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10:00 A.M. This day started out like any other day. I woke up, got ready
and went to work at Bhindi Jewelers. At the start of the day, I had no
idea that the day was going to end in a VERY strange way. I reached work
at 12:00 P.M., worked a full day, and arrived back home at 9:00 P.M.,
which is normal.
9:00 P.M. I played "Bridge" until everybody left at 2:00 A.M. Again,
this was also normal for a Saturday night. During the game,
Parixit left home to go out.
This was also normal for a Saturday night. After the game ended, Dad went
upstairs to his room to go to sleep. This was also normal. I went to my
room, intending to go to sleep. This was also normal. I changed my
clothes and laid in my bed, intending to go to sleep. This was also normal.
THEN, it finally happened. Something not normal. I got up, changed my
clothes, and put on my shoes. I packed [dumped] all of my clothes in
a suitcase and one handbag. I used one more handbag to take all of my
important papers. (Bank documents,
"Citibank" credit card bill, my citizenship certificate, and other
important documents that I thought I might need). I put everything in the
car, being careful not to slam the car door. Then, I took out some
12-Packs of Coke, a bag of bread, and a bottle of Grape Jelly from the
refrigerator, and put it all inside a big icebox, being very careful not
to make too much noise. I put the icebox in the car, then came back
inside the house to get my pillow, blanket and one more (empty) handbag.
I dumped all of this into the tiny car and started on my journey at
3:00 A.M. on January 16, 1994. I had not gotten any sleep since 10:00
the previous morning.
3:00 A.M. Left home
$6.70 (ATM) for gas in Mission Viejo
5:00 A.M. Arrived at rest area between Barstow and Baker. Watched the
sunrise behind the hills. Wrote letter to Dad and
Parixit, then took a short
nap.
7:30 A.M. Still very sleepy, but decided to go further anyway. Wanted to
call home, but thought it was too early, so I decided to wait until later.
8:00 A.M.? [maybe 9] EXTREMELY sleepy while driving. I don't remember
last (half?) hour (7:30 - 8:00/9:00 A.M.). I might even have fallen asleep
while driving! Fortunately nothing happened. Finally pulled over at rest
area between Baker and Las Vegas. I wanted to go to sleep, but couldn't.
So I just walked around, splashed water on my face, and drove on,
somewhat awake.
9:00? or maybe 10:00 A.M. [Pacific Time]: Reached
Las Vegas, NV.
Called home. Dad asked me where I was, but I couldn't answer that question. I imagined him going into my room and seeing EVERYTHING gone, then the phone ringing and me telling him that I was in LAS VEGAS (of all the places to be!). I didn't want to do that, so I didn't tell him anything except that I was all right and had already written a letter explaining everything, which I would be mailing very soon. Drove on Las Vegas Blvd. (strip) but didn't go inside any of the casinos. By now, I was (surprisingly) wide awake! Decided to drive on till St. George, UT, then get some sleep in a motel room. All this time eating only jelly sandwiches and Coke from home. Bought gas on Citibank - $9.02.
about 3:00 P.M. [Mountain Time]: Arrived at St. George, UT. Drove up and down St. George Blvd. and went to every single motel asking rate, whether they have AAA discounts, etc. Finally checked in to Days Inn. Withdrew $60 on bank ATM card (Albertsons ATM machine). Bought Scotch tape, peanuts, and box of envelopes, but they did not have any stamp books. Bought 2 stamps at Days Inn from vending machine. Mailed car insurance payment of $222.14 and letter home.
about 10:00 P.M. Ate more jelly sandwiches as dinner, then re-packed everything. (I had left home in a hurry, so everything was just stuffed into the suitcase and bags.)
11:00 P.M. Went to sleep. (finally)
7:00 A.M. Woke up. Turned on TV and found out there was an earthquake in Los Angeles. Wanted to call home and find out what happened, then remembered it was 6:00 A.M. there, so decided to wait until later (7 AM was still too early!). Kept watching news until...
9:00 A.M. Called home. Then got ready. The desk clerk had told me that there would be complimentary donuts and cupcakes in the front lobby, so that and water was my entire breakfast. Still, it was a good break from the jelly sandwiches. (I'm getting sick of them!)
11:00 A.M. Check out time. $32.65 (Citibank) for motel. Filled up on Gas -$6 (Citibank), then left St. George.
about 1:00 P.M. Arrived at Zion National Park - Purchased "Golden Eagle" pass for $25 (Cash). I had been to Zion twice before, but both times I had fallen asleep during the "good parts". This time, I wasn't very impressed at first, but.....
about 2:00 P.M. ...it got really beautiful later. Snow on all the hills made them look a lot better. The temperature was still a comfortable 60-70 degrees Farenheit. (about), so I didn't get cold (yet...)
about 2:30 P.M. Left Zion for Bryce Canyon National Park.
before 4:00 P.M. Arrived at Bryce Canyon National Park. In the visitor center, I asked someone about plane/helicopter rides over the park. Found out that a "Best Western" inn just 2 miles outside the park was the nearest place. "Price?" The man said it would be about $45. That was the only detail he knew. Nothing about length of ride or anything else.
4:00 P.M. Arrived at Best Western Inn. Asked around and found out that $45 was only for a ten minute ride. The prices went from there all the way up to $200 (!) for a 2-hour ride. They did not accept credit cards or checks, so I withdrew $100 from my Chase card at an ATM machine outside the inn. Bought a 30-minute ride for $95 (Cash from that withdrawal). The prices for a plane ride were exactly the same as the prices for a helicopter ride. Since I had never been in a helicopter before, I asked for that. Then the pilot said that's the only choice I had because the runway had too much snow on it. (A helicopter was the only way to go up!)
