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**saralou** · #31 27 Sep 2012

A few more pics.

**saralou** · #32 27 Sep 2012

We LOVED the roads in Tennessee. The Dragon though the most famous is far from the only beautiful curvy scenic drive. There are stunning views of the Smoky Mountains from the parkways. Professional photographers wait along the Dragon ready to snap your picture in one of the 318 curves in the 11 miles. The Deal’s Gap Motorcycle Resort is located at the heart of the Dragon. There is a lot of Testosterone there. We met quite a few fellow Canadians there also. I noted that were no BMW parts on the tree of shame. Now we head south to The Big Easy.

**saralou** · #33 2 Oct 2012

Heading South from Tennessee we landed in Hattiesburg MS. We got into the Southern spirit by having Alligator gumbo for dinner. This town has a very cute downtown core. Our preconception was that Alabama and Mississippi would be vast fields of cotton and Tobacco and that Louisiana would be a big swamp. Wow, were we wrong. These states are lush and green and covered with trees. The biggest crop in Louisiana is not seafood, soybeans or rice, but trees!
Arriving at the gulf coast we were greeted by a cooling salt breeze. Sara invented a fix for the heat transfer from the bike engines thru the gel seats…Self- adhesive pipe tape.

New Orleans also really surprised us. The French Quarter is so quaint. The architecture is a mix of French and Spanish styles. We did a lot of walking around the narrow streets and along the Mississippi River Walk. We came across the oldest bar in the US, which was originally a blacksmith shop. Bourbon Street is certainly a different place before and after dusk! There are all kinds of people in wild costumes.

The hotel was near the Cathedral, which when lit at night is stunning. Heading out on the water we learned the difference between a Swamp and a Bayou. We found out what Creole life on the river was like. There were a whole lot of Gators too.

Daniel had to sample several types of famous Pralines. On the waterfront we checked out the last paddle wheel steam ship still on the river and all kind of street music.

There are three types of Plantations and we visited the Laura Creole Plantation. The docent we had was very good and her heavy accent made the stories she told so much better. The house has been restored and is surrounded by 200-year-old live Oak trees. The rest of the grounds contain as yet un-restored out buildings including slave houses. There were three rows of these stretching 3 miles into the sugar cane fields. The memoir of the great granddaughter of the original owners is what spurred on the restoration. There are photos of her from 3 months old until 103 on the walls.

We spent a day exploring the city on foot and by streetcar. This gave us a taste of the very old cemeteries that dot the city. There was even a grave of the supposed Voodoo Queen. We also wandered thru the Garden district to admire the beautiful antebellum homes, including that of Anne Rice. The Canal streetcar took us to City Park for a pleasant walk thru the huge Oaks. Now it’s time for us to make a run for the border.

**saralou** · #34 2 Oct 2012

More pics!!

**saralou** · #35 2 Oct 2012

Some more photos

**saralou** · #36 2 Oct 2012

We walked and took streetcars to explore the city.

**Barcelona Pat** · #37 2 Oct 2012

Hey Sara - great to see that you have hit the road. I´ve just been catching up with your blog - one of the many I need to follow now I´m back home again.

I can´t believe we must have been in Dawson City at pretty much the same time!! I´ve still got a few more episodes to load up on my story, but it was all a bit of a rush at the end.

But I look forward to lots of words and photos from your expereinces!

Have fun out there, and stay safe.

Pat

**saralou** · #38 3 Oct 2012

Glad you had a safe trip! we are just over 100 days on the road now. We have been following your posts too! Sara

**saralou** · #39 3 Oct 2012

Long painful story yet to conclude. DO NOT HAVE BIKE SERVICE at Gulf BMW in Houston!!

**saralou** · #40 6 Oct 2012

We rode from New Orleans along the Gulf Coast of Texas. It is amazing to see how much damage has been done by the hurricanes. We had to wait out another storm ourselves on Galveston Island, but we used the time to rest and enjoy some great ice cream at Rita's. There were also a few ferry crossings. Thanks so much to Arturo Torre for rescuing us from the HELL of Gulf Coast BMW. He hosted us at his home and toured us around Houston.

**saralou** · #41 6 Oct 2012

It was with some trepidation and anxiety that we set off from Hondo this morning. The was dense fog which leant an eerie feel to the day too. We rode the 110 miles to Eagle Pass to cross the border. We paid our 5 USD toll and waited in the 30 degree heat to get to the Aduana or customs building only to find the official for the import permit was on holiday. This meant we had to convince them to let us return so we had to pay the 5 USD toll to cross back into the US. Then it was to the American customs officers whom we had to explain why we were back in the US so soon. Lets try this agin....we find bridge number 2 which is the truck crossing and just like at home there was no line. We had some help from the friendly locals and customs officials. Ultimately we obtained our tourist Visas and an escorted ride to find the fast route to the vehicle Import office by the head of border services! Dan managed to get our bikes imported and our permits affixed. Now for the ride to Monclova! We passed thru several police and military check points, but were stopped at only one where he really just wanted to check out the bikes. By the time we arrived at the hotel it was 4 pm and 38 degrees. Luckily we head into the mountains to cool off tomorrow.

**saralou** · #42 9 Oct 2012

Today we left our new friend Dominique in Monclova and headed south east to Saltillo. This was a nice short 200 km day. We only had one stop at a military check point....Again he wanted to see the bikes and was very curious to see our camping gear. We bought our first Mexican gas from Francisco and met some fellow riders headed to a rally in Saltillo.

We have a very cute hotel in the historic district very near the Cathedral de Saltillo and a short walk to the Alameda Zaragoza Park with a lake in the shape of the Mexican republic

**saralou** · #43 9 Oct 2012

We walked around the town ate Tacos with a cipro chaser for lunch. The shops are full of fancy ball gowns, cowboy hats, and very high heel shoes. Dan found a great Pollo Restaurant where we had dinner for 2 with

for 9$.Daniel has discovered "MUI Natural" which is a delicious yogurt sundae shop. We went there twice today. There was a great punk rock band playing up the street with an amazing horn section.

**saralou** · #44 9 Oct 2012

On our second day here we again walked about the town. We strolled the park where Dan tried some Zumba. They have dies the water in the fountains all kinds of bright colours. We were allowed to climb the bell tower and explore the roof of the Cathedral de Saltillo. There is a small hole in one of the shutters in the tower and this produces a pin hole colour camera effect on the walls of the tower room. From the roof you can see the whole city. Then of course more Tacos, we are in mexico after all. Tomorrow to Zacatecas