Don't let the sadness of your past and the fear of your future ruin the happiness of your present.
Monday, August 26, 2013
Ruby Falls
So, after the "warm" ride this morning, it was time to do something cool. How about tour a cave!
Yesterday, when I purchased my ticket for Rock City, I got the "double play" ticket - Rock City and Ruby Falls. Its not easy to find Ruby Falls from the back side (from the battlefield). Most signs are to point from the Interstate.
Eventually I found the route, and parked at Ruby Falls. The falls is underground - some 260 feet down. An elevator takes visitors to the cave. Once in the cave, its an over 2000 foot walk underground to the waterfall.
During the tour, the guide and signs point out special features of the cave. I shot a good number of photos during the hike.
While the cave was interesting, it was nothing like the waterfall at the end of the tour. The walk/hike was worth it. The waterfall is incredible!
The hike back was uneventful. After the tour, I at the snack stand - was getting pretty hungry. Then time to call it a day, and head for the motel. From the ride and the hike, I was tired.
Friday, August 23, 2013
Flying Saucer
These two images represent my longest exposure attempts to date. The one above, which I named "Flying Saucer" (thanks to my brother, who said the star circles look like the bottom of a flying saucer) is a 3 hour exposure taken from 2:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. The image below is a 2.5 hour exposure taken from 11:30 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Bourbon Street … Can You Say Tawdry!
Thursday, 21 March (Part II)
Aviation arbor Famcamp — NAS JRB New Orleans — Belle Chasse, Louisiana
Temps: Lo 44F / Hi 63F (7C / 17C)
After touring Mardi Gras World (post here), the shuttle returned us to the CBD (Central Business District) and dropped us off at the corner of Canal and Bourbon streets. We were starved, so we headed to Oceana, which bills itself as a Cajun/Creole restaurant. As it was still early, we had no trouble being seated on the second floor, where we were able to get some good “eats,” and I was able to continue my quest to photograph murals. (To be featured in a future post.)
I ordered the shrimp po-boy; Mui had the restaurant’s signature redfish dish;
we shared the yummy chocolate Kahlua mousse cake.
[the po-boy photo is courtesy of Oceana’s website]
After dinner, we meandered around the French Quarter and eventually ended up at Pat O’Brien’s — home of the Hurricane, a drink that originated here in the 1940s, and is named for the hurricane lamp shaped glass in which it is served.
On the recommendation of our friend, MBZ, we enjoyed our beverages in the courtyard. Drinks here are served in souvenir glasses, which are automatically included in the price of the drink. No worries; you don’t have to keep them if you don’t want to. We didn’t, so we returned them to the bar and got $3 back for each of the glasses … made the bar bill more palatable!
The Hurricane (left), served only in a 26 oz (.76 liter) glass, includes 4 oz (.12 liter) of rum blended with Pat O’s secret hurricane mix … sipping this potent drink slowly is essential!
The mint julep (right) is served in a much smaller (14 oz [.41 liter]) “Lightning” Glass;
Mui said he preferred my Hurricane to his own drink … next time!
By the time we left Pat O’s, dusk had fallen, so we decided to stroll the length of Bourbon Street. Too bad this street seems to be synonymous with New Orleans! It is a tawdry, dirty, and noisy street. Don’t get me wrong ... mixed in with tacky souvenir shops, and sex shops and shows, are some decent hotels and eateries. But as we strolled from one end of the street to the other, I couldn’t help but wonder at the reaction of guests booked into the Hyatt French Quarter located just down the street from Larry Flynn’s Hustler Club! Maybe it was different in its heyday, but Bourbon Street won’t be on our itinerary next time we’re in NOLA.
Left: Neon-lit streetscape of Bourbon Street.
Right: I wonder what she’s selling for $1/piece? Then Again, maybe I don’t want to know!
While there were a few street performers attempting to play jazz …
… hip-hop and break-dancing seem to rule the night on Bourbon Street for some clean fun.
