2017 Day 4

Our sunrise at Monument ... Holy Smokes again!

Then we wandered nearby and saw a sign saying a demonstration for a Navajo hogan would take place at 8:00. It was almost 8:00 so we pulled into the hogan parking lot and entered the Navajo residence that is similar to an igloo, but made out of wood, bark, and dirt. The demo and talk we witnessed was actually for a tour group of 8, but we kind of tagged along and acted like we were part of the group. It was an interesting few minutes of learning more about the Navajo culture.

We stopped in Mexican Hat - Pee Wee and I actually stopped there 9 years ago in journey number one. The rock formation that gives the town its name and looks like a Mexican hat is still there, and probably will be for a few thousand more years.

Being around Navajos gave us the inclination to form our own names, so Barry is now "Spotted Dust," because he saw some spots in the dirt at Mexican Hat that were put there by some rain drops last night. Rain here is that rare. Pee Wee is "Looks At Clouds" because every now and then he looks at the clouds and tells us the animals he sees in the clouds. I'm "Two Dogs," because I noticed several dogs today and they were always in pairs.

We stopped for ten minutes in Bluff, Utah because Spotted Dust spotted the Twin Rocks, which are well known rock formations.

Then we drove an hour to the Four Corners Monument, which is the only place in the nation where you can stand in one spot and be in 4 states. Those 4 states are Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado. We covered all 4 states in our photo.

While at Four Corners, we were able to do another good deed. Pee Wee made friends with an old Navajo woman who was selling jewelry in a booth. She told Pee Wee she was hungry but could not leave her booth. So after our photo session at the 4 corners spot we presented her with Navajo frybread from a concession stand far from her booth. She was very happy and loved hearing about our trip.

Then on to Canyon de Chelly. We met a man yesterday who told us it would be a great stop and he was right. We all thought the canyon actually holds more beauty than the Grand Canyon, just not as astonishing.

Our last stop was a 28 mile drive through the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest National Park. All I can say is Arizona is loaded with much more than its fair share of beautiful and incredible sites. Our car is filled with "Unbelievable!" and "Look at that!" and "Incredible!" The Painted Desert and Petrified Forest did all that and more. Spotted Dust and Looks At Clouds are sitting on one of the petrified logs and Two Dogs is looking out at the Painted Desert in the photos below.

We don't know where we're going tomorrow - we're staying in Holbrook, Arizona - not far from Winslow. Maybe we'll stand on a corner there and look for a flatbed Ford.

2017 Day 3

Our first stop was Antelope Canyon near Page - we had to do the lower canyon because sun doesn't hit the upper one in the right places until later in the day. Brook was our tour guide and is a full blooded Navajo and proud of it as she should be. She is a student at Arizona State, and since she is studying to be a teacher we hit it off quite well. She gave us a short history lesson on the Navajo Nation which we enjoyed and needed. We had no idea the Navajo Reservation is the largest in the country - about the size of West Virginia. She also took us on an incredible tour of this famous slot canyon that was formed by flash floods. The picture below is just one example of its beauty. And just as many "Holy Smokes" were exclaimed as yesterday, and today by more than just Barry.

Brook was so helpful that we reciprocated with a good deed. At then end of the tour she had several jobs to do after we walked back to the starting point. One of them was to hand out bottles of water. But we three good deed doers relieved her of that job so she could concentrate on her other tasks.

We spent the next one and a half hours driving through rugged but beautiful desert lands to the famous and even more rugged and beautiful Monument Valley at the border of northeast Arizona and southeast Utah. Several John Wayne movies were filmed there along with others. The two hours we spent there were hot (check out our car thermometer) and included views that are absolutely spectacular, which caused moments of "verklemptness" in more than one of our group of three.

We ended up getting a room at Goulding's Lodge near the entrance to Monument Valley. The view from our balcony is breathtaking.  The gigantic formations are fading in the waning sunlight as I put the finishing touches on Day #3. Holy Smokes!

2017 Day 2

The day started with a quick stop at the observation area for one of the biggest and most important dams in the world - the Hoover Dam east of Las Vegas. We had some great dam views but there were too many dam visitors there.

