Author Archives: Jicky

Oil change with extra service

Greetings from Natchez/Vidalia.  Mississippi and Louisiana border towns.

How many times have you made a wrong turn just to discover that in the end it was a good wrong turn?  Well, I made one of those wrong turns today which lead me to a Ford dealership.  I know there is nothing exciting about Ford dealerships.  However, I did need an oil change and I was looking for a place to have it done.  This is the first one for the truck.  That pesky little oil change reminder has been coming on for the last couple of days every time I start the truck.  Nice, but annoying.

I don’t know why, but every time I have a conversation with people they start asking where I am from.  I just don’t understand.  Then they raise an eyebrow when I say New York, as if I would be lying to them.  I guess I still have a little bit of a German accent.  In any case we get talking about my trip and people are always very helpful.  This was no different at the Ford dealership.  Somehow I commented on crawfish and everyone was up in arms.  Crawfish is the best, you just didn’t have the right stuff etc.  Usually, this is where the discussion would end, not here.  Sonny from the service department pulled out his phone and called a place in Vidalia and told them that I would be coming.  This place is right around the corner from my campground.  Instead of getting directions, I got an escort.  Chance, a mechanic and his father Rick had to drive that way anyway and I just had to follow them.  Now that is service.  I also got some travel tips.  I just don’t how best drive thru Louisiana to get to Texas.

C & M Crawfish, don't judge a book by its cover

I would have found the place eventually, but I would have driven past it a couple of times.  Dan, the owner was expecting me and he showed me how to peel the crawfish and how to get the tiny bit of meat out of the claws.  It was mentioned that I could suck the rest of the meat out of the head, no thank you!

I had a tasting right there at Dan’s stand, the meat was tender and the seasoning was great.  Definitely better than the fried stuff I had in Gadsden.  However, I am not sold on crawfish.  It took me a good half hour to peel half a pound of crawfish to end up with, not just with sticky, messy fingers, but only a tiny amount of crawfish meat. not even enough for an appetizer.  I think I’ll stick with shrimp.  Should you have the pleasure of peeling crawfish, make sure you wear a bib!

That's all

The catch

Thank you Ford Natchez!

Things to do when it rains

I don’t thing many of you have done either of the fun things I did in the rain this afternoon.

Well, after a great time in Gadsden, Alabama, post to follow (hopefully soon), I landed in Tupelo, Mississippi.  Tupelo’s claim to fame, it is the birthplace of Elvis Presley.  He lived here until he was thirteen.  But walking around town one could think he lived here all his life.  Tupelo itself is a strange town.  It lacks any kind of community feel.  The town is spilt in half by some four lane roads with chain stores (I like to call them the death of unique towns and cities everywhere) along the way.  A small section of the “downtown” area has some one of a kind store, but that’s about it.  I asked some people if there is a local place that serves breakfast, but there are only the Arby’s, Waffle Houses and Cracker Barrels of the world, sad, very sad.

I passed the Automobile Museum, but couldn’t bring myself to actually go and see the exhibit; I hear it is very good.  Since there was nothing else to do I did drive to the Elvis Museum which is right next to his birthplace.  I visited the gift store, but again couldn’t bring myself to visit the museum or even to take a closer look at the rebuild “birthplace”.  FYI, it is a tiny gun shot home.

It was still fairly early in the afternoon and I figured I could catch up on some writing and maybe get JD a badly need car wash.  Unfortunately, the entrance height at the car wash was only 84”, too low for JD.  Oh well, it’s the thought that counts.  It started to get pretty dark and my favorite “severe thunderstorm warning” interrupted the radio program.  I arrived at the campground just before it started to pour.

Here is the first thing you can do in the rain: wash your car.  After the first shower was over I got out with my great car washing mop in hand and I wiped down the truck.  Thunder was still in the air and I could be sure that nature would take care of the rinse cycle.  OK, this might not be the best way to wash your car, but it is better than nothing.