4:15 P.M. Immediately took off (first time in helicopter!) It was a lot of fun! (especially the take-off, which was at a VERY sharp angle). Felt like a roller coaster. From the air, Bryce looked very beautiful, especially since it was snow-covered. I got a little airsick, so the pilot opened the vent a little. That made me feel O.K, but we were at about 9000 feet above sea level, so it was VERY, VERY cold inside. I had my jacket on, but it was still freezing. Anyway, it was worth it. It was also worth the money. We went for a long ride and he showed me everything. The visibility was also great, so we could see for miles into the horizon (no smog!). The ride was also relatively quiet (for some reason, I had expected a helicopter ride a lot louder than it really was).
4:50 P.M. Landing. A little bumpy, but I was fine by now. Anyway, I got 5 minutes for free.
4:55 P.M. The sun was almost setting, and I had a 4-mile 25 MPH drive to Sunset Point inside Bryce Canyon. (25 MPH because the road was icy and slippery. Still, no need for snow chains, which I had forgotten to bring anyway)
Sunset (before 5:30 P.M.) Made it just in time to "Sunset Point". Very beautiful, but still nothing like the view from the air. By the time I walked back to the car (maybe 200 feet), my toes, fingers, ears, and nose were all frozen and numb. Best Western Inn had a sign saying that the temperature (at that time-when I was there) was 41 degrees Farenheit. I had my gloves and hat on, but they weren't much help. I think I'll have to buy better gloves, etc. before I get to the northeastern states (big snowstorm there).
6:00 P.M. Fortunately car has heater. Left Bryce Canyon National Park and drove towards Kanab, UT. I originally intended to stay the night at Kanab, but now (8:30 P.M.) I'm thinking I might go further. It depends on if I get sleepy. Either way, I sleep in the car tonight.
7:30 - 8:30 P.M. Stopped at a rest area just north of Mt. Carmel, UT, writing this journal. Tomorrow: Grand Canyon, then drive as far as I can (depending on time) towards Las Cruces, NM (White Sands National Monument 40 miles NE of there.)
Besides the $95 helicopter ride, I'm sticking to the budget outlined in my letter to Dad ($10/day for food, $15/day for gas, $90/week for motel rooms 3 times/wk.). Except today I spent only $5 on food instead of $10. A "Subway" footlong sandwich is a good idea for every day - it costs only $5 and I can split it up as two meals of 6" subs each. Very filling, very tasty.
So far, nothing bad has happened on this trip. I'm hoping it'll stay that way. My biggest concern (besides how much this trip is going to cost me) is the car. I hope it can handle a 20,000 mile long trip and still have enough life left in it after I return home.
11:00 P.M. Stopped outside a motel in Marble City, AZ. Going to sleep here (in car).
4:15 A.M. Awake since 3 AM. Left Marble City motel. Just outside the motel, there was a very narrow bridge with barely enough room for two cars to cross each other. Fortunately, no one came from the other side at that time on a weekday morning.
6:00 A.M. Filled $12 gas (Citibank) at HWY's 89-64 junction, then proceeded west on HWY 64 towards Grand Canyon National Park.
7:00 A.M. Arrived at Grand Canyon National Park. Surprisingly, the sun still had not come up, so I got to see the sunrise over the first viewpoint (Desert View).
Points that I liked more than others:
1. Desert View (mainly because of sunrise)
2. Yaki Point
3. Maricopa Point (between Yavapai and Hopi Points - not on park map)
4. Hopi Point
3:00 P.M. Left Grand Canyon and drove to Flagstaff, AZ. Unfortunately, I got there during...
5:00 - 5:30 P.M. ...rush hour. Left Flagstaff for Winslow, AZ at 5:30. Bought a box of "GLAD" trash bags and Jay Leno's "Headlines" book at a K-Mart in Winslow for $12.64 (Citibank).
6:20 - 7:30 P.M. Dinner at Denny's in Winslow - $7 (Cash). Left Winslow at 7:30 and drove towards Albuquerque, NM. Stayed the night at the first rest area on I-40 in the state of New Mexico. It got VERY cold in the night. (Later, I found out that the city of Gallup, NM, which was about ten miles away, had an overnight low of 15 degrees Farenheit. that night! That was not counting the wind-chill factor, and it was very windy (the rest area was in the mountains). Anyway, I think that was the coldest temperature I have ever experienced -- so far.
3:00 A.M. Woke up from the cold. Tried to start the car to turn the heater on, but the car wouldn't start. I just (desperately) tried to start it by turning the key, pressing the accelerator, and pressing and releasing the clutch all at the same time. After several tries, the engine finally started, and I got the heater on. But the engine was so cold that the heater was giving out cold air! It took a long time for everything to warm up again. (the car engine, the car interior, and ME!)
4:00 A.M. Left rest area. Arrived at Gallup, NM about 10 minutes later. Bought flashlight and batteries and about $4 gas for a total of $12 (Cash). The attendant at that gas station told me that the current temperature outside was 17 degrees Farenheit, and the previous night's low was 15 degrees Farenheit. (She had heard it on the radio). I arrived at Grants, NM about half hour later. This time, filled up on gas and bought USA road atlas - total of $15.20 (Citibank) - $11 for gas and $4.20 for atlas.
9:00 A.M. Arrived at Albuquerque, NM (at the worst possible time - rush hour). Albuquerque is a very big city - complete with it's own smog! This was the first time on this trip that I actually "saw" the air - it was brown (that bad!). The city is a lot like Los Angeles in other ways too - FAST drivers (going 80 MPH in 55 MPH zone), RUDE drivers (lot of beeping horns), and ROAD HOGS (the ones who were only going 70 MPH and making everyone else late for work). Then there were the IDIOTS (like me) who did not know where we were going, and so ended up in the left lane going 40-50 MPH, and reading a road atlas while driving!!! (And so the beeping horns) On top of all that, there was also a lot of construction work on the 3-lane freeway, and either one or two lanes of the freeway were always closed - leaving only two or one lane open!
