worrier of the World, and I feel a bit more easy that all is going well.  The ride down was fast and furious, no time for pics, just gas and go.  Coming back the time was just about as fast but the traffic was worse.  All in all, it was a 1278 mile journey which has ended well.  Family visited, life saved, friends met, and all are safe.  Take care my friends, enjoy your life each day for there is always the chance you won't be there tomorrow.

Riding In The Clouds

A new friend, Bob, and I made plans to meet up Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014, morning for a ride.  Bob is a retired pilot for the Federal Wildlife and Fish Dept.  He rides a CanAm Spyder, a reversed trike.  I pulled out of the garage at 7 a.m. to meet him in Pigeon Forge, TN for an 8:00 meet-up.  I got there early and decided to have some breakfast before riding.  As I finished he walked through the door.  After a little chatter we decided where we were going to ride to today, mounted our faithful steeds and headed out.  It rained at 5 a.m. and the roads were damp so it was going to be a slower than normal riding speed today.  The sky was heavy with clouds.

Leaving Pigeon Forge east bound, Smoky Mtns. in the background.

Just entering the Parkway after leaving Pigeon Forge.  Large stone wall was placed there due to a landslide about a year ago.

 Just before Gatlinburg we took the by-pass that goes around Gatlinburg and makes for a quicker trip to the Park.

About a mile or so out of Gatlinburg is the Sugarlands Visitor Center, gateway to the Smoky Mountain National Park.  Nice little museum inside along with a gift shop, free park maps, and lots of information on roads, wildlife, foliage, treking the back country, etc.  Not to mention vending machines and restrooms.





Traffic was very light this early in the morning and since it had rained so having to deal with a lot of vehicles wasn't an issue today.  This in itself, made the ride more pleasurable.  Tourists make a lot of last minute decisions which are not always the best thought-out plan for the day.  And with the many turnouts for viewing and taking pictures, it seems someone is always pulling out into the traffic flow without looking at what is about to hit them.  I'm saving my money to purchase a large oilfield truck like my Dad use to drive so I can personally punish some of these thoughtless wonders.

Ole Sol was trying to come out from behind those heavy clouds but it was a hard struggle.  The air was cool but damp.  I had on just the right amount of clothing for the ride.  If it was just a bit cooler I would want some heavier clothing or put on my rainsuit to cut the dampness in the air.

The trees, like the rest of us in East Tenn., are becoming confused with the constant weather change.  Just as the weather cooled and the leaves started changing color, it has now changed to rain and daytime temps in the low 80s.  That will make the leaves turn brown and fall off instead of becoming an artist's paint pallet of color.

 Cruising on up the mountain the road runs along the river and every so often crosses it.  Thus the river on your left for a mile or so and then same rive is now on your right only to change back later.  Nice amount of water running due to the rains.  It often rains in the mountains without raining in the lowland or valleys.

The trees are starting to turn nicely and sure hope the change in weather doesn't completely mess them up.  The weather also makes it tough to dress for or plan a ride.  Those 20%, 30%, 56%, etc., predictions don't mean a thing.

A look at one side of a mountain.  Sort of speckled at this time.

Another biker (Bob) about to be swallowed up by the mountain.  From the Sugarlands to the top of the mountain at Newfound Gap, you will go through several tunnels and a number of hairpin turns.








At the top of the mountain, Newfound Gap, visitors peering over the side of the mountain looking at the clouds in the valleys below.  This is the point where North Carolina meets Tennessee.  We took a little break so Bob could stretch his legs.  At each stop along the trip we got to know one another a little better.

 A burly looking sky casting dark shadows over the landscape but still a beautiful site.

 Leaving Newfound Gap behind us we rolled down the mountain side heading toward Cherokee, NC but yet, not the town itself.  Just that side of the mountain.

Scenes along the route.

Smokemont is the visitor center on the NC side of the Park.  They added a new addition which is glimpsed in the background.  Behind the visitor center is an old Appalachian farm and during the Fall, I believe it's the first weekend of Nov., they have people dressed in the era and performing duties common to a farm of that period in time.

Shortly past the Smokemont visitor center we will take a left turn and be on the Blue Ridge Parkway's southern terminus.  We will be riding up the Parkway toward Asheville, NC.  At this point we didn't know there would be a change to our plan of the day.

Crossing this river puts you on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  The gate is open beckoning vehicles to enter for a trip through scenic splendor.