Now you ask what could be the other crazy thing she did in the rain.  Are you ready for this, I played disc golf.  I had never even heard of it until yesterday evening.  There is even a PDGA – Professional Disc Golf Association.  I am staying at a state park near Tupelo and after driving for four hours I thought I check out the trails.  A little hiking after dinner never hurts.  Along the trails I saw these strange metal baskets which looked like deer feeders and there were tees and on a bench it read tupelodiscgolf.com.  All very strange.  On my way to the trail I had passed a group of guys and I remembered one carrying a Frisbee.  Still it didn’t make much sense to me.  Heading back to my camper I saw the guys again and I decided to just ask them what this disc stuff is all about.  They were very nice and explained the game.  Basically, instead of a golf ball you use a Frisbee or a disc which you try to throw into this basket.  The rules and scoring are similar to regular golf.  The trick is you play this game in the woods, throwing the disc through trees and hopefully over creeks and up and down hills.  The baskets are 200’-300’ (60-90 m) from the tee.  Ethan, Michael, Tim, Jonathan and Danny, all self proclaimed rednecks, had been playing for some time.  I followed them along to the 18th “hole”.  Meanwhile, I was learning about the game and the different weights of the discs.  There is a putter disc which is heavier than the long distance discs. 

So, after I had washed my truck, Ethan drove by and we chatted for a bit and he asked if I wanted to throw some practice baskets.  I was a bit hesitant, it was still raining a little and the sky was still pretty dark.  What the heck, how often will I get the opportunity to play disc golf?  Off we went.  After a few throws it started to rain again.  Well, let’s play in the woods where we won’t get too wet.  So we played 18 holes in on and off rain.  It was fun.  My play stunk; I played a round of 82, that’s 28 over par!  Maybe I’ll do better the next time.

Lots of good stuff from Gadsden will follow soon.  Have a good Memorial Day weekend.

Succumb to fried food

Here is the post that goes with the photos below.

Have I mentioned how beautiful Alabama is?  No, I am not getting paid by the Alabama tourism board.  There are the beautiful beaches along the Gulf Coast.  FYI, there is no oil on the beaches, so come on down.  It is not only the fishing industry that’s hurting because of the oil spill.  Tourism has taken a big hit as well.

Heading north I drove through very green, beautiful hilly areas.  There are forests everywhere.  I think I am ready for a change of scenery.

The eastern part of Alabama is all about lakes.  As you know I stayed at Lake Martin, 44,000 acres of clean water.  I nick named it the Hamptons of Alabama.  I was told that people have their second, third or even fourth home here on the lake.  Families often only spend the summer months in these million dollar mansions.  I was not impressed by the homes.  They were big, however, they lacked character.

I did go on that boat ride on the lake, four hours of riding around in a little boat with an eight horse power out boarder, fun!  Just a tip in case you should be spending any time on the water this summer.  Apply plenty of sunscreen!  Thanks to the cooling breeze the sun does not feel hot and you easily burn to a crisp otherwise.  I am sure you already knew that.

The time at the lake was tranquil.  The park has over 600 campsites on 1,400 acres.  Over the weekend it gets crowed with families.  Once Sunday rolls around people start to clear out and peace and quiet return.  Only five of the forty sites in my area were occupied, total silence.  The sounds of children playing were replaced by the sounds of song birds, ducks, Canada geese, squirrels, and woodpeckers.  

Could you think of a better way to end the day than sitting by the lake, watching the sun set with a little campfire burning and a cold beer in your hand, oh well make that a cup of tea?  It is very relaxing to just look out onto the calm water, just what the doctor prescript.

Wait, I wanted to write about fried food.  OK, when I arrived in Gadsden I asked for a place to eat.  I was told about this great seafood place not too far from the campground.  Yeah, seafood.  Well, when I looked at the menu I was not so thrilled anymore.  Fried, fried and more fried fish.  The only vegetable on the menu was the baked potato that came with most dishes.  So, I settled for some fried crawfish and grilled shrimp with French fries.  Neither was that great.  The best part about this dinner was the cornbread, I usually don’t like corn or anything made with corn, the coleslaw and the pickled onion, which was a first for me.  

What’s the deal with crawfish?  It is very popular down here and in the South.  It is not even a fish, more a cross between shrimp and lobster.  I had it in gumbo and fried and neither time did I find it particular tasty.  The fried version was the size of popcorn.  I haven’t eaten out to dinner ever since.