9:30 - 10:20 A.M. At Tourist Information Center in Albuquerque. They gave me free maps of the city and state, and I picked up a brochure of the Alamogordo Space Center (alternate landing site of the space shuttle and near the site of the first atomic bomb explosion)
10:20 A.M. Left Information Center. I was supposed to take I-40 East to I-25 South, but with all the driving confusion, somehow I ended up on I-25 North. By the time I got back onto 25 South and out of the main city, it was 10:45. (25-minute delay - turned out to be very important)
11:15 A.M. Arrived at town of Belen, NM, where I withdrew $60 cash from my bank savings account. (The ATM machine charged an extra $1 fee - total $61). Bought Subway footlong sandwich in Belen, NM, then continued driving on I-25 South. (mistake - I'd find out later)
My original plan for this day was to drive to El Paso, TX, then East to Carlsbad Caverns National Park and Guadalupe Mountains National Park, then stay the night there. But now I also wanted to go to the space center at Alamogordo. White Sands National Monument was close to Alamogordo, so I thought I'd see those two things and then see Carlsbad Caverns the next day (Jan. 20th). That meant I would be one day behind my original schedule.
2:00 P.M. Arrived at the city of Alamogordo after a long, hot drive through the New Mexico desert (the other extreme from the morning's freezing temperature.) Got lost in Alamogordo, then finally reached the space center at 2:30 P.M. Then there was another significant (but necessary) 30-minute delay. I was hungry, so I decided to eat half of the Subway sandwich I had bought in Belen. My mistake was waiting 3 hours since I bought it. I had ordered a ham and cheese sandwich (supposed to be eaten cold). I ate it hot and it tasted terrible. But I was very hungry, so I ate it anyway. Then there was the museum tour - $2.25 (Cash) entrance fee. The space center museum was a 4-story building - start on the 4th floor and work your way down. It was interesting, with a lot of full scale replicas, smaller replicas, and in some cases, even the originals, of USA's first rockets, spaceships, etc. Most of the museum had objects related to the early years of space exploration. It was nice, but still only barely worth the admission price. I was hoping for a little more than just replicas. After the tour, I stopped at a gift shop and bought some postcards, which turned out to be another significant delay. At the gift shop, I find out that White Sands National Monument closes at 5 P.M. during the winter. It was 4:00 P.M. by the time I had finished with everything at the space center. The drive from there to White Sands would have taken a half hour. Without my previous delays, I might have made it, but now I decided that it was not worth it to go there for just 30 minutes.
4:00 P.M. So I started the drive from Alamogordo to Carlsbad Caverns National Park (150 miles of mountain road at 40 MPH). Filled gas just outside the city limits - $10 (Cash). (Good thing - there wasn't another [open] gas station for another 110 miles!) It was a scenic drive through the mountains - until the sun went down.
8 - 8:30 P.M. In Artesia, NM. Had 2nd half of Subway sandwich as dinner (cold this time, so it was much better than lunch)
10:00 P.M. At rest area between Carlsbad, NM and Whites City, NM.
What a day!
3:00 A.M. Woke up from the cold again. Again, same story of engine not starting. In fact, follow yesterday's 3:00 A.M. entry word for word. Only it is definitely not as cold today as it was yesterday. (According to the road atlas, yesterday's rest area was about 7000 ft. Above Sea Level. Today's is about 3100 ft. ASL)
3:00 - 6:00 A.M. Writing yesterday's and today's journal while car heater is keeping me warm. Since the first night I slept in the car (night of 17th-18th), I have been finding out new ways of keeping myself warm. I put one blanket on the seat and sleep on top of that one (the seat gets very cold), and cover myself with another (thicker) blanket. I sleep wearing the jacket Parixit gave me from his European trip. That keeps me quite warm itself. Then 2 pairs of socks (no shoes, unless it is REALLY cold-like yesterday), gloves if required (didn't need them today). And, maybe even the most important, listen to either the Hindi songs or the symphonies (Classical music) which I have on tape. It's strange, but somehow they have a soothing feeling and a psychological effect that keeps me warm!!! I have also found that there are certain times in the day when some particular song(s)/tape is the most appropriate. For example, during the mountain drive yesterday from Alamogordo to here (just about sunset time), I just happened to put in the "Symphonies" tape and it sounded the best I had ever heard it! After it got dark, the "Star Wars" theme, which is also on that same tape, came on and it was such great timing (at night, AND through the mountains), that I think I am going to listen to that tape every night from now on. In the early morning hours, I find that Hindi songs are the best. Then in the late morning and early afternoon (just BEFORE lunch - not after), "Weird Al" Yankovic's songs. Then, around 4 or 5 (just BEFORE sunset - not during) a few songs (not all of them) from "The Sound of Music" (Listening to all of the songs at once gets boring after a while). And then, from sunset and into the night, Symphonies and "Star Wars". In the middle of these times, anything will do (that means I don't know what to listen to).
It is now 5:15 A.M. and Carlsbad Caverns opens at 9. I'm not feeling very sleepy, so I'll go on writing about how my trip has been so far. With the exception of the helicopter ride, I am sticking to my budget of $25/day for food and gas. First of all, I only spend about $6-7/day for food and I had estimated $10 originally. I buy souvenirs for about $2-3, and I have driven about 1800 miles in four days -- averaging 450 miles/day, which, I am finding out, costs exactly $15 for gas (I'm getting great mileage, since most of my driving is on highways, where I maintain a steady 60-65 MPH.) The car has not given any trouble so far (except for starting in the morning, but that's expected given the cold weather). I haven't had any accidents or traffic tickets, so besides the extreme desert and mountain temperatures and being 1 day behind schedule, everything is going as I had hoped. (I haven't gotten mugged or killed or anything, so that's good!). I'm having a great time, but I only wish I had a camera. Maybe I'll buy one today.
