The Melrose Plantation was the home of Marie Thérèse dite Coincoin, a notable planter and businesswoman. As the daughter of slaves, her freedom was purchased in 1778 by Claude Thomas Pierre Métoyer, with whom she had ten children A free spirit, she used her plantation for artist retreats. One of the most famous folkartists who began painting in her 50s lived on the property.
With some heavy rain, I made my way to Nacogdoches.
Years ago I lived for a summer close to the Mississippi. Riding along the great river is something that I have looked forward to. I spent quite a bit of time touring plantations and seeing other sites. Destrehan Plantation is a good starting point as their tour provided a good historical overview. I toured several other plantations before arriving at the grand Houmas House Plantation and Gardens. Destrehan Plantation Tour The grounds surrounding Destrehan had live oak and resurrection ferns. … Read More
Riding for long distances will have good days and challenging days. Last night I had a hard time sleeping. Some campgrounds are designed for RVs and generally should be avoided for motorcycle camping. The bright lights in the campground proximity to two highways, and a splitting headache made for a long night. I initially thought that I was having a dehydration headache, but later found a spider/insect bite that was the primary cause. Stopping by a grocery store for some … Read More
You meet interesting people when camping. It was a rather long and uninteresting drive from Northern Alabama to the gulf. I ended up camping at Meaher State Park. This is not the best place for motorcycle camping as it is primarily an RV park. There are a small number of tent sites. While the sites have a nice view of the gulf, they happen to be quite some distance from the restrooms. The place was infested with ants. One of … Read More
With my starting odometer at 2,538 miles, I left Atlanta on my first cross country motorcycle adventure. I felt melancholy on departure. Chad is in Zimbabwe and Javier is in Chicago. I dropped off the dogs at Jennifer’s house. Even Jennifer was out of town and I left my babies in the hands of Laquisha. Heading on to the cabin, I was able to say goodbye with some friends. Marvin was in the truck heading our on errands. Bruce was … Read More
Kickstands up – June 25, 2017. I have been looking forward to this trip for quite some time. The date is getting closer. I am now counting down the weeks (almost days) to starting out on the road. I have taken all the tools out of my tool kit, insuring I have all of the tools I will need for the trip … and removing tools that are not needed for my bike. My bike is scheduled at the dealership … Read More
Tomorrow is a longer riding day. Some advice from others includes: Don’t plan too much as many folks will always have recommendations along the way. They may direct you to areas you haven’t even heard of yet. A heated jacket is good to have for mountain passes. Nights in the desert can be very cold.