Then 50 miles on back roads - these back roads were on the original Route 66 - "The Mother Road" in Arizona. We stopped and met people in little towns like Hackberry, Valentine, Peach Springs, and a couple others. At one little burg, we did our first good deed of the trip. We saw a Jack in the Box and when Pee Wee and I see a Jack in the Box we stop to partake in one of our staples from our high school days - their greasy tacos. The drive-through cashier must be one of the most upbeat fast food workers in the country. We took the time out of our day to let him know what we thought. We put the car in park, asked him to stop what he was doing, and to listen to us. Then we proceeded to tell him what a great worker he is and to not change a thing about his way of doing things. His gigantic smile made us feel great.

Then lunch at The Road Kill Cafe in Seligman, Arizona. That really is the name and the service was so slow that we were afraid that they actually did go outside and find some roadkill to put inside of some buns for our lunch.

Pee Wee and I visited The Grand Canyon during our first trip, but Barry had never seen it so it was an easy decision to go again in order to record Barry's reaction to one of the biggest tourist attractions and one of the most majestic vistas in the entire world. The Grand Canyon didn't disappoint and neither did Barry - his reaction was priceless. I counted 10 "Holy Smokes!" and 4 "This is insanes."

We headed north after The G.C. and stopped at a Native American roadside jewelry stand near the Colorado River Gorge. We met the owner - Anna - her easy name - her real name sounds something like Sklabesa. We know this - she is an amazing woman. We have few inhibitions on this trip so we asked her a few questions about herself. Soon she had told us some of her life story. She  told us she grew up ... "up there," and pointed to the top of some close-by steep and desert-like mountains. No water and no electricity until very recently in her 50 years of living. Her work ethic is a 10, but her gentle and kind spirit is incomparable. We all wanted to repay her kindness so we good deeded her by buying some jewelry we were not at all interested in buying.

So two good deeds today, nothing amazing about them but two we probably would not have done back home. We're staying in Page, Arizona tonight and I expect that our first stop tomorrow morning may bring some more "Holy Smokes!"

Day 1 - Kind of

We flew into Las Vegas today - that's basically all we did. So the wandering, the good deeding, the real trip starts tomorrow. We did drive down the famous Vegas strip, which was pretty nice to see but also convinced us we need to get on some back roads tomorrow and stay away from big cities. At least we saw the most amazing Independence Day fireworks display we've ever seen... as we flew in to Las Vegas the sky was lit with multitudes of bursting fireworks. It was pretty amazing. And we hope to see more amazing things in this great country over the next 8 days...

2017 Journey

We will be starting our 9th journey of random travels in 3 days. We plan to leave on Tuesday, July 4, and will begin our summer excursion in Las Vegas. There are 3 of us this summer - Barry Gillespie, Pee Wee and I will fly to Las Vegas Tuesday night, will rent a car, get out of that big city as fast as possible, and then get off the interstates and travel around the west. There are some fires out of control in parts of Arizona and neighboring states - hopefully they will die down before we arrive.

We still have a goal of 3 good deeds per day and have asked our contacts to pledge any amount of money they want per good deed to donate to the Lawrenceville Co-Op. The Co-Op helps feed hungry and homeless people and helps out with utilities, but promotes self reliance at the same time. Anyone who wants to help out can pledge any amount of money they want per good deed, and then make a contribution at the end of our trip by clicking on the Lawrenceville Co-Op button on the right.

I'll do my best to update our blog every night with updates of where we are and any good deeds we've been able to do.

Please feel free to leave a comment. We like comments. Also, if you haven't ordered your copy of my e-Book concerning our travels, the link to order your copy is below. The proceeds from the book also go to the Lawrenceville Co-Op (food bank) - I've already sent them a couple checks since the e-Book was released on April 1.

CLICK HERE to get your copy of "Backroads, No Plan, Good Deeds, & Pee Wee"

Day 8, Saturday, July 9

Not much sleep last night - there's a big youth baseball tournament going on in Texarkana, and it sounded like an entire team was practicing their headfirst slides in the hall around midnight. We called the front desk and complained ... we have become THOSE old guys now.

We traveled to Vicksburg, Mississippi to visit one of the most important military battlefields from the Civil War. On the way there, Pee Wee pulled off a good deed. He was waiting in line to use the restroom at a gas station, when a guy inside the bathroom couldn't get out - shutting the door was causing the door to lock both ways. They had to force the door open to get him out.  Pee Wee asked for some scotch tape, then taped up the hole in the strike plate along the door jam so that the door wouldn't get locked and stuck anymore. It counts as a good deed for now, but could become a bad deed later in the day if some guy uses the bathroom and there's nobody outside the unlocked door waiting in line.