Today, I plan to see Carlsbad Caverns National Park, then drive down to Texas, see Big Bend National Park, which is on the Mexico border. Today, I also expect to get back the full amount of my "Golden Eagle" pass and make it worth the price I paid for it. I paid $25 to buy it at Zion National Park. The normal entrance fee for Zion was $5, for Bryce Canyon it was $5, and for Grand Canyon it was $10. I got in free at all these places because of the pass (Actually, I arrived at Grand Canyon even before they had opened the collection booth at the main gate, so I didn't even need the pass there!) Carlsbad Caverns charges a $5 entrance fee, which, since this is a national park, will be covered by the pass. After that, all the national parks I visit will be truly "free", and I'm going to visit a lot more.
One week from today (provided everything goes right), I will be in Florida. I'm looking forward to that - a lot of things I want to see there - the coastline, Everglades National Park, Florida Keys, Miami, Orlando's Sea World, Universal Studios, and Walt Disney World, especially EPCOT center. All that will take from January 27 through February 3rd.
The next major highlight of this trip is Washington D.C., where, again, I plan to spend a few days to see everything. Next is New York City-a few days, then Philadelphia-1 day, Boston-1 day, then up the coast to the north end of Maine. I just hope the storm ends by the time I get there.
7:00 A.M. Left rest area.
9:00 A.M. Carlsbad Caverns tour begins - $5 (Cash) for the tour - that wasn't covered by the pass. These caverns were much better than Grand Canyon Caverns, which I had seen 4« years ago. But still no camera. Tour ended at 10:30.
10:45 A.M. [Mountain Time]: Left Carlsbad Caverns for Big Bend National Park. First impression of Texas - HOT. (If the weather is cold, at least my car has a heater. There's nothing I can do if it is hot - the car does not have an air conditioner). Drove on TX HWY. 54 (about 50 miles) - there was no one on the road (going in my direction), and I passed only two cars going the other way. That was the only human life I saw for fifty miles... no towns along the way... just a HOT desert. I was going about 90 MPH for most of the 50 mile stretch - the fastest I have ever driven in my car. Luckily I didn't get a ticket.
1:30 P.M. [Central Time]: Arrived at Van Horn, TX. Filled up on gas - $10 (Citibank).
till 2:00 P.M. Now at rest area just outside Van Horn on I-10 East. (I am not really that tired, but the car (and tires) need a break from that kind of fast desert driving). From here, it is 190 miles to Study Butte, TX, which is just outside Big Bend National Park.
2:00 - 8:00 P.M. Driving on HWY. 118 (mostly) - GREAT scenic highway... lots of mountains with views both from top->down and from bottom->up. Then there is a 79 mile stretch of almost straight highway - I was doing about 80-90 MPH most of the time here. At one point, I even touched 100 MPH, and then came back down again. The good thing about all this was that there was another car which was following me very closely all the way down the road, without ever passing me. And since it was a straight, dry road, I felt very safe going at that speed and still did not worry about my getting a ticket with another driver following me so closely! Like yesterday, listening to "Star Wars" theme at sunset, which was the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen. Golden sun behind silhouette of mountains and clouds - the perfect sunset. I wish I had a camera. I am going to buy one very soon - I have to on a trip like this.
8:00 P.M. Dinner at McDonalds - $4 (Cash)
9:00 - 10:00 P.M. Drove through Big Bend National Park, did not see anything at night, and never stopped the car (against original plan)
10:00 P.M. - 12:00 A.M. Drove from Big Bend National Park to Ft. Stockton, TX (on I-10). Gas at Ft. Stockton - $13 (Citibank).
12:30 A.M. Stopped at a rest area just outside Bakersfield, TX. It started to rain a few hours ago, so I'm expecting tonight to be very cold (as always). Tomorrow's plan is just to drive down to Corpus Christi. But I also have an oil change due, and I have to get a camera somewhere (maybe in San Antonio).
8:00 A.M. Woke up. Actually, it wasn't really as cold as the last few days (but still cold enough to make me turn the heater on => car not starting in the morning). Made change in plans for Jan 21-25. Going to Dallas today (originally planned for 23rd). See Dallas, then drive down to Corpus Christi tomorrow (originally planned for today). See Padre Island National Seashore on Jan 23rd (originally 22nd). On Jan 24, drive to Houston, see the Space Center, then drive to Lake Charles, LA (this is an addition - Houston Space Center was never in the original plan). On 25th, drive along Louisiana's scenic coastline, following the book America From The Road as guide. Then drive to New Orleans and sleep there. Originally, Shreveport, LA was in the plan. I canceled that. Jan 26th onwards is same as before.
9:20 A.M. Still raining, but very lightly, and it stops every once in a while. So I'm hoping that's a good sign. Left rest area.
12:00 P.M. Stopped raining. At San Angelo, TX. Lunch at Denny's here -
$6.50 (Cash). $6 (Cash) for gas. Expect to be in Dallas by 6:00 P.M. (rush hour!) Left San Angelo at 1:00 P.M.
5:00 P.M. Arrived at Holiday Inn, Weatherford, TX. Staying the night here. Called 1-800-AAA-HELP for location of a AAA office near (or in) Dallas. I BADLY need detailed maps. All I have is a road atlas, a USA map, and maps of the different REGIONS of the country (Western US, Central US, Northeastern US, and Southeastern US) - no state maps, no city maps, (except the maps in the atlas, which are not as detailed as the AAA maps).
