BASE CAMP

April 15 Wednesday

Since we had to wait an extra day to start our ride we decided to use this as "base camp". You know, how when mtn.climbers need to adjust to the altitude they stay a few days at a base camp to get acclimated before they begin. We took advantage of the opportunity to see a little of "Red Stick". We walked a few blocks from the motel and caught the city bus to downtown Waterfront along the levee. As we got on the bus we were greeted by friendly laughing black faces. It seemed like we had just arrived at a party of a group of really good friends and they were waiting for us to join them! Rusty later said to me "Not a lot of white skin in this area". We were the only white folks on the bus. It felt a little like being in a foreign country. One of the men asked us where we were from and when we told him he said "Oregon? Is that by Maryland?" Chatting with the man sitting next to me I had to ask him several times to repeat what he had just said. I apologized and told him that my ears were not yet accustomed to "listening southern". He agreed saying that he was from the area but had been in Minnesota for several years and just recently return and he was having the same problem. He said "Welcome to the deep south!"One of the other passengers asked us how long we had been married. Rusty told him five years and the man said "how is it?" Rusty said great! That got a big laugh out of the group. We figured he asked because we were a couple of old people holding hands.
We were tourists along the Levee visiting the USS KIDD, a WWII destroyer restored to it's original condition, and getting bitten by fiery red ants while looking at a tourist map...Welcome to the South! We took the river walk along the levee and we were asked again by a group of local folk how long we had been married? After our reply one of the women said "well, it's going to last a long time!" and one of the men said "just keep holding hands." We thought that was very sweet but how interesting to be asked that question twice in just a couple of hours.
We walked over to Third Street and had panini sandwiches that dripped down the elbow and ice cold lemonade at a pizza place called Schlittz& Giggles. (we think it's a favorite hang out of LSU students). Took the bus back to the terminal and then transferred another bus to the motel. The bus ride was not as quick and efficient as a taxi would have been but far more interesting and a great base to begin our new adventure.