The All-American Roadtrip

The combination of good people, well-laid plans and reliable transportation (ahem) have produced the opportunity for many a good time. They are the ingredients that make possible camping trips in the wilderness, flights to far-flung countries, and envious adventures that you so often see on your Instagram. In this specific case, it produced a 10-day, 5000 km road trip from Toronto, Ontario to New Orleans, Louisiana. 

A few friends and I had thrown around the idea of a big trip together about a year beforehand, we had all finished our degrees and wanted to travel somewhere that offered great music & atmosphere but was still relatively inexpensive. The aptly-named Kals' Pals Adventure Club was comprised of myself and three spectacular human beings from undergrad (AKA jazz school). Meet the team:

The leakiest and thirstiest member of the team,
the Buick

Shealagh found a new pet during
our tour of the Bayou

Kalya was especially excited about
the flight of craft beers in Buffalo

This is Murray. Yes, he's using tent
poles to prop up his smartphone. 

Ice cold A/C and the hippest playlists
that only a music degree can get you

While there were some who saw the the Buick and immediately doubted her ability to make the journey across the continent, I now invite them to sit down to a hot cup of 'I told you so' that I brewed fresh this morning. 

Everything fits in the Buick

Our first stop was Buffalo to refuel on chicken and stock up on important things like beer, gas and goldfish crackers. Once we hit the American highway system it soon became evident that this wasn't home anymore. There were a few visible differences between the states and the motherland. 

This is not Ohio.This is silk compared
to Ohio

As you travel from one state to the next, it becomes evident that each is a little unique and gives different amounts of care to their infrastructure. The highways in one state could me smooth and neatly painted until you reach the state line, and BAM! OHIO SHOWS UP OUTTA NOWHERE AND DAMN NEAR RIPS THE WHEELS OFF THE BUICK.

Eventually we reached Nashville, our first main stop in the trip. We rented a house within 'walking distance' of the core (maybe if you're an Olympic walker) where we could recharge between Bourbon whiskey tastings/torrents of fried chicken, and the nights out with live music and patrons pouring out of nearly every venue on Broadway. 

We found a candy store

Nashville certainly had a southern feel, but the type that you'd expect from a mainstream, rural (mostly-white) Southern U.S.

 While it may have not been the most diverse city that we visited, we ate well, we explored neat places, and we took in a nightlife that was vibrant, fresh and widespread. It was an absolute blast.


The next leg of our trip meant a drive through the deeeeeeep south. You start to notice the differences between Canadian and American culture as you travel deeper into the bible belt. The attitudes, the accents, even the different kinds of things you hear on the radio. Magnolia trees, SUVs, and ice-cold A/C that blasted you through nearly every entrance way. We got a taste of proper sweet tea, biscuits and gravy and a very interesting take on a garden salad (with more cheese than what the average deli has in stock). It almost felt like a foreign country (do we even have waffle houses in Canada?), and definitely had a different thing going on than our stops in Buffalo and Louisville. 

Murray picked the Airbnb,
he's proud as punch

After a long drive, including a time I almost drove off with my laptop on the roof of the Buick, we arrived in the Big Easy; New Orleans, Louisiana. To sum up the city for you, our AirBnb seemed like a complete NOLA experience. The house itself was in a neighbourhood that was a mix of dive bars, local bakeries, and the odd abandoned, boarded up house. Maps and old records decorated the walls, and the living room featured a Wurlitzer Organ, drum kit, all-steel resonator guitar and a collection of odd instruments some of us hadn't seen before. The host left us some local beer in the fridge and chatted with us about things going on in the city, as well as noting that we seemed like 'normal folks', saying that he was glad to have us as long as we didn't party so hard that we set fires in the house and play the drums at 3am with the doors and windows open (apparently that was a thing that had happened before). 

I suppose I could type and type about the different things that we saw and did, but I think I'll just let the pictures do the talking for now. 

 
 

mmhmm

 

The bayou

Cajun, Creole, Southern or just plain tasty

Someone even got to celebrate his birthday in town

 The St. Charles street car line was a personal favourite of mine. 

 Nighttime activities

New Orleans was an entirely and completely different city than what any of us had experienced before. A city that was both lively yet tired, beautiful and ugly, welcoming but at times seemed unfriendly. Without sounding too abstract, it's a place that in all its aspects seems thick and full with a diverse history, culture and people. We were definitley huge fans, and I think we'd all jump at the chance to visit again.

Between the fantastic food, live music, long drives, beautiful places and interesting characters, I'd say we had a swell time. If you have a chance to get on the road with a few pals and explore a new place, even for a couple of days, there are few things I could recommend more highly (even, I dare say, better than the Buick?). The possibilities that lie in a trip may seem unknown or unfamiliar, but it's a fulfilling experience that you'll carry with you always.  

Kal's Pals indeed

There's something to be said for travelling with your friends on a trip like this. Even when you've known them for years, there are times when you learn a little bit more about who your friends are, or get to share a moment in a unique setting. I feel pretty lucky to have friends like that, whether we shared a 10 day road trip, week at camp, or tasty lunch. It's pretty special.

In Mom's defense, it's hard to pose
for a photo when you can't see the screen

And so now it's time to get back to work on a new school year. I'll hear from some of you folks on WhatsApp, otherwise you can check up on the Interlude to see what colossal disasters I've caused (or find better uses for your time, of which there are many). The uncertainty of a new year with new kids, people and places is holds many possibilities, but the conclusion of the summer means the bittersweet trading one home for another. You folks take care of yourselves until I see you again (or don't, most of you are adults).