Vicksburg Military Park is great. It's miles of roads winding around the various battlefields on the outskirts of the city. Monuments and information signs tell of the story in 1863 when Vicksburg was under siege for more than a month until the southern army there finally surrendered. And I love park rangers - they all love their jobs. One such ranger gave us a brief education about part of the park - he was in heaven.

There was much destruction and loss of life on both sides, as well as many acts of bravery in the face of physical pain and agony. This morning, my name was added to that list.

In the first 5 minutes of our 3 hour tour, while walking through a field to see some Yankee made trenches, I stepped on a yellow jacket nest. Two painful stings caused quick swelling on my wrist and ankle. Ignoring the intense heat and huge distances between stations, I trudged on. Mile after mile I went, the pain continued but it didn't stop me. Pee Wee told me to quit whining. That's OK, he just doesn't know what it's like to be wounded in battle. So what if the miles traveled were in an air conditioned car. Who cares about the story of the 14 year old Union soldier who was wounded, but limped and crawled for two hours until he reached General Sherman with an important message. Who cares about the 120 medals of honor that were given there for bravery? Today, July 9, 2016, I too was awarded the purple heart at the Battle of Vicksburg. You can't take that away from me Pee Wee. (My battle weary pain filled photo is below).

After leaving Vicksburg, the scent of home was in the air, so we decided to speed things up and head to Atlanta. We should have been home by 10:30, but the rain all through Alabama made it a little after midnight. And not even two miles from Pee Wee's house, one of the best good deeds presented itself. On Mountain Creek Church Road near Monroe, at 12:15 a.m., we came upon a car on the side of the road with its flashers going. After stopping and putting down the window, a pretty young African American girl of about 20 told us she was on her way home from work when she ran out of gas. We told her to not get in the car with anyone offering help and quickly drove 5 minutes to Pee Wee's house. He removed all of his luggage and then gave me his full two gallon gas can. We hugged a heartfelt goodbye, and then I returned to give her the gas. She was so relieved, genuinely grateful, and happy to hear about our quest for good deeds and smiled a huge smile when she realized she would be the recipient of our last good deed of the trip.

So ... if anyone would like to donate to the Co-Op, we ended up with 12 good deeds:

1. Human back scratcher Pee Wee in Lucedale, Mississippi.
2. Cheering up rest stop security guard lady at Dizzy Dean Rest Stop.
3. Pee Wee helping disabled lady at WWII Museum in New Orleans.
4. Milkshake for Cajun hotel manager.
5. Pee Wee joining in with kids in hoop race at Brazos State Park.
6. Moving pianos and equipment at Norman Petty studio.
7. Donating spray paint at Cadillac Ranch.
8. Ridding the highway of blown truck tire.
9. Mopping hotel lobby in Texarkana.
10.Singing the praises of new food server to the restaurant manager.
11. Fixing bathroom door at gas station.
12. Midnight gas run for young lady.

And just a thought after I hugged the black young lady goodbye last night after helping her out ... wake up America! We're just all Americans - the following link is a song from the 1950s play South Pacific that states it very clearly, and, should be required listening these days:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAZ8yOFFbAc

Day 7, Friday, July 8

Early this morning we stopped briefly along Route 66 again - I know we've done a lot with Route 66 but it keeps following us, and it has so much history. (Yesterday we ran across a group of close to 50 Norwegians who are trying to do the entire route from Chicago to L.A).  This time for us it was Lucille's Gas Station - it was built in 1929 and Lucille ran it until 2000. Now it's closed up like the rest of Route 66 businesses, but there are plaques, pictures, and other signs telling Lucille's story. Like the Will Rogers sign in the photo below.

Next we took a turn south on some real back roads and saw the sign about prison inmates below. I guess that's a problem in Oklahoma.

A few hours later we were driving the 55 mile Talimena Scenic Byway from southeastern Oklahoma to southwestern Arkansas. The drive is very much Blue Ridge Parkway like, with many incredible overlooks as it winds through the Ouachita National Forest. We were impressed - it wasn't as kept up as the Blue Ridge Parkway, but it was great to see some mountain views after days in the desert. We were basically the only inhabitants of the region for the entire 55 miles, so there were several attempts by both of us for making echoes. Pee Wee has the biggest mouth so he won.

After the drive as we headed southeast I made a reservation for a Best Western in Hope, Arkansas. A kind old lady took my information and said she would hold the room for us. A few minutes later we changed our minds and headed for Texarkana, Arkansas. We changed minds because 1) For where we think we're heading tomorrow, Hope didn't work. 2) We stopped in Hope 8 years ago. And 3) Bill Clinton is from Hope and we couldn't take another trip through a town with signs everywhere about Slick Willy.

