2009MardiGras

update: October 8, 2009 (hit "REFRESH" for frequent, sometimes daily updates and to reload stubborn photos)

2009 45th National Mardi Gras Rally Feb. 18 - 25 ,2009

@ the University of New Orleans Lakefront Arena, in the heart of New Orleans

Followed by Ancient Rock Art & Death Valley, Calf. DXpedition till April 27th

Day 1 Saturday February 14, 2009

...Hook up the & head for Rend Lake State Park in Southern Illinois

Our morning Hike produces My New Walking Stick. A stick strong enough to Defend against Wild Dogs, Bob Cats & Coyotes etc. for when we get to No Country for Old Men. It is a nice piece of Oak Tree Limb, 6 1/2 foot tall & almost 2 inches in diameter that had fallen from the winter snows that I will perfect over time. Scrape the Bark, treat w/ Linseed Oil & find a leather hand strap is in the plans.

Day 2 Graceland RV Park & watching Elvis on the Old TV in the Lobby of the Graceland Hotel waiting for the shuttle to Beale Street

Historic Sun Studio Tour, Memphis Tenn.

cutting a 45 rpm Hit Single

in The Sun Records Historic Record Studio

...Our new hit single will top the charts with one set back. It is a 45 rpm record. Not to many people have turn tables any more and doing a road tour will be an issue in that I get tired around 7pm and can only do Sunday Afternoon gigs. Sun Record Studio was very cool and followed up with a Blues Club Crawl on Memphis’s Beile Street. We topped the night off with a Memphis Bar B Q and caught the last shuttle back to Graceland.

Blues Club Crawl on Beale Street, Memphis Tennessee

...Heading down the road

Day 3 Swinging Bridge RV Park Jackson, Mississippi

Day 4 Fairview-Riverside State Park ...on Lake Pontchartrain, New Orleans we are just across the Lake from the French Quarter

Day 5 2009 45th National Mardi Gras Rally Feb. 18 - 25 ,2009

@ the University of New Orleans Lakefront Arena, in the heart of New Orleans

Laissez Bon Temp Rouler!! (Let the Good Times Roll!)

...we pull into the Rally one day early arrival to get the scoop on the what that lay ahead

during the Happy Hour Kathleen jumps in with the Gals working on some food for the Mardi Gras Masquerade Ball on Sunday

our Rally at the University of New Orleans arena

Day 6 Feb. 19 ...we have from free time from the Rally and head to the French Quarter and some Jimmy Buffet

We get bussed downtown to view our 1st three parades in reserved seating

Day 7 Feb. 20

...Off to the French Quarter &the New Orleans School of Culinary for Cajun Cook'n class & the 300 year history of New Orleans

Reserved seating at the Parades in downtown Ne Orleans

before street lights the Parades were lit by Kerosene Torches that often drips on the carriers who would carry the torches for tips

it is obviously a prestigious thing to be a Knight in these Parades

this Parade is very Cryptic w/ Krewe members of these Secret Societies keeping their identity a Secret

Brilliant colors on the floats

Krewe's are the Secret Societies

that run the Mardi Gras Parades at their own expense each member paying $600 to thousands of dollars a year to belong

Day 8 Mississippi River Boat Lunch Cruise aboard the Natchez that leaves from the French Quarter

...Kathleen needs her Benneat eh the Famous Cafe Du Monde

Mississippi River lunch Cruise aboard the Natchez

after the cruise a bar crawl on Bourbon Street & catch a bit of the Marquette / Georgetown Basketball game

City Park evening Parade ...truly a family affair

kids a& families rule this parade

Northern Illinois Airstreamers Mike, a Chicago St. Rita Graduate & his wife Rita Love'n it

as evening sets in things gear up

City Park Parades are all Families

Lake Pontchartrain

Day 9 Sunday Mass at the Newman Center University of New Orleans

...Only in New Orleans a 800 year old Black Jesus from Africa in the Campus Chapel, very cool

