I have only started writing about this trip. (as of 8/15/07) I will be more detailed later. So far (08/18/07) I have posted photos of Memphis, Arkansas and Oklahoma. Next = Texas.
I traveled from South Jersey (4:30 pm on June 7th) through Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Tennessee to West Memphis, Arkansas stopping only for 1 1/2 hours.
I went to Beale Street in Memphis and had a great meal at King's and enjoyed some really good music.
Next, I traveled to Little Rock and then to Hot Springs where I spent a night. In Hot Springs, I tried a Mexican restaurant. I asked the waiter for something with green sauce. He was honest and told me that I would not like their green sauce. He was right but I've had worse on other trips. Hot Springs is a major tourist trap and a traffic jam. The prime attractions are old houses where they housed the hot springs.
From Hot Springs, I traveled to Fort Smith and then entered Oklahoma and stayed at a KOA near Oklahoma City. That was the first and last time I stayed at a KOA. I visited Norman and the U. of Oklahoma.
You must see the National Monument in Oklahoma City. OK City is very spread out and has many industries.
West of OK City, the terrain changed as it became more grassland and drier. It flattened out in the panhandle.
The OK panhandle is in the middle of nowhere. Don't think about going to a mall. Wal-mart can be a several hour drive.
I then traveled almost to Texas and came across the Washita Battlefield Historical Site in OK near Texas.
I then turned north and went up to the Cimmaron Strip (Panhandle) where I traveled west untlil I was about halfway across and then I headed south to Texas and Amarillo.
Drove across many streams, rivers, lakes and such that were totally dry.
I stayed 2 nights in Amarillo and visited the Palo Duro Canyon, which is a must see for any traveler.
I then traveled to Lubbock (Texas Tech) and Abilene where I spent the next night. I spent a good bit of time circling football stadiums as I traveled through the state.
Next I traveled to Fort Worth (Texas Christian) and then Dallas. I stopped at the Texas Speedway for some souveniers. I then headed south to Waco (Baylor) where I spent the night.
I then headed to College Station (Texas A & M), then Austin ( U. of Texas) and then San Antonio.
I spent 2 nights in San Antonio, spending a day visiting the Alamo and the Riverwalk before just taking a long drive to the south checking out the terrain.
I then headed to Houston and spent 2 nights in Pearland which is a southern suburb. I spent a day traveling the beaches and ate at "A Taste of Texas".
Next, I headed east to Louisiana, stopping in Lake Charles before heading to Baton Rouge where I spent one night (lousy food).
I then traveled down to New Orleans (Tulane, where I spent the morning driving around ans surveying the hurricane damage. Traffic was very heavy for a city with less than half of its normal population. In the afternoon I headed north to Mississippi. I visited Natchez and then headed up the Natchez Trace Parkway to Vicksburg where I spent the night.
The next day, I headed east to Jackson and then to Alabama and Tuscaloosa where I stayed for 2 nights. If you are ever in that area, try to find a little restaurant called "Bottom Feeders" in Northport.
I then traveled 1000 miles straight through back to South Jersey and THE BORO.
I will add more here later and will post photos below and on the sidebar.