Speaking of food.  Did you know that all foods in Alabama get taxed; prepared and fresh, even milk?  Sales tax is 9%, that’s more than we pay in New York City.  Adds almost 10 cents to every dollar spend, that’s a lot!  Just a little food for thought since NYC is considering a 1% tax on food.truck camper  travel  ford 

Too much to write about

Alabama overview - near Lake Martin

OK, I just got home at 8 PM after a day of exploring.  I am too tired to write, but I wanted to post at least some photos.  Words will follow.  At this point I could sit in front of my computer for days just writing.

My spot at Lake Martin

Fun on the lake

Just another sunset

Gray skies remain

The heavy rain stopped at some point during the night.  I was just glad that I was not sleeping in a tent.

Warnings of severe weather are still broadcasted on the radio;  mostly to the southwest of my location.  It is a little unsettling to have the regular broadcast interrupted by these warnings,  I am not used to that.

Alfalfa sprouts, rosemary and food in general

Muse at Town Creek Park

I am still in Alabama.  Spent two days in Auburn, home of the Auburn University Tigers.  I arrived just in time for graduation.  That unfortunately meant that the campus was empty and the university town feeling was not quite there. Nevertheless, I had a great experience.
For the first time in a very long time did I read the words “alfalfa sprouts” on a menu.  No matter what it was, this had to be good.  And it was!  A tuna salad sandwich with lettuce, tomato, provolone cheese and alfalfa sprouts, YUMMY!  Probable the best sandwich I had in the last month, thanks Jimmy John’s.  Sorry, fried foods.  To top this off I had a cup of coffee and a delicious white chocolate, macadamia nuts cookie next door at Taylor’s Bakery.  My day was made.
In the evening I went to a little open air concert in Town Creek Park.  A total family affair; kids running around having a good ole’ time and the parents relaxing.  What else can anyone ask for?  And the music wasn’t bad either.
Since I am a creature of habits and who knows when I get my next great sandwich, I repeated my lunch indulgence the next day. I also bought a bunch of cookies for the road.  Anyone would say that’s enough of a good time, but no I had to top all this. 
Here in the South college sports are very big.  Auburn is known for its great football team.  They have a stadium seating 87,000 + fans.  In comparison Giant Stadium in New York (technically New Jersey) only seats 82,000! Unfortunately, football season doesn’t start until the fall so I had to “settle” for a baseball game.  Not as popular, the stadium only seats a little over 4,000, but still an experience.  Especially when you get a photo pass and have access to the field, lucky me.  I had never photographed a baseball game before, so there was a learning curve.

Auburn Tigers

There is a lot of this going on

1 - I am going to get to second base

2 - really I am

3 - I am very close

4 - oh, oh, there is the ball

5 - safe! Really?

The next day I didn’t want to move, but I also didn’t want to stay in Auburn. So I did the second best thing. I found a state park with a campground at a lake that was only 50 miles away. I could manage to drive 50 miles, 1 1/2 hours, that’s OK.

Lake Martin - I have to live through this every evening - how do I do it?

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I don’t know how I manage to pick these campgrounds, it’s a gut feeling. I am facing Lake Martin just a few feet from my camper. The water is even warm enough to go swimming. My Auburn campground wasn’t bad either on a farm, quiet and green.

I got to talk to my campground neighbor and he recommended a restaurant about 12 miles from the park. Nothing around here is close by. He also mentioned a gourmet food market. My heart jumped for joy. I would check both out on Sunday. Rosemary flavored home fries and crab cakes egg benedict, OMG! I savored every bite. The restaurant is called Sinclaire’s and if you don’t know that it is there you wouldn’t find it. There is no sign on the road where to turn. I never realized how much food can change your mood. Food can be healthy and good for you, but it has to be satisfying to be mood altering. I had a similar uplifting felling after the tuna sandwich.

Off to Catherine’s Market. Fresh fennel, leak and other vegetables I hadn’t seen in a while. And most importantly, at least for me, fresh cheese. Not the supermarket variety I have been getting. Thanks for the tips Randy. I was already contemplating to have some cheese shipped to me from Fairway or Schaller & Weber in NYC. Only problem, I never know where to have that stuff shipped. I never stay long enough for mail delivery.

I now have a freezer full of fresh veggies, these are my frozen veggies, not store bought. Speaking of freezer, this is the first time in almost 22 years that I have a freezer. I know that’s hard to believe, but in NYC I only have an under the counter fridge with a cooling compartment. I now have ice cream in my freezer and I find myself sitting on my “couch” watching online TV and eating ice cream, heaven. Wow, who would have thought that I have to move into a smaller space to get a bigger fridge.