8:30 A.M. Checked out of Holiday Inn - $41.70 (Chase). Expensive, but worth it. Left Weatherford for Dallas. Raining hard, and the visibility is low, so I'm hoping to get to the AAA office there by 11:00 A.M. at the latest. (70 miles)
10:00 A.M. Arrived at the AAA office in Dallas, TX. Got detailed maps of all the major cities I plan to go to (Dallas/Ft. Worth, New Orleans, Miami, Orlando, Washington D.C., New York City, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, St. Louis, and Seattle). Also got tour books for those states and a few others.
Left AAA office for tour of Dallas. Saw the place Kennedy was killed. Got lost many times (this was in downtown Dallas - not exactly the best place to get lost!), but luckily I had a map of Dallas, so it wasn't really that bad. But it was bad enough! The roads were very different than the roads in Los Angeles - I have neither driven on nor even heard of these kinds of roads:
(Broken double yellow lines)
{{{INSERT ROAD MAP HERE}}}
(Regular lane markers : broken white lines)
i.e. Direction of traffic on each lane depends on time of day!
*: (There are no cars on these two lanes from 6:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. -- how will they get there???)
It was also raining all day, and that made finding my way back after getting lost even more difficult. Fortunately today was a Saturday so there wasn't that much traffic (but it was still enough!). I was also low on gas. I had stopped at a gas station immediately after I had left the AAA office, but there were some drunks just hanging around there, so I did not get gas at that station.
12:00 P.M. Bought a camera and 8 rolls of film at Target - $121 (Chase). I now finally have a camera!!!
1:00 P.M. Reached a "good" gas station and filled $10 gas (Cash). Left Dallas heading South towards Corpus Christi (again, got lost trying to get back to the freeway). This time when I got lost, I was actually going the wrong way on a 1-way street (something I had thought I'd never be stupid enough to do). Luckily I found out on time and turned around. The way I found out:
At first I was going the right way. I was also aware that I was on a one-way street. I passed the street that I was supposed to turn on. I now suddenly forgot that I was on a one-way street, and made a U-Turn right there! As I was finishing the U-Turn, I saw other cars coming directly towards me in my lane(!). I finally realized what was going on, and so I kept turning, ended up making a full 360 degree turn, and kept going!
Anyway, driving in Dallas is something I'll never forget!
1:30 P.M. - 2:30 P.M. Lunch at Denny's - $7 (Cash).
5:00 P.M. Now at rest area on I-35 between Waco and Austin, writing this and trying to remember everything that happened to me today. I think I got everything!
8:00 P.M. Stopped at rest area just outside New Braunfels, TX. Going to sleep here. Now making a DETAILED plan of this trip (What roads to take, what I want to see in each city, etc.). I could not make a detailed plan until now because I did not have any detailed maps until today!
10:30 P.M. Changed my plans again! Now at rest area just outside Three Rivers, TX. Going to sleep here. Tomorrow, it's a 45-minute drive to the first point of interest (according to "America From the Road"), then 140 miles of sightseeing along Texas's coastline North of Corpus Christi (this time with a camera!). This includes a free ferry ride. This tour ends at the city of Victoria, TX. Then I'm going to drive as far as I can towards Houston. That is tomorrow. On Monday, see the L.B.J. Space Center in Houston.
8:00 A.M. Woke up. It was much warmer last night than the previous
nights I had slept in the car. The engine did not give any trouble
starting in the morning. It rained overnight and there is a lot of
fog, but the forecast yesterday said that it would clear up, so I'm
expecting a good, sunny day today. Today is the first day of major
sightseeing since Grand Canyon National Park. I'll be driving about
100 miles along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, and "America From
the Road" says it's supposed to be very scenic.
8:45 A.M. Left rest area.
(Written 1/25/94, 8:00 P.M.)
9:30 A.M. Arrived at the first point of interest. This was "Lake
Corpus Christi State Park". There was a $5 entrance fee, and since
this was a State park, my Federal parks' Golden Eagle Pass would not
cover this. So I paid cash. The whole park was a big disappointment
and a waste of money. It's only good if someone wants to do some
fishing in the lake, or to camp there overnight, but for me it was
useless. Left park at 10:00 A.M. Then drove down to city of Corpus
Christi. Paid $10 (Chase) for gas at Oakville, TX.
11:00 A.M. Arrived in Corpus Christi. Ate lunch at Denny's - paid
$7.80 (Chase). I was low on cash, so I went to an EXXON station across
the street from Denny's and withdrew $100 cash at an ATM machine inside
(Chase). Bought coke and a gasoline container (just in case of an
emergency) for $11 (Cash).
12:00 P.M. - 2:00 P.M. Sightseeing in Corpus Christi. It is the most
beautiful and the cleanest city I have ever been to. First, I went to
the USS Lexington museum and got a tour of that aircraft carrier. Took
my first photographs (actually, the third one onwards were taken there:
the first picture was an accidental shot of the car's steering wheel.
The second one was of two speed-limit signs next to each other showing
different speed limits for that one road!). Anyway, I paid $7 (Cash)
for admission and it was definitely worth it. That ship's tour was
much better than Queen Mary in Long Beach.
After seeing that, I took
a drive down "Shoreline Avenue", which goes next to all the Corpus
Christi beaches. I was immediately impressed with everything I saw -
great (tall) bridges, beaches, statues along the road, and also
little gazebos along the road overlooking the beaches and the Gulf.