[65 second video]
So as not to leave you with a totally negative impression of the French Quarter …. here are a few of the beautiful historic buildings, which can be seen on some of the other streets. We didn’t do a tour — guided or on our own — this time, so I can’t identify these buildings, but I loved the wrought-iron details and the hanging baskets decorating the balconies. I especially loved the buildings with the wrap-around balconies … I can see myself sitting on such a balcony, sipping a cool beverage, and enjoying the cool breezes while watching the goings-on in the streets below.
Hidden gardens like this one at Beauregard House are small oases in the midst of chaos.
Hoping to capture the St Louis Cathedral (which is really a basilica) lit up against a dark backdrop, we decided to conclude our evening at Jackson Square. Turns out the wrought-iron gates that allow visitors to stroll around the square during the day are locked at night. Oh well; the church wasn’t list up much anyway. Still, we managed to capture a shot from the platform of the Washington Artillery Park.
St Louis Cathedral & the equestrian statue of Andrew Jackson, for whom the square was named.
Jackson, a hero of the Battle of New Orleans, was the 7th president of the US.
On that note, we walked over to the Canal Street Ferry Terminal for the quick ride across the Mississippi River and drove home.
The forecast calls for overcast and rain the next couple of days, with the possibility of thunderstorms. We’re going to use this as an excuse to stay home and take care of those household chores that need to be done whether you live in a mobile or stationary home!
P.S. I keep mentioning featuring murals in a future post. These posts will be in the Two to Travel’s Viewfinder blog, where I participate in a “Monday Murals” meme. If you’re a fan of murals, you might want to follow that blog as well. I promise those posts won’t have nearly as many words ;-)
Are we nearly there?
You can imagine the five year old Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon asking this as the pony and trap, or the stately Daimler, moves slowly down the long driveway towards home. Home was Glamis Castle, seat of the Lords of Glamis since 1372.
Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon later became the Queen Consort of King George VI, and after his death the much-loved Queen Mother.
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Wildflower garden
Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata)
Wild ginger leaves (Hexastylis sp.)
Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
Smooth hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens)
Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) and little friend
Oak-leaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia)
Carolina Lily (Lilium michauxii)
Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium purpureum)
New bridge
Celandine poppy leaf (Stylophorum diphyllum)
Brown-eyed Susans and little friend (Rudbeckia sp.)
I would never have believed that moss could capture a leaf
But it can
Thanks for visiting...
Friday, August 16, 2013
Future directions
I don't like the word "goal". I think it can be (and often is) overused to the point of becoming meaningless. That said, it's probably time I gave myself some targets and put some plans in place to take something from .
The first thing on the agenda will be the Alpine Classic in a little over a week. If I'm not fit enough now I probably never will be, but I've done enough 200km rides that this one shouldn't bother me too much. The real challenge seems to have been finding accommodation in Bright -- given that some of the local businesses seem content to accept a booking, and then cancel it as soon as they get a better offer. I lost patience with their games a few weeks back, and will be bringing a tent. I'll need to give it a clean this weekend.
I'm also planning some more weekends away on the bike this year, in order to spend more time sleeping under that tent. A trip to Minyon Falls (now that there might actually be some water coming over it) will be a priority, as is spending some time exploring the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, and other areas in that vicinity.
There will, of course, be a major tour later in the year. I need to get some finances in order after overspending last year, so I'll probably "limit" myself to a few weeks in New Zealand aroud October or November. This time I'll be riding the North Island, having toured and thoroughly enjoyed the South last time around. Hopefully I can tie this in around the Great Southern Randonee later in the year and ride the Great Ocean Road along with it.
Locally, the Koonyum Range around Mullumbimby is somewhere I need to explore, as are some of the fire trails behind Numinbah Valley -- the ones that I plan to finally get to this year. All in all it promises to be a memorable year if I can manage fewer flat tyres than last year's tally of 28 (I'm on three so far). Bring it on!
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Pick your nose
The chap in the flat cap behind Kirk and Spock is Prince Charles, by the way, gamely entering into the spirit of things.