Mardi Gras World w/ lunch to see how they make the floats

Basin Street Museum Tour & visit w/ Marie Lavewu the Voo Doo Queen across the street

doing Huge Ass Beers on Bourbon Street w/ John & Marilyn whom we were on the Baja Caravan with

this man was Soooooo Bluuuuuuu it radiated out onto Bourbon Street featuring the Hits "Slap Your Ass" & "Stinky Legs"

followed by more Huge Ass Beers

Mardi Gras Ball on the basketball court of University New Orleans, 200 yards from our Airstream

Open Bar, music and dinner for 3 hours ...I requested Bourbon Streets "Slap Your Ass" but the DJ had other ideas for this Semi Formal Costume Ball

Can't have any more fun than this ...unless you head w/ Mike to Bourbon Street &see the sun come up as he did

Airstream Rally Royal Court

Day 10 Feb. 23,2009 kick off he day w/ the World War 2 Museum

Some pleasant down time in that we have been going hard for several days now arriving back at the Airstream well after 1am

we get bussed a mile or so over to the Spanish Plaza on the Mississippi River in preparation of King Rex arriving by Coast Guard Cutter to officially kickoff Mardi Gras we pass about 20 Limos in front of the convention center waiting for the Krewe of Orpheus having a black tie affair.

we check out where we need to be and Hoof it to Bourbon Street for Some Huge Ass Beers

work our way over to Sing Sing Blues Bar on Bourbon Street for some more of the interesting Blues songs

"Slap Your Ass" & "Stinky Legs"

Time for King Rex to arrive and we head back to Spanish Plaza & await Rex the King of Mardi Gras ...w/ a very cool Blues band playing

... this is a family affair and the audience is full of young families with the young children. A Gal took her shirt off up front the band and the band told her to put it back on and go to Bourbon street. Anything goes on Bourbon street but all the Parades of Mardi Gras & we have been to maybe 10 plus or so our all family oriented. Families bring there food, there coolers and stay for the day All their family and friends our members of Krewes in the Parades and everyone seems to know somebody marching.

Spanish Plaza is Rock'n

the Crowd gives it up for King REX who meets w/ King Zulu for Zulu's 100 year anniversary ...it is apparent that in days of old this would never have happened

we have a good location. Right on the fountains and a great view of the stage. We are surrounded by really nice families with young children & I have a beer man around 30 feet away w/ $3 dollar beers. ..Life is good. Real Good.

King Rex Finishes with a tremendous Fireworks display

Day 11 on the bus at 8am for the Zulu Parade w/ the Mayor of New Orleans, followed by Rex Parade and then the Last man stand'n tour on Bourbon Street

...we have outstanding reserved seats for the Fat Tuesdays Parades starting at 8am

featuring ZULU & REX

Rex is the Old White guard of the City. King Zulu is the obvious favorite of Mayor Nagen Favorite

this is the 100 year anniversary of ZULU, the Black Krewe & by far the Best of all the parades we seen. It helped to have a reserved seat right in front of Mayor Nagen who was the Master of Ceremonies &d introduced the floats and certainly showed his special LOVE for everyone of ZULU. The King of Zulu and King Rest had a toast with the Mayor Nagen.

Mayor Nagen arrives as a Gladiator in the Zulu Parade to join his wife at the podium . The crowd is packed with very nice Black Families with their children who come for the day for a great time and they are not disappointed. Zulu, the best of Parades in my book

As Mayor Nagen repeated over & over "It's All Good in New Orleans, we will take the stimulus package from President Obama and use it to Party here in New Orleans, It's All Good"

& he is Happy & Proud that this Mardi Gras ranks w/ those of Pre Katrina Hurricane

King Zulu arrives for his Traditional Toast w/ the Mayor

Vince & Lonny who put this Airstream Rally on. They were raised here. Live here. They love this town and its people & it shows.

When someone tells you they would never go to Mardi Gras. Those people are misinformed.

