Whoops, almost lost this picture, one of my favourite place name signs from the trip



I think they were onto a bit of a theme with those towns.

I have a theory about place names in America, as so many of them seem a bit bizarre to Brits (not that we don't have funny places names in England I hasten to add).
Obviously I've covered many thousands of miles in the US on this trip, and I've worked out that when the Yanks were naming their towns, they sat down armed with a dictionary, a map of the world and a page of birth and death announcements from the newspaper.

They'd flick through the dictionary to random page and pick any word, throw a dart at the map on the world for the next one and then randomly point a finger at an announcement in the paper.
This is how they ended up with
Parachute, Ethel and Lebanon on one road sign.

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Tiffany
On the road from...I'm not sure any more
http://www.tiffanystravels.co.uk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAUhV1r-kUo

I don't know.... But I am sure I can hear banjos off stage
Rob

Southwards from Oklahoma and I reached Fort Worth, where there are many museums, art galleries etc. For once, I was heading to one of these bastions of the Arts, I do have a bit of a reputation for not appreciating Arty Cultural stuff, so what the hell was I doing here? There was one museum I wanted to see



It's the Cow Girl Museum and National Hall of Fame. Things started well when the car park attendant and I got chatting here's someone with a Brit accent on his English, originally from Nigeria and who spotted from the map on Thelma's topbox that she had been very close to Nigeria. He let me park for free...Viva the Empire.
Inside I was not disappointed, lots of this...

The CowGirls of Texas



There was even a bronco bull to ride on, but I think in the interests of Health and Safety, they had it on Go Slow mode only, as there was no danger of me being thrown off it!
It's not very big, but it was a great museum with a lot of interesting exhibits in it, and a great air-conditioning system. This is important, because Texas is HOT, VERY HOT. I came back outside, looked at the traffic building up and spotted an antidote to riding through the heat on a bike.

Edging the kids out of the way, I stepped towards the water feature/fountain thing



and then just didn't stop

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Tiffany
On the road from...I'm not sure any more
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAUhV1r-kUo

By the time I had negotiated my way out of town, I had almost dried off. I found a rest stop with WiFi and positioned myself near the Storm Shelter to catch up on my blogging



In the carpark outside, one of the workers explained to me their cunning plan to get rid of the birds that have the temerity to "poop" (such a Yank word!!) on people getting in and out of their cars.
Yes, it's abird of prey however, this one is actually made of paper and it's a kite which they're flying over the area in the hope of scaring away other birds.



Do people in America sue because they get a bit of bird poo on them? Is it time to say "Welcome to the real world?"
A little side note, as I'd headed through Oklahoma the day before, I had thought about going to Tennessee to visit my friend Jamie Z who had been so helpful after my high speed tyre blow-out on my previous road trip in America but for some reason, as soon as I had got within 300 miles of his neck of the woods, he had set off in the opposite direction for a month long ride. I'm not taking it personally Jamie, but....

Ahead were more sign posts (I took this picture for my friend Joski who's surname is Marlin)




I stopped for a break at a Czech place (West Texas is FULL of Czech towns and settlements, which all boast at least three Czech Bakeries) I met up with these nice old dears, one of whom was in England as part of the D-Day landings, another who keeps a gun in every vehicle AND every bathroom in his house.



The assorted trophies in the background are for the bakery's prize-winning Kolache. These are small pastry parcels with a range of different fillings, it smelt delicious as I came in through the door. With 13 varieties to choose from I thought I couldn't go wrong, however I was forgetting the East European fixation with all things meat. The assistant regretfully shook her head as she informed me they all had meat fillings of one sort or another. Once more I made do with a cup of tea, feeling a bit sorry for myself.


More ramshackle houses, sometimes it's hard to work out if they are lived in or not.




In so many towns on this journey, I have seen the effects of the recession biting deep, abandoned properties, shops boarded up and a general air of despair amdst the disrepair. I do feel a sense of privilege that I'm able to have choices in my life and I'm able to travel. Though it is on a tiny budget and I suspect many people wouldn't consider just sleeping in a small tent wherever they can find a bit of space for it.

A night in a field, south of Fort Worth somewhere, lately, in the desert areas I'd been concerned about scorpions in my bike boots each morning, but the main problem here seemed to be the hundreds of woodlice, they were crawling all over my sandals



and worse...inside my helmet

Austin, where I had been recommended to visit the swimming hole at Barton Springs. Wow- over 900 feet long, a lot of swimming area





A quick dip for me to cool down and then back on with the riding gear



A brief social stop at Horsepower Farm to say Hi to the guys, where I was due to give a talk.