2:00 - 5:00 P.M. Saw Padre Island National Seashore (this was free for
me, and since this was a Sunday, it was also free for everybody else --
the collection booths were closed!). The drive from the city of Corpus
Christi to Padre Island is itself very scenic - going over two bridges
over the Gulf, then down the narrow island to the entrance of the
National Park, with occasional glimpses of the (colorful) Gulf on both
sides of the road. Comparatively, what I saw INSIDE the main gate was
not really that scenic. Also, I could only drive for the first five
miles inside the park. After that is a dirt road and only 4-wheel drive
vehicles were allowed beyond that point. By the time I was out of the
park, it was already dark. My plan for that day was to see Corpus
Christi, Padre Island, and Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, THEN
drive up to Victoria, and sleep there. So far I had only seen Corpus
Christi and Padre Island and it took the whole day! So I changed my
plan AGAIN and decided to sleep in Corpus Christi in one of the
beach-front hotels (regardless of the cost - I didn't care about that).
I stayed the night at a Holiday Inn. I was on the 5th floor, and ALL the
rooms in that hotel were overlooking the Gulf (the hotel was perpendicular
to the coastline, so all rooms on three of the four sides of the hotel
had views of the gulf). I had a great view of the sea (sparkling in
the night from all the city lights) from my room. I could also see
the bridge connecting the city and the USS Lexington museum in the
North, AND the bridges connecting the city and Padre Island in the
South (since I had a room facing the sea, I had views on both sides) -
ALL from my own private balcony! Later at night, I also saw 2
pay-per-view movies - "The Firm" and "Jurassic Park" (again). The next
day I would find out how much all this was about to cost me.
10:00 A.M. Checked out of Holiday Inn. The room bill:
10:30 A.M. Paid $5 (Cash) for Subway footlong sandwich, then another
$9 (Cash) for a stamp book and Notary Public signature on a Citibank
"Fraudulent Use Complaint" document1. FINALLY mailed my Citibank bill
along with the signed complaint document. (I had taken the bill with me
the day I left home and I still had it, but it was not yet overdue).
11:30 A.M. Took a (free) ferry across the Gulf, then drove up to Aransas
National Wildlife Refuge. This was free for everyone. I saw whooping
cranes, wild boar, deer, and an alligator that had just given birth to
seven babies the previous night. Although I usually don't enjoy seeing
wild animals, this was actually a lot of fun! I took a picture of the
alligator along with the babies. Although I could see the babies, I could
not make out their outlines (I could just see a "brown patch" next to the
mother, and I presumed the babies were there). The babies just looked like
twigs in that "brown patch" from where I was standing, which was a safe
50-60 feet away! I did not get any pictures of the whooping cranes,
because they were too far away for my camera to pick them up. But I did
see them from some telescopes at an observation deck. Also saw a lot of
other birds I could not recognize.
4:00 P.M. Left Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.
Filled $8 (Chase) gas at Victoria, TX, then drove north toward Houston,
thinking I'd spend the night at a rest area along the way. The trouble
was there was no rest area along the way. So I drove South from Houston
and ended up in ...
10:00 P.M. ... Galveston. Spent the night at Days Inn.
10:00 A.M. Checked out of Days Inn - $28.19 (Chase)
Had breakfast at Denny's - $5.38 (Chase)
Gas at Galveston - $8 (Chase)
11:00 A.M. Left Galveston for Houston Space Center. Got an oil change
(1000 miles overdue) just outside the space center - $18.95 (Chase);
Mileage at oil change = 93244.
11:30 A.M. Arrived at Houston Space Center. Paid $12 (Cash) for
admission. I saw everything - actual shuttle craft, astronaut suits,
etc. from previous space flights; models (full-scale and smaller) of
other rockets, etc.; the Mission Control Center; the astronauts'
training facility (0-Gravity training pool); and four IMAX film
presentations explaining everything about space travel - including
how astronauts eat, drink, sleep, and go to the bathroom in zero gravity
(very interesting, especially that last part!).
I also landed a space
shuttle and fixed a satellite in space (both simulations, of course).
I liked this space center so much that I am now thinking of going to
Florida's Cape Canaveral. I don't know why, but I had never originally
planned to see Houston Space Center or Kennedy Space Center! There is
also a space shuttle liftoff scheduled in the first week of February,
which is exactly when I will be in the area - so I will also see a space
shuttle liftoff on this trip (this was DEFINITELY not planned)!!!
5:00 P.M. Left the Space Center. Had dinner at McDonalds - $3 (Cash).
8:00 P.M. - 9:00 P.M. Now at rest area on I-10 just outside Beaumont,
TX, writing the previous three days' journal. I am now 3 days behind my
original schedule, but I am glad I spent the extra time and added things
to see on my list. Tomorrow, I plan to take America From the Road's
Louisiana's "brown route" as far as I can go from Lake Charles, LA to
Baton Rouge, LA, driving along the coast. On Thursday I plan to complete
this route, drive on to New Orleans, and sleep there. This will put me
another day behind schedule, but it's better to take my time and see
everything instead of rushing everything.
4:00 A.M. Woke up. Left rest area at 5:00 A.M.
5:30 A.M. Arrived at Louisiana welcome center on I-10. Decided to sleep
until the center opens at 8:30 A.M.
9:00 A.M. Woke up. At the visitor center, I got a lot of useful maps,
books, and brochures about sightseeing in Louisiana, especially
sightseeing in New Orleans. Everything was free.
10:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M. Drove along coast of Louisiana as planned. The
drive on HWY 27 South (first stretch of the scenic route - South from
I-10 freeway) was the most scenic. The road went through Sabine National
Wildlife refuge. There was a long lake on the left side and a long
creek on the right side of the road. Lots of birds, alligators, etc.
on both sides. Arrived at Abbeville, LA about 12:00 P.M.
