I rolled up the tent and was off before 8am this morning, bound for New Orleans. Was an uneventful 200 mile drive and I arrived and was checked into the India House by noon time. It has been awhile since I stayed at a youth hostel and it always is an experience. Youth hostels are not for everyone, that is for sure. The requirements for India House are you must be an American Student or a foreigner on "holiday." Since I'm an admitted student and I hold a Florida drivers license, I made the grade.
For twenty bucks I have a bunk with 7 others. Shared bathroom (male and female combined, we are in an enlightened age mind you) galley, pool, wi-fi and tons of people from all corners of the planet. It really is a trip. Mostly folks in there twenties, everyone is either computing or texting, or Skyping. Most are drinking beer and lounging at the pool. A real scene indeed!
After a brief respite, I walked the 31 blocks to the French Quarter and Bourbon street. Pretty much what I had expected. It is very charming, but for a guy who doesn't drink, it's kind of hard to partake of all the debauchery.
Onward. Pat Hood and I go many years back. In fact we were stationed together aboard USCGC Washington in the early 90's. You can check some of those pictures by clicking here. Pat is just finishing up his tour with the Coast Guard here in New Orleans. Well he popped his head in at the India House unexpected like. I had not seen him in over 10 years, and then there he was.
Pat took me for a quick spin around New Orleans, especially the hardest hit areas from Katrina. Pat knows a thing or two about the storm. He is a Marine Investigator with the Coast Guard and was stationed here during the storm.
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| Condemed House Lower Ninth Ward |
He took me to the Lower Ninth, which still looks like a disaster zone. The place is pretty sketchy. We didn't do any stopping along the way to chat with folks sitting on destroyed porches. Pretty sad. Not convinced it is worth it to re-build such a place. But I fully recognize that I don't come from the place and don't want to be cavalier about it.
We then took a spin to a little restaurant that sits adjacent the New Orleans Coast Guard Station. I woofed on some Cajon Gumbo and a salad. Pat also took me to the exact spots where the levee's broke sealing New Orleans fate. You can see the discoloration in the cement below where new concrete has been used to patch the levee. We also checked out the two dozen or so gigantic Cat Diesel pumps used to pump out the flood zones and control the levels in Lake Ponchatran. What a trip.
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| Levee Break Lower Ninth Ward |
Capt Chris
1 comment:
Chris -- If you happen to roll through Flagstaff on I-40, you may wish to check out Ft. Tuthill. It's a military recreation site run by Luke AFB. Rooms are reasonable for Flagstaff, and they have camping. It's nice up there in the summer. Regards -- Gordo.
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