... As Vince and Lonnie taught us, it is about Family

Nice Melons

"It's All Good at Mardi Gras"

A special throw given out by Zulu is the traditional coconut. But they need to be handed to the crowd and are decorated and dated. A special gift from Zulu.

Airstreamers Marilyn is given a Coconut from her new friend

Zulu Parade Ends and Rex begins

...here come the United States Marines ...3 Knights from the Krewe of Rex

around 2pm and with the end of the Rex parade, we hoof it to Bourbon street.

We walk with the end of the Rex parade walk right by the location of the 7 people being shot including a one year old child on St. Charles street about 2 blocks from our reserved seats with the Mayor Nagen. It must of happened just after we walked by because everything was normal as we passed. This part of the parade was also all young families with many children.

"Whom every would fire into this nice crowd is truly an Animal & Needs the helping hand of a Dedicated Violent Crimes Detective without delay to assure Permanent Residence in a Appropriate Fine Facility"

Beads for Boobs on Bourbon Street....

Bourbon Street

Pat O'Brien's ...Home of the Hurricane ...Kathleen will have 2 Hurricanes please

Pat O'Brien's is in the middle of Bourbon Street but in a protected Private Courtyard

...nice place to get away from the Crazies, but not completely away

show'n off the Zulu's

Photo Op w/ Austin Powers & Ivana ...I asked if she was Alota & was quickly corrected "Oh no, I'm Ivana"

as things pick up we step back onto Bourbon Street

Early evening & 10 piece band or so works Bourbon Street ...as the Sun Sets the mood of the crowd is changing, time to leave

We Flag down a Cab & get caught in heavy traffic in the Hood just n/o of Bourbon Street, a nice couple our age pleads with us to share our Cab in that they just fled Bourbon street w/ their cooler on wheels & are afraid of this neighborhood. Like us they have been at the Parades all day. They tell of Fleeing Bourbon Street as a Huge Riot broke out w/ many people fighting & Police moving in mass. Looks like we left Bourbon Street just in time. Turns out they live not far from our Airstream. They share their beers as we sit in traffic for some time and eventually make it back to the Airstream. Nice People who had lost their home to Katrina but did have insurance and ended up with a nicer home, unlike many of New Orleans who lost everything.

So just in a few hours we just miss the shooting of 7 people @ the End of the Rex Parade & now just miss the Riot on Bourbon Street.

Great week & the fact is we did not actually see any violence & only observed hundreds of thousands of young families enjoying themselves.

We settle into the Airstream Trailer for a moment when we get a knock on the trailer. Time for some camp fire folk music w/ our friends from Austin, Texas

As New Orleans Mayor Nagen said "it's all good"

this wonderful City will call us back we will wake up to Ash Wednesday

by our Airstream is this strange looking structure.

It was the sight of Pope John Paul II outdoor mass a few years ago when over a million people packed this area for the Mass.

Day 12 Feb. 25,2009 Ash Wednesday & time to say good bye to New Orleans and hit the road

This was a Fantastic time

...what we learned / reminded of was that Bourbon Street is Fun,

...But Mardi Gras is a Roman Catholic Church Celebration to prepare for Lent that starts on the Epiphany January 6th & ends midnight on Fat Tuesday with the beginning of Ash Wednesday & truly a Family affair built on Community & Civic involvement centered on many Parades & Black Tie Balls scattered through out New Orleans and the entire Gulf Coast.

Mardi Gras is complete w/ noon Ash Wednesday Ashes @ the Cathedral in Houma, Louisiana

Very Sad News Received not long after heading down the road:

Vince & Lonny who put this Airstream Rally Pictured above enjoying themselves as they were through out the entire Mardi Gras Rally. Vince was raised here in New Orleans & Lonny a bit south of town. Vince pointed out how he attended Holy Cross High School in New Orleans that was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. They Live here. They love this town and its people & it showed in everything they did. They made us understand among other things that Mardi Gras was a Family affair for young families & a Roman Catholic Holiday that starts on the Epiphany, January 6 & ends midnight on Fat Tuesday w/ Ash Wednesday & the beginning of lent.