12:00 P.M. At Abbeville, a driver behind me started flashing his lights
and honking his horns, signaling me to stop. I pulled over into a parking
lot and stopped. The other driver was French and could not speak any
English, but somehow I figured out what he was trying to tell me - neither
one of my brake lights were working. He also somehow communicated to me
through hand gestures that there was a repair shop on the next block,
so I stopped there. Paid $12 (Cash) to replace the bulbs. Then had lunch
at McDonalds - $3 (Cash)
4:00 P.M. $12.50 (Chase) for gas at Morgan City, LA.
5:20 P.M. Withdrew $80 from savings account at a bank ATM at Vacherie, LA.
6:30 P.M. Arrived at Baton Rouge, LA. Changed plans AGAIN. Left Baton
Rouge for Natchez, MS (instead of New Orleans) at 7:30 P.M.
8:00 P.M. First crossing of The Mighty Mississippi river! But it was
already dark, so I couldn't actually see the river.
9:00 P.M. Arrived at Natchez, MS Holiday Inn. My plan (now) was to
drive along "Natchez Trace Parkway", which is one of the two roads in
the country which is also a national park (The whole 400-mile long road
is a national park). It goes from Natchez, MS to just south of Nashville,
TN. It was getting very cloudy that night and I was hoping it wouldn't
rain the next day.
10:00 A.M. Good news and bad news. Good news: It wasn't rain. Bad news:
It was a severe thunderstorm. (I did not wake up from a wake-up call like
normal - I woke up from the sound of thunder overhead). Apparently the
storm had started immediately after I went to sleep, because by the time
I woke up, the parking lot where I had parked the car was flooded. It
was raining so hard that I seriously considered not seeing the Parkway
and turning back to New Orleans. But the forecast that morning said
that it was raining throughout the entire midwest section of the country,
from Chicago (snowing there) to New Orleans. So I thought I had come
4000 miles, I might as well see the scenic Natchez Trace Parkway.
Got completely drenched while putting the suitcase and handbag back
in the car. Checked out at 10:00 A.M. Paid $51.70 (Chase). Drove my
car through the flooded parking lot, but nothing happened.
10:30 A.M. Arrived at the entrance to the parkway, and started driving
North. There were many trees uprooted during the storm. Some were struck
by lightning and broken in the middle, and a few were even lying on the
road and blocking whatever little traffic there was. But there were
also emergency crews clearing everything, so the delays were not too
long. Anyway, the day wasn't starting out to be a good one.
11:40 A.M. Arrived at Pizza Hut at Jackson, MS. Ate their
"all-you-can-eat" buffet lunch - $6 (Cash). Left at 12:30 P.M., still not
sure whether to go North on the Parkway or South to New Orleans.
I finally decided to go North. Paid $5 (Cash) for gas at Jackson.
12:30 - 5:00 P.M. After Jackson, the rain slowed down a little, and
even stopped every once in a while. So I had some chances to take
pictures. The road also became more scenic than before (partly because
all of the trees were still standing in this region!). North of Jackson,
the entire parkway up to the Tennessee border is lined on both sides
with trees about 100-200 feet tall. There are also several creeks and
rivers (very flooded that day) crossing the road, and many historical
points of interest all along the road (this was a heavily traveled
route of the early Southern settlers). This »5 hour drive after Jackson
turned out to be very good, in spite of the weather.
5:00 P.M. After the Alabama border, the parkway goes through a series
of turns around some low hills. But they can be handled relatively
fast - the speed limit is 50 MPH. It had temporarily stopped raining,
so I decided to go faster and see as much as I could during daylight.
The road was wet, but the car did not slip or skid, so I went even
faster. On one turn, I was going 70 MPH, when a police car going in the
other direction suddenly came into my view. The officer pulled me over
and gave me my first speeding ticket (69 MPH in 50 MPH zone). The fine
was $50, which I'm going to pay by check today (Jan 30th). This was my
first "incident" of this trip, and also the perfect end for that
horrible, rainy day - but the day wasn't over yet, and if I had known
that morning what would happen AFTER I got a speeding ticket, I would
have turned around at Natchez, MS and gone back to New Orleans.
5:30 P.M. It got dark around 5:30 P.M.
It started to rain heavily again around 5:30 P.M.
The fog started to grow extremely dense around 5:30 P.M.
And after 5:30 P.M., I could not see anything which was more than 50 feet
in front of my car. I turned the car's high beams on, but they were no
use in a thick fog, so I turned them off. I crossed over the Tennessee
border, and started looking for a place to spend the night, forgetting
that I was in the middle of a forest, and there was no town on that road
for another 50 miles. I was now driving about 10-15 miles/hour, and
after that speeding ticket, I was in no mood to drive for another five
hours, so I decided to turn back and go South towards New Orleans (a
decision I should have made that morning). I turned off the parkway and
drove about 15 miles to Florence, AL. Filled gas for $10 (Cash).
Florence is a big city (for Alabama), and I did not want to sleep in my
car in a big city; so I kept on driving (the visibility had improved
slightly, but it was still horrible). I took HWY 72 to Decatur, AL.
(HWY 72 is like a typical Indian road - lots of bumps and dips, no
lights on the road, no reflectors or lane markers on the road, and a
lot of pedestrians and animals (chickens, etc. - mainly small farm
animals) on the road (even during such weather). Then I turned South
on I-65, hoping to find a rest area soon (there had to be one on such
a big interstate freeway).
9:30 P.M.-10:30 P.M. Ate dinner at Denny's in Cullman, AL - $8 (Cash)
11:00 P.M. Arrived at rest area just outside Cullman, and went to sleep
there.
6:00 A.M. Woke up from the sound of the rain hitting the car roof.
