About 5 hours from the coast is Atlanta. Arrival into the city right before rush hour was easy. The staff at the Residence Inn Midtown was very friendly and efficient. Early dinner was right across the street at the Steamhouse Lounge, a Buckhead institution for over two decades. I ordered the award winning lobster bisque, which was a lighter, but very tasty version that I’ve had of this soup. It was followed by the steamed seafood boil, considered Atlanta’s BEST seafood deal. Oysters, shrimp, clams, snow crabs, mussels, corn and new potatoes. All delicious, especially when washed down by a Basement (Scofflaw Brewery) IPA.

As good as my meal was, the purpose of this stop was to see the Rolling Stones, in concert, at the Mercedes Benz Arena. The cover band was The Zac Brown Band. If you are not familiar with them, they are one the leading southern rock bands today. Their music, energy and stage presence was a great kickoff to the Stones. Nothing can compare to the performance of the Stones! These guys, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ronnie Wood, all in their mid-late 70’s, still know how to rock it, even after over 60 years performing! For almost three hours they mesmerized and entertained the sold out crowd. Mick Jagger is absolutely amazing, singing and dancing like a man possessed! This “No Filter Tour” is one not to be missed if you love rock and roll, no matter your age!

New Orleans was the next stop on this road trip. After almost 7 hours of road time I arrived at the Royal Sonesta on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter. My first impression, getting out of the car, was WOW, probably no sleep tonight! It was almost overwhelming: the noise, the people, the craziness of the quarter! After dodging the pedestrians and circling around the block a few times I finally found the underground parking! The Royal Sonesta is beautiful with that “old world charm” that is not often found in newer hotels. Wilburt, the bellman who assisted me with my luggage, has worked there for over forty years!

After a little bit of unpacking I left for a food/cocktail walking tour with Destination Kitchens. Jack, the fabulous tour guide, was not a native of New Orleans but had lived there long enough (over 10 years) to acquire a real love of the city, it’s history, its culture and especially its foods. We made several stops where we learned a lot of the history of the French Quarter while enjoying classic Creole and Cajun food and delicious libations. Cane & Table (French 76 cocktails, pork skins with a curry seasoning and sweet plaintains with a salsa matcha, Manolito’s (a classic Cuban daiquiri, made with fresh strawberries), Mambos ( Spicy Bloody Mary’s and chargrilled oysters, and the Napoleon House (Pimm’s Cup, Muffulettas) were some of our stops. Back at the hotel I happened into the Jazz Club where I enjoyed some jazz, some burlesque and a Sazerac Cocktail. All in all a great way to end my first night in NOLA.

The next morning I enjoyed an iced cafe au lait and a few beignets (no one can eat just one), at the famous Cafe Du Monde. A perfect way to start the day while being serenaded by a jazz street band. After a 45 minute bus ride though the countryside I joined a Bayou Swamp tour, offered through Grayline Tours. The bayou is beautiful in its own way, but after the most recent Hurricane Ida, one could experience first hand the devastation that the winds and water surge of a category 5 hurricane could bring to an area.

A short walk back to the Quarter to experience some more of New Orleans best food, beverages and music. Based on my Yelp research here’s how the rest of the day and night played out… another stop at Mambo’s for their spicy Bloody Marys and crawfish Potine, Gallier Restaurant and Oyster House for Jambalaya and chargrilled oysters and Oceana for the barbecued shrimp, crawfish étouffée and the bread pudding with their famous praline and rum sauce, yummy! The evening also include a full range of entertainment: Ticklers for dueling pianos, My Bar at @635 for jazz, and probably the highlight of the night was the Tropical Isle Bayou Club for some Zedeco music, which can best be described as “rockin’ dance music that is unique to Louisiana”. It is a blend of a Louisiana French Accordion, a fiddle and a frottoir (a washboard) music with Afro-Caribbean beats. Kind of Creole, Cajun, gospel and the blues, all mixed together, so much fun to listen to and a great finish to my stay in “The Big Easy”!

It was a long haul on Interstate 10 to get to San Antonio the next day. Arriving late in the afternoon I had just enough time to check into the Springhill Suites Riverwalk, before meeting up with my guide, Emzy, for the Drunk History Tour. Emzy can best be described as eclectic and affable. A self described nerd who knows almost everything about San Antonio history, and as he says, is always “falling into rabbit holes”, loves to share his love of history though word and images on his iPad. The tour starts with a stroll through the Alamo Plaza and a discussion of the Texas Revolution. The next stop was at the historic Menger hotel bar, where Teddy Roosevelt recruited many of his Rough riders. The Menger Hotel is the oldest hotel west of the Mississippi, and is still operating today. It is so classic, with a lot of the original architectural and design elements still in place. Had I know it was there, I might have chosen to stay at this beautiful hotel. Our last stop was at one of Emzy’s favorite hangouts, the SoHo Bar. Somewhat of a hole in the wall it sits inside of a old bank building. The doors to the original vault sit open for a look into the history here. The mixologist/bartender prepares cocktails based on his interpretations of different desserts, includes crime brûlée, lemon meringue pie, s’mores, and many more. He is a master! Sadly, SoHo is moving from the River Walk area. Hopefully it will be able to maintain it’s interesting vibe!