Then into central Austin where I was expected at the house of my friends Sonny and Sammie; as I pulled up outside I was greeted by Sonny himself with his baby son, Dylan

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Tiffany
On the road from...I'm not sure any more
http://www.tiffanystravels.co.uk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAUhV1r-kUo

If you make it down here to Del Rio,Tx.Have a spare room and space in GarageI'm planning a long wk.end trip over to Big Bend National Park next wk.end(dont know if you've been there?)Would be a pleasure to ride with yaBig Bend is just 250 miles from here and we could pick up one of my coworkers to give us a tour of the place(shes a Biologist for the park system) Either way....love reading your stories.....LTR....Harry

Hi Harry
I would have loved to have done that, but this Ride Tale is written up retrospectively as I wasn't able to keep it up to date while on the road. Maybe next time I'm over, I'll make it down to Del Rio, and Id love to ride in Big Bend.
cheers
Tiffany

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Tiffany
On the road from...I'm not sure any more
http://www.tiffanystravels.co.uk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAUhV1r-kUo

The following day, I had a radio interview and so I spent some time preparing...first of all, re-doing my nail varnish



And was I pleased I'd done my nails, because that afternoon, we bumped into Mel Gibson at the supermarket (Wholefoods of course), and Sonny being Sonny, bowls up to him and introduces himself and me as well (doing the whole world bike traveller bit), I mumbled something, Mel mumbled something, we shook hands and went off in our opposite directions.

Texas and the land of cheap petrol, where you see billboards like this one



Sonny got his GS out and we headed into town.



We rode over to Horsepower Farm where I met Winslow, the owner, who showed me the Lunch with Tiffany Coates poster he had produced.



Whilst I got ready to give my talk, Thelma was introduced to the rest of the team. The guys in the workshop soon got to grips with her the guy standing up is the birthday boy.


"Miss Coates....that problem with your clutch...did you realise that your clutch adjuster bolt is a few centimetres shorter than it should be??"



Their minds were boggling about what kind of situation causes damage like that...I had a little think about it and then remembered...it must have been after the nasty fall in Mongolia (long story where my boyfriend had to fly back to England to be operated on whilst I continued my journey). I remember the clutch bolt snapped when Thelma did her handstand, at the time I'd wondered what the Mongolian mechanics did to repair it. Hmmm, they obviously just filed it smooth and put it back in. I was donated a replacement bolt from Winslow's own bike.
I had a great time with everyone at Horsepower Farm, the talk went well and the lunch stretched from 11.00am to 4.00pm at which point they practically had to carry me out still talking.

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Tiffany
On the road from...I'm not sure any more
http://www.tiffanystravels.co.uk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAUhV1r-kUo

Having had a very sociable time in Austin and even having managed to catch up with one of the guys I rode to Tibet with last year, it was time to say my farewells. Before I left I to put my new sticker on the topbox.



It seemed very appropriate for Thelma.

Sonny accompanied me out of town on his GS, he's one of those people who can make a big GS seem like a small bike.



Luckily for me the brutal summer weather had cooled a bit as I headed east.

I stopped at a garage to get some petrol and got talking to the owner, he had an unusual accent and so I asked where he was from. He replied "Hunza",
and then was most surprised when I said it's one of my favourite places in the world...and I launched into a long conversation with him and his brother about Gilgit, Karimabad and Ishmaili people, they said it's the first time anyone in Texas has ever even known where their home village is and when I showed them some of my photos from that region (Northern Pakistan), they were almost in tears. Such lovely people.



In typical Ishmaili fashion, they were falling over themselves to provide refreshments and food, but I had to continue as I knew friends were waiting for me further down the road..

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Tiffany
On the road from...I'm not sure any more
http://www.tiffanystravels.co.uk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAUhV1r-kUo

I find in my travels if you show genuine interest in people you get it returned in spades.enjoying your travels.Noel

That's very true Noel. Glad you're enjoying my exploits, more to come.

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Tiffany
On the road from...I'm not sure any more
http://www.tiffanystravels.co.uk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAUhV1r-kUo

Land of crocodile-infested swamps and creeks



I'm looking brave for the picture but stll keeping a wary eye on the water's edge behind me. Although the crocs here are nothing compared to the ones in Oz.
I was met at the State Line by friends and rode to Lafayette where I stayed with my good friends Bob and Phyllis, I first met them 10 years ago in Ecuador.




Strange itmes in the shops in this part of the world

Worms in the fridge




I had to take a closer look,


To my surprise the the containers aren't even covered. I don't think we sell worms like this in shops in England, everyone has plenty in their gardens.

And then fishing hooks almost the size of my hand..to catch alligators with




Bob has a new toy, a Honda 90 scooter,




He asked if I wanted to ride it- I've never ridden anything that size before




It's a blurred picture as the scooter shot off out of control and I thought I was going to die on it. Luckily the fence was there otherwise I would have ended up in the river.

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Tiffany
On the road from...I'm not sure any more
http://www.tiffanystravels.co.uk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAUhV1r-kUo

My wounds after I had demolished part of Bob's fence...