Left rest area at 6:45 A.M., going south towards New Orleans. It was
raining when I left, but very lightly (nothing like Jan 27th!)
12:20 P.M. Paid $8 (Cash) for gas at Hattiesburg, MS.
1:30 P.M. Arrived at Louisiana visitor center. Got more brochures,
and free coffee and donuts (good ol' Southern hospitality!). Since it
was free, I drank the coffee anyway (even though I usually don't drink
it). Left visitor center at 2:00 P.M.
2:30 P.M. - 3:00 P.M. Drove on "Lake Pontchartrain Causeway" ($1 toll),
which is the longest bridge in the world. It is 24 miles long, of which
8 miles are completely out of sight of land. Towards the end, I could
see the New Orleans skyline, including the Superdome. That made me very
relieved for two reasons:
3:00 P.M. - 3:30 P.M. At AAA office. Got maps for the Southeastern
states and Tampa, FL.
4:00 P.M. Checked in to Best Western Inn in New Orleans.
9:45 A.M. Checked out of Best Western Inn - $54.04 (Chase)
9:45 A.M.-11:30 A.M. Got lost in downtown New Orleans, but (after
my experience at Dallas), I was used to getting lost by now. Ate lunch
at a McDonalds somewhere - paid $3 (Cash).
11:30 A.M. Arrived where I had wanted to go - at a parking garage
outside the main touring area - and about 5 miles away from the Best
Western where I had stayed the previous night!
11:30 A.M. - 7:30 P.M. Saw New Orleans:
7:30 P.M. Saw the movie "Philadelphia" - $6 (Cash) - good movie, but
the theater was terrible. Lots of popcorn on the seats and floor, and
spilled coke on the floor. My shoes were actually squeaking from walking
on that floor!
9:30 P.M. Left parking structure - $5 (Cash) for parking.
10:30 P.M. Left New Orleans city limits. Got lost. Saw the Superdome
(from outside only) on the way out.
11:30 P.M. - 12:30 A.M. Dinner at Denny's - $10 (Cash).
2:00 A.M. At rest area at I-10 and Pascagoula River (in Mississippi
state)
New Orleans was the 3rd-most interesting city I have been to on this
trip. (The first was Dallas, which is in its own category and cannot be
compared to anything else; the second was the beautiful Corpus Christi).
There are a lot more things to see in New Orleans than in Corpus Christi,
but since New Orleans is older and bigger than C.C., it is also dirtier.
C.C. was much better maintained, but it does not have as many tourist
attractions as New Orleans. It was raining lightly all day in New Orleans,
but I still enjoyed the city very much. Unfortunately, I missed the
Mardi Gras festival by a few days - it's from February 1 to February 15.
Maybe I'll come back to New Orleans around Feb. 10 after seeing
Florida - it is only a 1-day drive by I-10. The timing is also perfect -
I expect to spend exactly one week in Florida.
8:00 A.M. Woke up.
8:00 A.M. - 11:00 A.M. Writing the previous four days' entries.
I am very impressed with all the rest areas in the Southern states
(so far I have been to rest areas in Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi).
All of them are VERY big with picnic tables, barbecues, even gardens
and scenic viewpoints in some of them (like this one). All of the rest
areas which have restrooms (some don't) also have everything else: the
picnic tables are all either inside gazebos just large enough to hold
one table; or they are under a roof supported by many Greek-style
pillars (I know what a "Greek-style pillar" is, so I can recognize
one when I see one). There are a lot of trees which provide enough
shade (not really needed during the winter, but it's there). Also, a
lot of the bigger rest areas are patrolled by armed security guards
24 hours a day (which makes sleeping in them a lot safer than sleeping
in motels). The rest areas that I've been to in California are nothing
by comparison.
[Written 2/24/94, 10:00 P.M.]
11:10 A.M. Left rest area. Filled gas outside Mobile, AL - $8.50 (Chase)
1:00 P.M. - 1:30 P.M. At Florida's visitor center. Got free maps of
Florida, and brochures of Disney World and Pensacola Naval Air Station
museum.
2:00 P.M. Arrived at Pensacola Naval Air Station (free museum tour).
The museum contained many replicas of early historic airplanes from
1903 to WWII, and some original planes from after WWII. These newer
planes were shot down during WWII and the Korean War and recovered from
the sea and restored for the museum. Left Pensacola at 5:00 P.M. It
was a nice museum (considering it was free), but I wasn't DAZZLED by it
as I was with Houston's Space Center or Corpus Christi's USS Lexington.
6:00 P.M. Dinner at Burger King at Fort Walton Beach - $5 (Cash)
7:00 P.M. - 9:00 P.M. Saw movie - "Grumpy Old Men" - $4 (Cash) - had a
lot of old jokes, but all shown in a new way, which made them hilarious.
10:45 P.M. At rest area at intersection of I-10 and HWY 85 (North of
Eglin Air Force Base).
6:00 A.M. Woke up. Left rest area at 7:00 A.M.
7:30 A.M. (Central Time) Breakfast at Denny's near Eglin Air Force
Base - $6.29 (Chase), then drove along Florida's coastline and through
Tyndall Air Force Base.
12:30 P.M. - 1:30 P.M. (Eastern Time) At rest area in Carabelle Beach.
$13.70 (Cash) for gas and Coke at Carabelle Beach.
3:30 P.M. - 4:30 P.M. At rest area on I-10 after Tallahassee. During
this trip, the car had become very dirty, both from the outside and the
inside. Here, I cleaned the inside of the car as much as I could, then
drove on.
7:00 P.M. Checked in to Comfort Inn at Alachua. $4 (Cash) for dinner at
McDonalds.
Continue on to February adventures