Day 47 - New Orleans & Vicksburg

The capitol of Mississippi is Jackson. This is rear side of the state capitol building.

The bow metal work of the second USS Mississippi (c1909) Outside the Jackson, Mississippi State Capitol building 

The State Capitol building in Jackson, Mississippi. View of the front of the structure

A side view of the State Capitol building in Jackson, Mississippi. The golden eagle at the top is very noticeable from all angles

The old State Capitol building in Jackson, Mississippi

In Vicksburg National Military Park, Mississippi. This is the view of Battery De Golyer and the Illinois Memorial building. The grass land in the front is no-mans land and still pock-marked from canon shells. The Confederate Army were on the other side of this location.

There are hundreds of memorials in the Vicksburg National Military Park this one is the first memorial after entering the park and dedicated to the Union "Michigan" soldiers who had fought on this spot

This is the Union line at Battery De Golyer. Probably one of the most busiest firing line during the Vicksburg campaign

This Civil War cannon is painted "gold". For what reason we don't know. But it is aiming where the Confederate Army were. Located at Battery De Golyer

This is the "Shirley House". It is the only surviving structure in the park. During the siege it served as the HQ for the Union "Illinois" infantry. Apparently soldiers had built hundreds of bombproof shelters to protect against the Confederate shellfire. 

An old photograph of Shirley House after the Vicksburg campaign

The memorial for the Illinois infantry inside the Vicksburg National Military Park, Mississippi

Another Union Arny memorial inside the Vicksburg National Military Park

There are plenty of these memorials inside the park. This one is dedicated to the Ohio soldiers

This is a good read about a 14 year old boy who was awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery. 

This memorial is located on the road where Ulysses Grant had his HQ (the shape is a large artillery shell)

And another Ohio memorial near the entrance to Grant's HQ

This is the memorial tower at Battery Selfridge. Location where naval cannons were used which turned the tide of the Vicksburg campaign

This was the USS Cairo, an ironclad gun boat that was used on the Mississippi River during the Vicksburg siege. It was torpedoed so they say. But many historians would say she struck a sea mine laid by the Confederates which acted like a torpedo - confused??? She was salvaged from the river and now a good example of what a ironclad vessel was like during the Civil War

A brief story and picture of the sinking of the USS Cairo. All crew and Captain survived the sinking

The USS Cairo was steam driven with five boilers and the paddle wheel enclosed for protection. This view is where "stoker's" would feed the wood or coal for the boilers. 

The front or bow of the USS Cairo showing the cannons and the ironclad construction over timber sub-frames.

This is what the Vicksburg battle and siege was all about. Taking control of the Mississippi River to deny Confederate war supplies. Taken from the Confederate line at Vicksburg National Military park, Mississippi

A memorial to the Confederate soldiers located along their front lines inside the Vicksburg National Military Park

In photograph 6 of this post there is a view of the Confederate line from Battery De Golyer. This is the view of the Unions lines directly opposite - no-mans land in the middle

Another Confederate memorial inside the Vicksburg National Military Park

"You goddamn Yankee's" an excellent stature of a Confederate senior officer who had directed the battle at Vicksburg

This is the statue of the President of the Confederate States of America "Jefferson Davies". A short lived president of only four years. Located near the entrance to the Vicksburg National Military Park

In downtown Vicksburg. There are many murals that are painted along the high Mississippi River levee bank. This one is a good example of what it was like before the Vicksburg siege of  1863

Vicksburg is extremely hilly but high enough from Mississippi River floods. This view is on the high side showing the river. During the siege many civilians starved and virtually lived in caves in this location.