So I had to call the Best Western lady and see if I could talk her into cancelling our room, which isn't that easy to do when cancelling after 6:30. So I told her my travelling partner was having great difficulty with his colostomy bag and Hope didn't have the facilities he needed.  But Texarkana had just the colostomy bag equipment he needed. It worked, so we're spending the night in Texarkana.

Three good deeds today: Driving through southern Oklahoma we saw the remnants of an exploded truck tire on the road. A quick stop by Pee Wee and a quick dash by myself and the road was clear. Then when checking into the hotel I slipped on a wet spot in the lobby. The very busy lady behind the desk was about to get a mop, but I was quicker and I rapidly mopped up all the wet spots in the lobby for her. She didn't have time to do it anyway. Then tonight while eating at a very busy restaurant, our server was in way over her head. She was new, and had way too big of an area. We watched her as she practically ran from table to table to kitchen and back. Then we saw her get chewed out first by a couple at a table near us, and then by the manager. Her face was blank, but on the verge of tears. She messed up our bill as well, and we asked the manager to come and talk to us. Another man, probably his boss, leaned in to listen as well - both were expecting bad news. We then proceeded to tell both of them that Taylor - our server, was simply outstanding - we went on and on about how great she was. We're sure the message will get back to her and for that we end the day in great moods.

Day 6 Thursday, July 7

We had a fantastic stop early this morning in Clovis, New Mexico. I called a number last night for the Norman Petty Recording Studio to see if we could see it. The owner - a kind old man and a pastor in his younger years by the name of Ken said he would meet us there. He and his granddaughter gave us a personal tour. They usually only do groups but he gave us VIP treatment.

It is not a replica - it is the studio used my Mr. Petty and everything is as it was 50 years ago. Norman Petty recorded Buddy Holly in this studio with hits like the #1 song of 1963 - "Peggy Sue." Many other famous singers and hit songs were recorded in the studio. Ken even called a friend to come join us - a man named Dave who was a back up singer for the Fireballs. Ken played their hit song "Sugar Shack" for us - while Dave stood with us. We then realized it was Dave singing on the recording from over 50 years ago. Room after room we went, following Ken and hearing history. Ken started this venture as an act of love for his great friend Norman Petty who died of leukemia in 1984.

We reciprocated with a very long but rewarding good deed. He needed a heavy speaker, piano, and other equipment moved to be ready for some guys coming tomorrow who are going to haul off a lot of things to be appraised. It wasn't easy, but we wish we could have done more.

At noon we were at Cadillac Ranch in a field near Amarillo, Texas. There's a row of Cadillacs planted nose down several feet in the ground with tail ends sticking up at an angle. Cadillac Ranch has been featured in several magazines and TV shows, and now on this world famous blog. People come from all over to use the Cadillacs to write their own messages in spray paint. We added ours as well. We even good deeded a Hispanic couple. When we were painting our message I could read the man's mind that he wished he had a can of paint. So we finished early and handed our two cans over to him. The language barrier prevented much conversation, but smiles and handshakes and hugs were better than any spoken words.

From there we ended up on the east side of Amarillo at the Devil's Rope and Route 66 Museum in McClean, Texas. Devil's Rope means barbed wire, and every barbed wire tool, and every kind of barbed wire and every barbed wire story ever told is in the building.

The famous Route 66 Highway goes right by the museum, and we actually drove on it for 30 miles. It was THE highway from Chicago to L.A. from the 1920s until the 1980s, but is now a fragmented road, fragmented but loaded with memories, nostalgia, and history.

One more stop in Elk City, Oklahoma and our day was done. We stopped for an hour at an old west type museum, but it came in 4th place of our 4 stops today. At least the sign behind my buddy named West is fitting.

Staying tonight in Clinton, Oklahoma, it's 10:00 p.m. and we've been watching the news of the shootings in our country from the past two days. During these trips we stay off the radio and are unaware of goings on in the world. But tonight we see what has happened ... I think for now I'll try to focus on the loving demeanor of our new friend Ken and his granddaughter from Clovis, New Mexico. Good night.

Day 5, Wednesday, July 6

First - we struck out on good deeds today. We've been doing pretty well, but nothing surfaced today.

We drove around a while in Pecos to get the local flavor. There's a huge division between the haves and haves nots there. Most of the town looks like it could be a Mexican city, but the wrong side of the tracks is really rough. We even saw a couple recent graves in the poorer side cemetery that were shallow graves. Sad.