I already have extended my stay here at the lake. Tomorrow I will rent a little motorboat and have some fun on the lake.

Eventually, I will head west. Just a cavern, a waterfall and a lost luagage store that I want to see first before leaving Alabama. I want to be in California at the end of July for the big garlic festival in Gilroy, don’t ask.

FYI, I am still traveling the back roads, Interstates are too crazy.
Here are some more fun signs.

Crosswalk instructions at Auburn University - don't they really know?

Burnt Car Road

Unamed Road

Lucky me or sweet people of Alabama

Kenny, Barbara & Eleanor

I can’t explain it, but I have a great hand when it comes to picking campgrounds.  Maybe I should start playing the lotto.

I had planned to stay in Uriah, Alabama for two nights, well this is my fifth night.  There is not much around here, mostly agriculture; cotton, soybeans, peanuts and more crops and the beautiful rolling hills.  Then of course there are the people.  The folks around here are very nice and friendly.  In particular my campground hosts, Kenny and Barbara.  They were the ones who persuaded my to stay longer, it didn’t take too much arm twisting.  The first night I arrived they had me join them for dinner at one of the local restaurants.  On Mother’s Day I joined them and Kenny’s mother for lunch.  Through them I met Tim who used to own a cotton gin, in a nutshell a place where the cotton gets separated from the seeds, cleaned, bundled and sold. 

Trailer load of cotton

500 lb bundles of cotton

Cotton harvest is not until September, but I got an in-depth tour of the gin he once owned.  Pretty neat.  To top all this of, I got to ride Kenny’s backhoe, no dirty thoughts here! 

When was the last time you drove a backhoe?

This is what this trip is all about, connecting with people.  Let’s hope that my luck continues throughout this journey.

While I was here I did get to drive around as well.  There are the pretty sides, the rolling hills and the Alabama River, but there are also more depressing aspects.  Only 10 / 15 miles from here are two small towns, Frisco City and Repton. 

Frisco City - four walls, no roof

Both of them have fallen on hard times. 

Frisco City - shell of a building

Along one short block on Frisco City’s main street there are at least seven buildings that are shut down, of those, three buildings only have the walls standing, no roof.  Some ladies told me that the town declined when the school shut down about five years ago.  City Hall had a notice posted calling for a town meeting to discuss ways to revive the town.

Not too far from there is Repton.  A once bustling railroad town according to the historic maker which was erected just last month.  The maker points to the “Historic and Beautiful Repton”. 

Repton

I guess it once was beautiful, unfortunately all but one business along the historic stretch are closed.  The former business owners didn’t even spend the time to completely clear out their stores.  Desks, boxes and in some cases supplies are in plain site.  All I could think was what a great place for a cafe and maybe even a restaurant. 

Repton - no train depot, no stores

The old red brick buildings ARE still beautiful, just need a little work.

I don’t want to end this post on a down note.  I stocked-up on some fresh veggies and fruits, something I didn’t get very much of in the last couple of days, this is meat and fried food country.  I now also own a pot of basil and a pot of parsley.  A gift from the sweet people of Alabama, as Jim the owner of the feed & seed place said, as he handed me the pots.  Thank you Alabama.  

 

Straw bales at sunset - I just love them

I will continue east to Auburn and then up to northern Alabama before I head back west.  I have been on the road now for almost 60 days and drove just under 5,000 miles.  It feels like I left NYC just yesterday.  Hope you guys up there get some warmer weather soon.  The thermometer in my truck showed 130+ F today. OK, it was standing in direct sunlight, but still.  Driving with open windows brought the temps only down to 90 + and it is not even summer.

130 F in the truck

 

Help clean-up the oil spill

Before

After

The donation

Everyone can do something to help the clean-up efforts of the looming oil disaster along the Gulf Coast.

 

If you read my last post you know about the hair donations that are collected and made into booms to keep the oil off the beaches. Well, I did my part and cut my hair and mailed it to a collection center. I considered shaving my head, but I thought that would go just a little too far.
Get your hair salon and your pet groomer involved. The hair will be used for the Gulf Coast oil spill and any future spills.  Again check www.matteroftrust.org  for more information. I received my mailing address within 24 hours of signing up.