Since we retired in 2001 we have attended 23 Airstream Rallies & Caravans. All Fun, Some Great, some not so great. We have learned that not all but some Caravan Leaders & people who run Rallies do it for personal profit to supplement their retirement & those people can't help but show that it is a business for them.

Vince & Lonny on the other hand put on this Rally for one reason. Because Vince & Lonny loved New Orleans, Loved this town & they wanted us to Love their town.

Shortly after the Mardi Gras we received an email that Vince had a Heart Attack & went on to another world. Kathleen & I are Truly Saddened with the loss of this very wonderful man who made everyone he came in contact with feel important & he Loved his Airstreams. Someone like Vince can not be replaced. Kathleen & I wish the Best for Lonny in that they were quite a Team. They played off each other. Laughed at each others jokes. Covered for each other so that what they did all day, Every day was Quality Time.

...Like I said, Very Sad Sad News

Ash Wednesday & Craw Fish Special @ Boudreau & Thibodeau Cajun Cook'n

w/ some raw oysters & the sampler appetizer

Day 13 Feb. 26,2009 Lake Fausse Pointe State Park in the Heart of Cajun Country, Gators, Cottonmouth Snakes

Note: On Day 2 of this trip at Rend Lake State Park, Illinois I started a new walking stick.

a piece of Oak limb that fell because from the winter snows. It was partially dried not diseased or rotting. Much Larger, Heavier, should work well in the Southwest w/ Snakes, Coyotes, Bobcats, Wolves, Mountain Lions not to mention getting this wide body down the mountain trail.

...Kathleen's watching for Gators ...We are in the heart of Cajun Country about 150 miles s/w of New Orleans

Mud on Your Boots ...or lack there of, will tell where you have been

Avery Island & the Tabasco Factory Tour

Stop for some Catfish & Crab Cakes @ Ponches ...we were told we could camp here but the campground is several miles away so we will move on down the road ...some tips are good, others not so good although the Funky atmosphere & the food was good.

Day 14 flop for the night @ Hidden Ponds RV park, Sulphur, La.

head 25 miles or so into the Salt flats to the Gulf of Mexico

this town was completely washed away by the last Hurricane that hit Galveston, new Lake Homes are popping up all over.

You can Boon Dock on the Beach but a cold front is moving in and it is 60 degrees w/ 30 MPH winds & not a beach day so we will move on down the road

Day 15 Feb. 28,2009 Stephen F. Austin State Park on the Brazos River w/o Houston

...Hiking the Brazos River ...a cold front set in yesterday only a high of 60 today

Day 16 start w/ 9:30 mass at Immaculate Conception & zip back to Camp to watch the Marquette / Louisville basketball game on CBS & Kathleen's home made pizza.

Day 17 March 2, 2009 Lockhart Texas & Smithy's Bar BQ for lunch ...you start by the smokers & order your assorted meats by the lbs.

head for the luxurious dining room to order your sides of slaw & baked beans ...no silverware or plates or sauce @ Smithy's ...we chose some beef brisket, port ribs and Smithy's home made sausage

After lunch an ice cream cone is $1 to cleanse your pallet unlike Chicago Texan don't use sauce, they flavor their meats by smoking it.

...Head for the Hill Country of Texas & Blanco State Park walking distance from historic Blanco Texas

Day 17 & 18 March 3, 2009 Branco State Park Branco , Texas

during the summer this Dam is a swimming & tubing area in the river

Mov'n Down the Road

Fredericksburg, Texas in the Hill County of Texas ...we stopped & walked around Historic Fredericksburg & are disappointed. The town is beautiful but it is obvious that the tour companies have bought up the town and turned it into a pretend German town full of People being dragged around on tour buses. Surprised a Cruise ship isn't parked on the mountain. Not even worth a Pic. It is a German Town w/ no Beer as in no Beer Hall. Not buying German town w/ no Beer unless this is a Mennonite town. Then it would make sense.