It was sad to leave New Orleans after four days and celebrating Anne's birthday yesterday. The city has grown on us and good memories will always be with us regarding New Orleans. The city itself may be not for some who do not like the social freedom it has to offer but if you overlook that it is a fun place to be. Drinking, feasting and music is its main focus. We left New Orleans at 8:30 am and headed north to Mississippi state. We traveled along the main motorway that goes over many miles of bridges over the bayou and Lake Pontchartrain itself. We reached the capitol of Mississippi at Jackson and had lunch on a park bench inside the State Capitol grounds. It's Friday here and should be a working day. However yesterday was Independence Day and many city businesses such as it is in Jackson was closed. Basically Jackson was almost deserted. From Jackson we hit a bad stretch of rain and we had to slowed down from 70 MPH to 45 MPH (many American drivers were still dangerously speeding during this downpour). We reached Vicksburg at 2 pm, checked in to our hotel and headed nearby to the Vicksburg National Military Park. Now... about this critical battle that occurred here in 1863. It has been said and confirmed by many historians that the battle and siege was the turning point for the eventual successful surrender of the Confederate Army. Vicksburg is located on the Mississippi River and the hub for the bulk of Confederate supplies to its Army. The Union desperately needed this staging point and both sides knew that who had control of this would win the war. Well, the Union Army did reached the outskirts of Vicksburg in 1863 and with gunboats had the Confederate Army pinned down. It became a stalemate on both sides just shelling away and trying to overtake each lines with its redoubts and trenches (sort of like what happen in WW1). Anyway Ulysses S grant of the Union Army decided to siege Vicksburg, He blockaded the river with gunboats and virtually after three months starved the Confederate and its civilian population. It was terrible for the women and children who were living in caves. Overall many soldiers were killed and when the Confederates surrendered the Union Army had almost unimpeded pathway to the Confederate heartland (like what happen in Gone with the Wind). Well we spend about three hours driving around 16 miles inside the park and after we drove into Vicksburg itself. It is a small town however it is very hilly above the Mississippi River. Tomorrow we head of to that Bill Clinton city of Little Rock, Arkansas. It should takes us about 4 hours to get there so ta for now.

Day 46 - New Orleans

This guy is everywhere in the French Quarter. We felt sorry for the stuffed dog - he just stands in one spot. This guy poses without moving for over an hour whew!!!

Now this is jazz. In Jackson Square, New Orleans

There are many, many, many decorative buildings in the French Quarter, New Orleans - this is just one with nice greenery. Never walk under this as owners are always watering their plants and almost floods the footpath

For Anne's birthday we had dinner at Nola's an up market restaurant in the French Quarter. We had creole meals and a great dessert....but to top of it all this contraption is a Absinthe water device.. Water just dribbles onto a sugar cube and hence mixes with the Absinthe. Now Absinthe is a strong alcoholic drink made from aniseed. Absinthe is clear but mix it with water turns cloudy.

Nola's restaurant was busy for the fourth of July celebrations. The kitchen is open to diners and you can see how your dinner is prepared and cooked

After dinner we ambled down to the Mississippi River with the million or so people who are waiting for the fireworks to begin. This is the view of the river looking upstream about an hour before the fireworks started.

The crowd along the river foreshore is light at this stage - but it got real crowded when darkness fell

The fireworks started at 9 pm and went for 15 minutes. It was a great moment to celebrate Anne's birthday. There were two barges that fired the pyrotechnics and just as good as our Sydney events

Fireworks display over the Mississippi River at New Orleans - 04JUL13

Fireworks display over the Mississippi River at New Orleans - 04JUL13

Fireworks display over the Mississippi River at New Orleans - 04JUL13

As it was Anne's birthday today we did nothing today. The weather is humid and hot and we just walked down into the French Quarter at Pat O'Brien's bar for lunch, returned to our B&B and walked back into the French Quarter for our reserved dinner at Nola's. We had our table booked for 6 pm by our wonderful B&B hostess Karen and enjoyed the next 90 minutes having an expensive meal -well what the heck! After our meal Anne loved a dress from a up market dress shop near the Mississippi River and declared it was her birthday present. It was just a short walk to the foreshore and at 9 pm we watched the fourth of July fireworks. We can say this was not a fizzer as our San Francisco experienced last year. We watched alongside thousand of locals. We wandered back to our B&B and prepared for our journey tomorrow to Vicksburg in Mississippi state. It is going to be sad to leave New Orleans it is a wonderful city with lots to offer. Until tomorrow cheers.

Day 45 - New Orleans

We are on our way to the bayou. It required a 40 minute drive north-west along the Mississippi River from New Orleans. The countryside are full of swamps or bayous. The motorways need to be elevated and go for miles over the water system

The air boat we were about to board. We didn't know until we returned there is a "gator" named Francis in the vicinity. The air boat just "floats" along the water and vegetation at some considerable KPH. Location i about 20 miles NW of New Orleans

Travelling about 60 KPH above the vegetation in the bayou. The orange bucket contains marshmallows for the gators we were about to see

Dante or first gator - he is about 2.5 metres long and loves marshmallows. The air boat guide and driver has been training him to be friendly and he comes up to the boat - a bit adventurous we thought knowing the respect we have for crocodiles back in the Northern Territory

He just wants marshmallows, thinking they are white eggs. We think it's the sugar content and the guide is innocently making Dante a diabetic