Then on to the West of the Pecos Museum that was a lot of fun. Pecos is the home of the first ever rodeo back in the 1800s and was also where Judge Roy Bean took control. Paul Newman played him in a movie a while back. Judge Bean did things like making two criminals have a fist fight in the Rio Grande River.

Two hours later we were at Carlsbad National Park. Being a senior I have a lifetime pass to national parks so it was free. We like free. We also like Carlsbad. It has the largest limestone cavern in the western hemisphere and it earns the name Big Room. Great visit for us. We took the elevator down to the caverns, Pee Wee took it back it up while I did the steep one mile winding hike back up, only because I didn't want to wait for the elevator. Bats and birds are all over the place at the part where you walk out after the long hike. Plus guano is plastered all around too. Guano is bat poop. A guy walking next to me got bombed with bird poop, I made it out safely.

Then we drove straight north where we ended up tonight in Clovis, New Mexico. On the way there, as we drove on roads where we could go ten minutes without seeing another car, we bumped into stuff. Like where Brian Urlacher played high school football and donated the HUGE field house. Like my tire store. Like a giant windmill that was so close to the road that the wind from the massive arms was so loud we could hear it. Like roadrunner birds scampering across the road. Like Tatum, New Mexico. Our memory buttons went off when approaching Tatum. That's because 8 years ago we drove on the highway intersecting with the one we were on today. 8 years ago in Tatum we signed a petition for New Mexico to secede from the country. I think we used names of friends. Today we recognized the exact spot where we signed the petition. And guess what - New Mexico is still a state.

Anyone reading this leave a guess of the price of the shirt Pee Wee's holding, then tell us why. I was looking for a long sleeved shirt for the caverns and didn't buy this one.

Tomorrow ... well we don't know what's going on tomorrow. But we'll try to do better with the good deeds. Let me know if anyone wants a good deal on tires.

Day 4, Tuesday, July 5

Started off the day at our Econo Lodge in Fredericksburg with pulling lots of weeds from in front of the rooms for a decent good deed. It was the kind of hotel where you back up to your room, which suits us just fine. The hotel manager and his wife really liked our card.

We met a guy at the fireworks last night who suggested we take a look at the old Catholic Church in town. The stain glass windows were unbelievable and the rest of the inside was too. Catholic churches are so artistic - that must be how they get you in.

Nearby was Luckenbach, Texas, and we had Waylon Jennings' famous song blaring when we pulled in. Luckenbach is nothing more than a few wooden buildings on a dirt road, but has a large dirt area where they have "picking circles" for fiddlers, and then small concerts. We went in the post office that had a bar in the back, and two old guys in blue jeans, cowboy boots and hats, and sleeveless t-shirts were already clinking beer bottles together at 9:30 a.m. to toast the first drink of the day.

From there we drove an hour to San Antonio and a tour of the Alamo , so that we could "remember the Alamo." That's because we had forgotten most of what we were taught about the Alamo from 45 years ago. But now we remember the Alamo. It really is an important part of American history and we were really glad we made the stop. So was the recipient of our 2nd good deed of the day. We had to park in a public parking lot where you had to go to a machine to enter your info and then pay with a card. There was a long line, and after waiting 15 minutes, while Pee Wee was entering his info I could hear the elderly lady behind me in panic mode. I turned around and told her we would take care of it. She was so relieved. It took a while and I had to give an impatient guy behind her a dirty look, but it was worth it. Then she posed with Pee Wee for a photo.

Then we headed toward far west Texas. Texas is so big that driving from one end to the other is the same as driving from Detroit to Charleston - really. So we drove a lot. I was driving on back roads through towns like Leakey and Bandero and Vanderpool. The speed limit on the two lane roads was 75 - I had more fun driving on those roads for 40 miles than I've ever had in my life. I could drive on the wrong side for miles, or straddle the center line, and drive at speeds I'll never admit to. Then we got on I-10 for many miles - speed limit 80. We ended up in Pecos, Texas for the night. It looks like we're in the middle of Mexico. The desert is all around us and all we see is flat land and dirt. We had tacos tonight and they were great, but my teeth, gums, eyes, and skin feel dirty. But I love it here in Pecos - it's so different than our world, and so far away, kind of what I look for on these journeys.

May be heading to a famous National Park tomorrow ...

