Americas Best Value Inn-Sulphur

... m overwhelmed by the sedentary nature of most Americans. The personal vehicle is an American institution, a birth rite and second home, and it’s simply amazing to what lengths we’ll go NOT to have to walk anywhere. At the mere mention of going for a walk after a meal, one will undoubtedly be confronted with a dozen excuses – "but the heat is so oppressive," “ah but it looks like it’s about to rain,” “but the mosquitoes are so ...

It's an enchanted forest, steam rising from the ground that sits too low. If I stopped the car and got out, I would either sink or float away and it would be the same thing. Everything is just flat and green, life swarming out of the ground. Trees line the horizon, dark, half submerged in swampy water.Mercifully, the sun has not yet taken its place in the sky. Layers of ...

Quick entry, then back to the Casino for a little early morning action. Twenty-five bucks and I get a RV hookup site and all the fantastic amenities of this fine resort. What a deal. Gotta be on the road by noon - New Orleans, here I come!

... he wasn't feeling good and came to the surface. Not too long after getting out he collapsed from what I was told was a heart attach. They brought him back to life a couple times but lost him on the helicopter ride to the hospital. We ended up diving 5 times and spent about 5 hours under water. So far 80 feet is the deepest I've been.

... normally it is easy to spot many more alligators and other animals such as bobcats and racoons, but that the weather has been so dry this year, the habitats and activity patterns of many species have been altered and made them more difficult to find. I was definitely satisfied with the experience and would highly recommend the park. This was a perfect time of year to see it too - pleasantly warm as opposed to the sweltering heat of mid summer.

I'll pay my library fines and then off to Ragley to leave the Mercedes with Dad for the next three months (at least). He will take me to Intercontiental Airport Houston very early in the AM New Years Eve for a connection in San Francisco before crossing the Pacific to Seoul and finally Phnom Penh late New Year's Day.

... but with the wind, we didn't make much progress and the sun started to set. We were only in Sulphur, LA. We stopped there for the night, and were very and stayed at the Quality Inn there, which promised an internet connection and full amenities. I took my bike out into the rain and wind again, two miles up the road to a Walmart, which was very busy with pre-Christmas shoppers.` I bought a 1 lb bag of frozen shrimp and some ramen ...

... in speed from 3 knots up to 8, so you have to make up your mind whether it's worth passing them or not, especially given that the only way to pass is to either run the bank on the "one whistle" or going pell mell in the middle on the two hoping another barge doesn't come around the bend. We maneuvered through our last and final lock, the Calcasieu Lock today, without incident. We shared the lock with ...

... what the venue is called. The only real news is that we got a new fiddle player yesterday in New Orleans. His name is Jens (pronounced "yens"). He's German, but you would never know it except by his name. He's a younger guy, really cool, and a great musician too! We are putting him into a few numbers tomorrow, so I hope ...

... you will not use much gas getting around. Note: my welcome photo is from the 9-11 monument that the town put up in honor of all those fallen that day including two native Lake Charles residents...one who was in the WTC and the other in the Pentagon. It is a moving thing to be able to touch the steel beams from the WTC. It gives you more perspective on what happened that day. Update: Do not leave until you try DeAngelo's Italian Restaurant on South Ryan ...