Colorado seems a long way away in both mileage and altitude. It’s not getting any closer with my butt lying in bed. Wake up Greg. For the second summer in a row, I’ll be working at Colorado State University for Educational Testing Services (College Board). Maybe this year I’ll be able to finish what I started and not break down like I have for the last two years. As I’m typing this in one of those motels with a number in the title, an ad for BMW is on the TV. The Ultimate Driving Machine would be more impressive if mine wasn’t the Ultimate Towed Machine.

At 1 AM I’m packed and moving. The temperatures are great in Central Florida and I have a good chance of avoiding rain for the first day. I’ve been this way so many times I could do it blind folded, which is good since it is dark. The V-Strom has a couple of tremendous headlights and they are better than those in my car. If you need more light, Helen Keller must be part of your bloodline. Surprisingly, the law enforcement is light for Memorial Day, but the ones I see are dead serious about doing their job. Three or four troopers are very interested in the contents of a car they’ve pulled over.

I’m almost out of Florida when the sun rises. I’m treated to a great crossing of Mobile Bay and the traffic has been light. Either people are already where they want to be or the high gas prices are getting their attention. $15 fill ups have my attention. I strike of a conversation with the driver of a big SUV at a gas station. His fill up is close to $90. I’ll stick with my $15.
 

In Mobile I always enjoy a trip through the tunnel. It’s hot down there today, hotter than it is on the surface. I would think that the water would mediate the temperatures in the tunnel. On the other side, I explore the area around the shipyards and see the working side of Mobile. The cruise ship terminal could use some improvements.

Before I know it I’m coming into New Orleans from the east. I have a morbid curiosity about how the city is faring since Katrina.  Just today, firefighters found another body in the wreckage. We’ve all seen the images on TV. That didn’t prepare me in the least bit. As I get closer to town, I see that there aren’t many trees still alive. Then I drive through neighborhoods filled with white FEMA trailers, which are frozen in time. How can so little have been done in the last year? There isn’t much to save including businesses like SAMS Club. Only the occasional gas station is open, but there aren’t many. As I drive through a very devastated neighborhood a guy is using a leaf blower to clean the street in front of what’s left of his home, a little touch of normalcy in a situation that is anything but normal. The above ground cemeteries are in better shape than the neighborhoods. Downtown, several of the skyscrapers are still missing windows and the Superdome doesn’t look at all healthy or ready for occupancy. Even though the Saints will play there this year, I can’t imagine that this will last long. There’s not enough business to support the skyboxes, which is where the money comes from.