Run Forest Run!

I couldn’t help but think of Forest Gump as we traveled from Florida through Alabama, Mississippi and on into Louisiana. We did not spend much time in the Gulf area since our schedule was pushing us but we tried to absorb as much culture as possible along the way. So that’s why I felt like Forrest running across the country.

Tallahassee – Our last stop in Florida was two nights in Tallahassee. This visit was more “business” rather than “pleasure”. One of our trailer tires developed a small bump on the sidewall about the size of a golf ball. So I changed it with the spare before it had a chance to get worse. My plan was to get a warranty replacement at a service center in Tallahassee. This seemingly simple task ended up being basically impossible. Even after finding a service center that carried the proper size of tire, we were told that they really did not want to break up a set to sell me just one. Calls to the trailer manufacturer, Keystone, informed me that the tires are a new equipment only version and we would have to deal with the tire manufacturer directly for warranty support. So I called the tire manufacturer and they could only offer to ship one to me in “a few days”. I was assured it was safe to continue with the spare and use the defective one as an emergency backup in the event of another tire failure. So we will take care of this issue when we get home…I hope.

The Big Speakeasy – As we approached New Orleans I had mixed feeling about touring the area. I was not sure what we would find. I have read that recovery from hurricane Katrina is going well and downtown is functioning fine with most of the restaurants open. So we decided to select a RV park a few miles outside of the city then drive in for dinner. Several years ago I had visited New Orleans and fell in love with the Cajun and Creole styles of food. I think it is an indisputable fact that no place loves its food quite as sincerely – or as indulgently – as New Orleans. Some people eat to live, but New Orleanians live to eat. As a result, the city offers one of the most incredible – and incredibly diverse – concentrations of exceptional dining and unforgettable cuisine in the world. There are more than 1,500 restaurants open in the Greater New Orleans Metropolitan area. This includes most of the city's culinary treasures such as Emeril's, Arnaud's, Commander's Palace, Bayona, Herbsaint, Restaurant August, G.W. Fin's, Bacco, Peristyle, Palace Cafe, Lilette, Brigsten's, K-Paul's, Cuvee, NOLA, Bourbon House, Broussard's and Antoine's. I wanted Mellie to experience New Orleans style of cooking but with so many choices it was hard to pick. We selected K-Paul’s mainly because of his television exposure and a reputation for excellence. We were not disappointed!!!

Katrina Recovery – There were signs of total devastation everywhere. I could post horrific pictures of entire blocks of homes destroyed, piles of debris and business boarded up. But this would not do justice to the heroic efforts and wonderful progress New Orleanians have made. Make no mistake about it, New Orleans is back and will be even better as plans for full recover are completed.

Road Revelation #22 – Celebrate Success. Life is full of twists and turns, good times and bad. It is important to look to the successes and celebrate them rather than dwelling on the past or on things or conditions that you have no control over. And if all else fails, run Forrest run!