A trip out to the “Hill Country” is not to be missed. I met Melanie with Cottonwood of San Antonio Wine tours the next morning for a “Taste of Fredericksburg” tour. The first stop was Sister Creek Vineyards, located in Sisterdale. The tasting room is in a restored 1885 cotton gin. Bordeaux and Burgundy wine making techniques are applied to grapes grown both here, in Texas, and other areas, including California and Florida. Our second visit was to the Bingham Family Vineyard tasting rooms. The wines here are organic, 100% Texas grown and produced in the north part of the state, near Lubbock. William, our wine “guide” lead us through a flight of red wines. The grape varietals, most unknown to me, produced some interesting wines.

Fredericksburg, was our next stop. Like many of the surrounding towns in the Hill Country, is was established by the original German settlers in the area, starting in 1846. In fact, German was the most widely spoken language here for many years. Many of the original buildings are made of the local limestone, amazing that they still stand. You can see other reminders of the German heritage in some of the shops and restaurants. I stopped in at the Silver Creek Beer Garden and Grille for lunch. I selected a German Sausage Plate, which was a flashback to my childhood years in Wisconsin. Bratwurst, Knackwurst and local Pepperwurst, hot potato salad (just like my Momma made it), sauerkraut and red cabbage, all washed down by a local IPA, although they had many German brews available. The town has many wine tasting venues and is located near LBJ’s ranch.

Upon my return to the city I stopped at the Market Square, showcasing Mexican heritage through shops full of imports and eating and drinking establishments. The markets themselves were crammed packed full of sombreros, blankets, and pottery. Although some of the restaurants were highly recommended it was too early to eat and I walked back to the Riverwalk, only a few blocks away. Already decorated for the Christmas holidays with thousands of colored lights the Riverwalk was stunning. The “barges” cruising the river is a tourist trap, but I was compelled to try it. It was about an hour in length and went by the many large hotels and restaurants abutting the walkways. I did learn about the flood control measures put in place over the years that help keep the downtown area free of flooding. Dinner was at Casa Rios, the first restaurant built on the walkway, in 1946. The place was huge, and busy. The food, was typical of most Americanized Mexican restaurants, unfortunately, not the TexMex, that I was hoping for, and that San Antonio is known for.

The drive from San Antonio was initially very scenic as I drove back up through the Hill Country. Continuing north it became less scenic as I reached the high desert. This is “energy” country. Along with the oil and gas that is being drilled, there are solar farms and wind turbines scattered across the dry barren landscape. It is rough country, sparsely populated with scrubby lands that went on forever. Across the border I reached the Guadalupe Mountains. Here I made a stop at Carlsbad Caverns National Park, “High ancient seas, deeply rocky canyons, flowering cactus and desert wildlife treasures above the ground in the Chihuahuan Desert… hidden beneath the surface more than 300 caves”. These caves, are an underground wonderland. There is evidence that Native Americans explored some of the caves, but they were not officially discovered until 1898. It was established as a national park in 1930.

The climate in southern New Mexico (and southeastern Arizona) is well suited for commercial growing of pistachio trees and as I drove north and west I could see many orchards. Summer temperatures over 100 degrees are ideal for growing pistachios, not so great for us humans though! A stop at PistachioLand near Alamogordo is a must. Home to the world’s largest pistachio, the McGinn family farm also grows over 12,000 pistachio trees and 14 acres of wine. The gift shop sold pistachio nuts in almost every form and flavor imaginable. This area is very weird with Roswell (aliens), the site of the first test atomic bomb, missile sites and the beautiful White Sands National Park. This park was part of the Permian Sea that retreated millions of years ago, leaving behind deep layers of gypsum creating vast dunes of dazzling white sand.

Driving west across southern New Mexico and into Arizona the next day had its own challenges. It is very desolate with long distances between gas stations and other services. Tumbleweed, seemingly coming out of nowhere into the highway, flying into the lane of travel causing drivers to play tumbleweed dodgeball. Dust kicking up with the wind affecting visibility. Tombstone, one of the last boomtowns in the American Frontier was just a short drive off the main highway. Lunch at one of the saloons is a must. I tried Big Nose Kate’s Saloon. Live country music filled this rustic bar/restaurant. The clientele, a mix of cowboys, bikers and tourists filled almost every seat in the house. The food a mix of Mexican and Pub fare. The main street was blocked off to car/truck traffic, with the only exception an authentic stage coach offering rides to tourists, similar to horse & buggy rides in other cities. Most of the stores followed a western theme, with a few selling beautiful artwork by local artisans. This was definitely a great way to finish a very fun filled road trip from the east coast to the desert. The diversity of experiences, from rural landscapes to cities, small and large, to meeting local people and learning their ways of life, were just a few of the takeaways from this trip. We live in a beautiful country and I am grateful for the opportunity to have really experienced more of the south and southwest on this trip.