That which changed our plans for the day came at 5,000' above sea level.  Fog, a wet misty that hangs in the air and hovers on the ground and sometimes all places between.  As I told Bob in flying lingo, it soon became IFR conditions meaning the seeing distance was not very good and you needed the aid of instruments.  Our bikes are not equipped with those type instruments so we were just blind.

 The speed slowed to about 25 mph, the visibility worsened and believe it or not, there were cars on the road without headlights or lights of any kind.  One such vehicle was from the State of Florida which should well be versed in driving in fog or under fog conditions.  Makes you want to take a hammer and really put out their lights.

These two ghostly figures were at the point where we stopped to stretch and discuss Plan B.  These are restrooms at one of the larger turnouts.  No running water here, just new style outhouses.

So, Plan B was to turn around, forget Asheville today and take the turn off to Waynesville, NC, a bustling little tourist town at the bottom of the mountain.  This we did, back through the fog but knowing the conditions were going to get better as we went along.

And sure enough, they did.  Notice the fog in the top of the trees.
 










The farther down we went the clearer it got, I think even better than when we went up.

Bob took the turn off to U.S. 276 which would lead us back into Waynesville.  He found us an empty parking space right on the main drag of the Historic Downtown section.  We were both able to park in a single parking space which made it nice not to have to ride around looking for one.  He then told me he was going to take me to one of his favorite places to eat.  The restaurant is called "The Sweet Onion."  The food was delicious.

After lunch we rode around Lake Junaluska which is between Waynesville and Maggie Valley.  I had been by there numerous times but never took the time to ride around the lake.  It has a few business but mostly houses built up on the side of the ridge overlooking the lake.  Along the lakeside a lot of roses have been planted and Bob said they were beautiful in the summer.

At one location was a very large inn sitting high on a bluff overlooking the lake.  Reminds you of the grand old hotels back in the 1920s through the 1940s.  Of course I was present until the 1940s and we didn't have any of those where I lived, but I did get to see pictures of them.

I'm glad we took the time to visit this place.  It has a lot of spots where you can park and enjoy the scenery, maybe have a picnic, etc.  A lot of geese swim about the lake as well as sever white swans.

The foliage around the area is pretty also.  Now this is a contrast, green grass, colorful trees and shrubs, with a beautiful blue sky tinged with a white billowy cloud.  Sort of sounds like some fancy desert.

After riding around the lake we started back for U.S.276 West, heading for  Interstate 40.  It was about 3 p.m. by now and about an hour away from the house, give or take a few minutes.

U.S. 276 Westbound.  The fire bushes were in full color with the recent cold temps.  They are normally green until cold weather starts and the colder it gets the redder they get until they drop their leaves.  These are in the median of this 4-lane highway.

Back on I-40 we headed West, back to TN.  This stretch of the interstate winds among the mountains and the speed limit is 55 for vehicles other than trucks and the truck speed limit is 50 mph.  Trucks are also restricted to the right lane only, if they have three or more axles.  This area is also prone to landslides which has the tendency to close down all lanes and you're fortunate if it just closes down two of the four lanes as the detour adds many miles and lots of time to your trip.

 The temperature was now up near 80 but you still felt cool riding, especially when you went into the shady side of the mountain.  There the temp could drop 5 to 10 degrees and today it was rather gusty.  The wind running through the  mountain passes makes the highway like a chute or fast lane.  And we were bucking the wind which didn't help Sweet Thang's gas mileage one bit.

Just love the ruggedness of the rock and in awe as to how some of the foliage can grow in its crevasses and small amount of soil that gets deposited on it.  See, 55 mph.  Most of the time.

This highway is heavy with truck traffic as are some other major interstates as the big rigs move across America hauling goods and products.

And finally back into TN where the speed limit increases shortly down the road from here.  Then we get to stretch them out a bit running at 70 mph.  A few more miles and we will take a run-off to ride the Foothills Parkway over to Cosby, TN. 

Tree color along the Foothills Parkway.

More color.  As the speed limit is 35 for most of this ride you get an opportunity to see a lot more and at a lesser pace than just glancing.

It sure turned out to be a beautiful day.  I never would have guessed it after the heavy clouds of the morning.











The Money Shot.  Sweet Thang at 5200 ft. elev. on a foggy morning in the Fall.  How sweet she is.

Today we experienced several weather patterns, enjoyed good friendship, ate a delicious lunch, rode some great scenic roads, and traveled 187 miles door to door. 

So travel safely and love your family and friends.  They're more important than gold or silver.  Good riding.