These were the only injuries I sustained this trip. Plucking up my courage I got back on (with Bob nervously taking a look at the damage to his fence!!)
This time I got it sussed, the bloody thing has NO clutch, my problem had been that I'd revved up and then kicked it into gear which meant it had shot off with me on it.
This time I took it more slowly and was soon sedately riding around the garden.



Then out on the river for a trip in the boat with Captain Bob at the helm,


he informed me that it's not a river, it's a bayou. Admiring the scenery,
though not all of it was picturesque, it was still interesting







Enjoying the peace and quiet of being away from the road and traffic, or at times going underneath the roads




And all while enjoying a nice glass or two of chilled white wine



Lots of reminders that we're in a french-speaking part of the world




I caught up with some old friends, who have a couple of vintage cars



Complete with genuine Vote for Hoover number plate from 1928



I found their town rules quite amusing, with fridge magnets telling them when they may or may not water their gardens


More socialising when Bob and Phyllis hosted a party for me, I loved the tortilla chips in a brown bag



We had quite a crowd



This was me at the end of the evening, "hoovering" up the leftover food and making sure the wine didn't get wasted (not realising that Bob had my camera and was gathering evidence!)



These Cajuns know how to party and the following night I had another social event- the Swamp Scooters Club Meeting, I've heard a lot about them and about their rally they host each year.
I couldn't have had a warmer reception and was welcomed to the club, I gave a talk about one of my overseas bike journeys which they enjoyed.
Here's a link about their next rally.

http://swampscooters.net/wp/

It's the Cajun Swamp Scooter Rally, this year it's on November 9th to 11th, near Lafayette. Unfortunately I won't be able to make it....as they say in this part of the world
"Laisser les bons temps rouler"

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Tiffany
On the road from...I'm not sure any more
http://www.tiffanystravels.co.uk
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Exploring the area by pick up truck with Clint- a fellow off-roader from my ride through Ecuador- we'd taken to the truck as the rain was torrential



We admired swamps, levees and bridges



This was definitely the wettest part of my whole journey.

I was also thrilled to getthe chance of going to the drive-thru bank; with friends who were most amused at me pulling out my camera to take a picture.



Looking at the picture, I've realised the bloke looks like a mannequin.

The afternoon was spent sat at the dining table, uploading photos onto my computer when, looking out through the window I realised I had company




Instead of updating my blog, I spent time watching him (or her)




to us Brits, it's an exotic sight to see a bright green lizard.

The following night to a packed audience at the Pack and Paddle Canoe shop in Lafayette, I gave a talk about my travels, for those wondering what on earth I was doing in a canoe shop, I do have a canoe connection, as I have crossed the Niger River in north west Africa in a dug out canoe with my bike. This was a precarious operation and one that is not recommended, the canoe trip NOT the talk.

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Tiffany
On the road from...I'm not sure any more
http://www.tiffanystravels.co.uk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAUhV1r-kUo

East from Lafayette and to the city of New Orleans, the most European looking place I've been to on this trip.



I stayed with my friend Libby and although it was a brief visit, we managed to pack quite a bit in. One high point was the sight of petrol being sold for just $3 a GALLON!! Fill up the fuel tank time. This being Louisiana in July the heavens opened and I got rained on a fair amount.
There are still a lot of reminders from Hurricane Katrina



We watched tourists doing the touristy thing, from the traditional



to the more modern




In America the phrase "open containers of alcohol" has strong implications, bascially it seems like you can't drink anywhere except at home or in bars. However in parts of New Orleans, they allow drinking in the streets and there are crowds of Yanks wandering around very self-conciously clutching their drinks, even in the rain. I ventured outside the bar just for a quick photo



Before heading down to the river for a paddle in the water



The famous Mississippi, seen from a different angle

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Tiffany
On the road from...I'm not sure any more
http://www.tiffanystravels.co.uk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAUhV1r-kUo

And we're not talking about the weather in New Orleans, although it wasn't exactly sunshine and blue skies
Downtown New Orleans and it had stopped raining, these people seemed to be following us

yep, it's the tourists on the Segways, they looked relieved that it had stopped pouring
In a rare nod towards the Arts, I went in search of some and found....Banksy (look him up if you don't know this guy's art- he's incredible)

I like to think he may have used me as his inspiration

We caught up with some French friends and having sampled some cocktails, went out

we were celebrating Bastille Day and what better place than New Orleans,
We wandered back down to the Mississippi

To enjoy the fireworks

As these were going off, our group were singing the Marsellaise, but the Americans didn't seem to realise what song it is.
Then a bar, where to the french group's delight, they could smoke

and we met some of these guys

New Orleans hosts its own version of Pamplona's Running of the Bulls, except in this case the bulls are the local Roller Derby team - The Big Easy Roller Girls. On their roller skates they pursue various hapless people who are dressed as matadors in white and red through the streets of the city.
Harking back to my ride across Siberia, we ended up in a Russian themed pub, where even the loos had this sign.

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Tiffany
On the road from...I'm not sure any more
http://www.tiffanystravels.co.uk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAUhV1r-kUo