You can just see the marshmallow ready to be consumed. Old Dante is relishing our visit

Our guide has been bitten by a gator in the past but not by Dante. Still we feel that this may be too game to be playing around with a creature who just wants to eat anything

Bayou country in southern Louisiana. Strange, there is no swamp smell or bugs of any type. No mozzies, no flies just gators. In fact travelling down these waterways is pleasant, and the smell of cypress trees and other vegetation is quite soothing

Spanish moss hanging of the trees. Apparently they are not a parasite just cling on for security. We were told that back in the 19th century they use the moss for mattress fillings. They didn't know at the time the moss carried microscopic bugs and so the saying "don't let the bed bug bite you tonight" became worldwide. The locals are proud that they were the original cause of this saying

A Japanese lily in the bayou. They only open up at certain times of the year and actually at certain times of the day. Pretty heh? The yellow core has a distinct citrus smell

There were two more friends we saw in the bayou. This one is a small female who is due to lay eggs. Again marshmallows is what she wanted

Our lovely female alligator posing for the cameras. Ain't I beautiful y'all??

Our first plantation - the Oak Alley at Vacherie, Louisiana. Built around the 1810-ish by an American family after the Louisiana Purchase and actually used in the movie "Interview with the Vampire". There main crop was sugar cane and naturally supported by slaves

This is why they call the property Oak Alley. Huge Oak trees line both sides from the Mississippi River. The families who had lived here use to travel by steamboat and disembark at their personal pier and it was just an amble down their oak alley to their mansion.

The device on top of the dining table is a fan. It had a rope that a black slave would pull to make it move so the diners would be cool. Oak Alley Plantation, Louisiana

Because the bed mattress was filled with Spanish moss it was difficult to keep it flat. Therefore there is a rolling pin on the bed. The occupant had to use the little settee on the right when resting other than nighttime sleep

A view of Oak Alley from the top porch of the building. It is actually a quarter mile to the end where the Mississippi flows.

Our second plantation "Laura". It was a Creole family home built about 1805. Different from the American mansion style these buildings were simple but effective against the harsh humid summers. We were given a complete genealogical story of Laura who owned the property. She released her life story and is a classic that is similar to the "Gone with the Wind" yarn 

The many photos of Laura inside her plantation property located at Vacherie, Louisiana. She lived to 102 years!

The rear view of Laura - again very simple design but practical

This is an actual slave house located near the Laura house. It has survived all these years. No comforts were given to slaves prior to the Civil War

On our return to New Orleans we passed alongside the famous Superbowl stadium

Back in Pat O'Brien's Bar for that Hurricane. How is this fountain - it spills the usual waterworks in conjunction with a flame in the middle. In the French Quarter, New Orleans

Why would you want a hot dog when there is Creole and Cajun food around? In the French Quarter, New Orleans

They call this appetizer - Alligator Tail Bits. Yes, it is actually gator meat from the tail. Fried and dipped in Creole sauce - yum

We had a 9 hour tour today and exhausted when we returned to New Orleans. The above photographs explain most of the highlights but basically we had our 90 minute air boat ride through the southern Louisiana bayous. Surprisingly, the swamps are very pleasant, no bugs of any kind and the smell of the water was aromatic. You could just soaked the day away just relaxing on a banana chair except.........there's alligators and snakes. Also, the water is dangerous it is like quicksand, you fall in and down you go. Our air boat is amazing away you go and you skim all what's in front of you. We run over logs, reeds and even gators who cannot avoid us. After our bayou experience we drove along the Mississippi River to Vacherie. We visited two original plantation properties called Oak Alley and Laura. The first was built by Americans (a bricked mansion in a style one would imagine a southern state gentleman would build) and Laura was built by a Creole family (their house was local cypress timber and very practical). Creole people were French, Spanish blended folk who have different traditions and cultures to the American puritans. We returned to New Orleans at 6 pm and headed straight for the French Quarter for some creole food. We had craw fish etouffee and gator meat. Well - while you are in Rome don't you do what the Romans do? Bourbon Street at nighttime is something to be seen, many inebriated people around, entertainers of all sorts, jazz music sounds on all corners and bars and the X rated clubs have women in front enticing customers inside. Some of these women were painted silver and no clothing to cover what is expected. It is Anne's birthday tomorrow and the Fourth of July. We are doing nothing however we have a dinner booked at Nola's in the French Quarter at 6 pm. After our meal we will watch the fireworks along the Mississippi River. Cheers.