Day 3, Monday, July 4

As I said yesterday, Monday and July 4 meant not much was open, but because we tend to stay off the interstate, we find our own type of entertainment.

They say everything's bigger in Texas - it's faster too. Two lane highways in Georgia normally have a speed limit of 55, here they are often 75. And the small town squares and downtown areas - the road widths are gigantic compared to what we're used to.

Some things we bumped into today:

1. A roadside stand to get some elk jerky from an old couple. The wife looked at us for ten minutes and never spoke a word. The old man breathed with an oxygen tank, told us to stay away from Austin because of the damn hippies, and had flies constantly flying around him and nobody else. Pee Wee said he was already decomposing.

2. Bubba's Restaurant to get a small lunch until we discovered it was actually a strip joint.

3. Cut And Shoot, Texas and the Cut And Shoot Cowboy Church. "Cut And Shoot" is the actual name of the town. We couldn't get in the Cut And Shoot Cowboy church, but looked in the window and saw around 30 folding chairs and a saddle placed on a podium to serve as the altar. God doesn't care how or where you meet as long as you meet.

4. A living history farm at Washington on the Brazos State Park. We talked with several of the workers dressed up as if they were living on the 1850s farm and toured all the farm buildings. They had games and competitions for July 4th festivities. Pee Wee beat me in the egg on the spoon race but he cheated. He gave me a spoon half the size of his. He also did our only good deed of the day there. Two kids were wanting to do a hoop race, but had to have a third person. So Pee Wee joined in with them. I was afraid he was going to blow them away, but he pulled back and let them win.

5. We passed through Johnson City, Texas and ended up in Fredericksburg - both homes of President Lyndon Johnson.

6. In Fredericksburg we ended the day with Texas' third largest fireworks display. While there we actually met a man who grew up in ... Cut And Shoot.

7. And the last thing we bumped into I will have nothing to say about, other than it is the last photo below. We'll end Day 3 on that note.

 

Day 2, Sunday, July 3

The day began with a swamp tour near New Orleans. About 25 others and our very good tour guide crowded together on a flat bottom boat for a two hour ride. The weather started getting rough, the tiny ship was tossed ... just kidding. It was a lot fun and educational. Alligators came right up to the boat, had a little too close contact with a poisonous spider, wild boars also visited up close and personal. The big boar in the photo is named Oreo. We drove close by a small community of homes way up on stilts right in the middle of the swamp. Good for them. Pee Wee pointed at a home and asked the tour guide if Bobby Bouche' lived there. (Bobby Bouche' was a character played by Adam Sandler in Waterboy). The tour guide played along and said, yes - he did live there. A lady said, "Really?" Pee Wee said yes. She said, "Wow, I learned something new." Pee Wee embarrasses me a lot but it usually ends up pretty funny. But he did gross me out when he got in the car after the swamp tour and had a snack of sardines. No crackers, no napkin, no drink, just sardines straight out of the can. Who does that? His breath stunk for hours - worse than the odor surrounding the wild boars.

Then on to New Orleans and the National World War II Museum - best war museum I've ever been in. I met and had a great conversation with a WWII Marine who fought in the Battle of Leyte Gulf in 1944 - one of the most important victories we had against Japan. I tried to thank him for his heroic service for all of us who came after him, but I was too choked up to get it out.

Pee Wee did good deed #3 at the huge theater at the museum. Just before the showing of Beyond All Boundaries he noticed a lady having a hard time walking. She explained she had recently had foot surgery. Pee Wee to the rescue - he held her hand, cleared out the crowd in front of them, and led her to her seat.

We tried to find some Cajun food around 5:00 but everywhere we went was closed - seemed kind of strange. At least I found a Mardi Gras necklace and wore it a while. If anyone not in my family can tell me the significance of my t-shirt, please leave a comment. First one wins a new car.

We're staying at a cheap Best Western in Lafayette, Louisiana. Tomorrow could just be a wandering day. Usually attractions and museums are closed on Mondays, and tomorrow is July 4th, so we don't expect much to be open. We'll bump into something interesting though. 

I did the day's second good deed after eating tonight. We try to do this deed once per trip - our hotel manager was very friendly, kind, and great to listen to with her Cajun accent. Her accent really picked up when I brought her a chocolate milk shake and a good deed doers card. Cajuns can really smile big.

That's it for day three - we'll probably be heading even more west tomorrow and hope to find a novel 4th of July celebration. For now, I'm going to see if I can pour a little Listerine down my sleeping travel buddy's gullet.