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Brooke
Me and a friend are going to take 4 weeks to travel from Jacksonville in Florida along I-10 (covering Alabama, Misissippi, New orleans, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, LA) and finish up at San Diego. So I need to know how long to take to get from each state, best thing to view and places to eat how to plan motel/hotel rooms and will 4 weeks be long enough?
Answer
Damn man, 4 weeks? Lucky you.
I've actually done this, but only in about a week and stopping in Arizona. Here's the route I took: JAX, Gainesville, St. Joseph Peninsula (camped here), Panama City, Navarre (don't miss that drive along the beach here), Pensacola, Mobile, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Houston, Austin, El Paso, Tucson
Sorry for the book here, but there's just so much to see.
I would allot 5 days for Florida. You can get pretty cheap rooms in Panama City right on the beach at certain times of the year, and there are a couple of state parks (St. Joe is just one) where you can camp right next to the beach for about $10. Pensacola Beach is my favorite, and I think there's camping just west of it on the national seashore. There are some great oyster and shrimp places all along the Florida Gulf Coast. Stop at McGuire's in Pensacola to eat. Pensacola's a cool town too, and I would overnight there.
Cross into Alabama on the road that follows the coast. The beach is nice on the whole strip. Maybe spend one night in Alabama. Mobile isn't that great. There's not a lot to do.
I wouldn't spend any time in Mississippi unless you like to gamble. There are some nice houses along the shore in Gulfport and Biloxi, but there's just not much to do.
Spend five days or so in New Orleans. Eat po boys, muffalettas, oysters, shrimp, crawfish, beignets, and all the other awesome stuff they have. Really good times in New Orleans, particularly if you drink. To get out of New Orleans, take the back way along US 90 to New Iberia. Just south of New Iberia is Avery Island, where they make Tabasco. They have a free tour. Kinda cool. Great Cajun food in New Iberia and Lafayette. The best po boys (yes, better than New Orleans) are at Old Tyme Grocery near the university in Lafayette. And they're cheap. Do a swamp tour while you're in the area. They do them around Breaux Bridge. Just Google them.
The drive from Lafayette to Texas is really boring. If you go south to Abbeville though, then follow the coast to Cameron, it's a little more interesting. Lake Charles, Port Arthur, Beaumont can all be skipped. You're not missing anything.
You can't follow the coast from Port Arthur to Galveston, so take the road to Winnie, then cut south to Crystal Beach, then take the ferry to Galveston. Spend a couple of nights in Galveston. The "Strand" in the Downtown area is really cool and Moody Gardens has an awesome aquarium.
Spend another couple of days in Houston. You can check out NASA on the way up from Galveston if you want, but it's kind of lame (more for kids). Houston is mostly museums and food. The best donuts I've ever had were in Houston and they've got a lot of really good ethnic food, particularly Indian and Chinese. A lot of the museums in town are free and worth checking out.
Go toward Austin on 290 and hit the Blue Bell Creamery in Brenham. You don't have to do the tour (it's expensive), but at least stop and get some ice cream. They have unnamed, experimental flavors that you can get for $1 per scoop. After that, I would go to the Shiner Brewery near Spoetzl and take the free tour. After that, head west to Luling or Lockhart (people vary on what's best) to get some of the best barbecue in Texas. If you head north from there, to Elgin, they're famous for their polish sausage. But it's good in Luling too.
I would hit Austin before San Antonio. Spend at least 3 days there. Very cool town. Lots of nightlife and live music. For food, get a kolache for breakfast. Also hit Chuy's or Trudy's for Tex-Mex.
Between Austin and San Antonio, New Braunfels is worth stopping at. Actually, if you haven't had enough barbecue, there's a great place near there called the Salt Lick. Get it to go though and just eat it outside on their picnic tables. If it's the right time of year, you can tube on the Guadalupe near Gruene. Or you can go to Schlitterbahn (water park). Or both.
San Antonio is cool for the Riverwalk. I think the margaritas are awesome but the food isn't very good. Maybe two nights there. From there, I would head back north maybe to Enchanted Rock and/or Pedernales Falls. You could also visit Fredericksburg. They're more known for their German food, but I don't think it's fantastic.
Between there and Carlsbad, there's Big Bend. It's a big side trip, but an awesome area. There's one lodge in the park or you can camp, but everything fills up quickly. I usually stay in Alpine and commute down, just because it's cheaper. Fort Davis is also really cool.
Definitely go up to Carlsbad Caverns, then west to Alamogordo and visit White Sands.
Cut south just before Arizona to visit the Chiricahuas. If you look at the map, this is the little town of Portal, AZ. Great canyon and it would be a good place to camp for the night. I would spend at least 5 days in Tucson. Lots to do. The food specialties are the chimichanga, carne seca, the Sonoran hot dog, and the cheese crisp. Best Mexican food in the country in Tucson.
Damn man, 4 weeks? Lucky you.
I've actually done this, but only in about a week and stopping in Arizona. Here's the route I took: JAX, Gainesville, St. Joseph Peninsula (camped here), Panama City, Navarre (don't miss that drive along the beach here), Pensacola, Mobile, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Houston, Austin, El Paso, Tucson
Sorry for the book here, but there's just so much to see.
I would allot 5 days for Florida. You can get pretty cheap rooms in Panama City right on the beach at certain times of the year, and there are a couple of state parks (St. Joe is just one) where you can camp right next to the beach for about $10. Pensacola Beach is my favorite, and I think there's camping just west of it on the national seashore. There are some great oyster and shrimp places all along the Florida Gulf Coast. Stop at McGuire's in Pensacola to eat. Pensacola's a cool town too, and I would overnight there.
Cross into Alabama on the road that follows the coast. The beach is nice on the whole strip. Maybe spend one night in Alabama. Mobile isn't that great. There's not a lot to do.
I wouldn't spend any time in Mississippi unless you like to gamble. There are some nice houses along the shore in Gulfport and Biloxi, but there's just not much to do.
Spend five days or so in New Orleans. Eat po boys, muffalettas, oysters, shrimp, crawfish, beignets, and all the other awesome stuff they have. Really good times in New Orleans, particularly if you drink. To get out of New Orleans, take the back way along US 90 to New Iberia. Just south of New Iberia is Avery Island, where they make Tabasco. They have a free tour. Kinda cool. Great Cajun food in New Iberia and Lafayette. The best po boys (yes, better than New Orleans) are at Old Tyme Grocery near the university in Lafayette. And they're cheap. Do a swamp tour while you're in the area. They do them around Breaux Bridge. Just Google them.
The drive from Lafayette to Texas is really boring. If you go south to Abbeville though, then follow the coast to Cameron, it's a little more interesting. Lake Charles, Port Arthur, Beaumont can all be skipped. You're not missing anything.
You can't follow the coast from Port Arthur to Galveston, so take the road to Winnie, then cut south to Crystal Beach, then take the ferry to Galveston. Spend a couple of nights in Galveston. The "Strand" in the Downtown area is really cool and Moody Gardens has an awesome aquarium.
Spend another couple of days in Houston. You can check out NASA on the way up from Galveston if you want, but it's kind of lame (more for kids). Houston is mostly museums and food. The best donuts I've ever had were in Houston and they've got a lot of really good ethnic food, particularly Indian and Chinese. A lot of the museums in town are free and worth checking out.
Go toward Austin on 290 and hit the Blue Bell Creamery in Brenham. You don't have to do the tour (it's expensive), but at least stop and get some ice cream. They have unnamed, experimental flavors that you can get for $1 per scoop. After that, I would go to the Shiner Brewery near Spoetzl and take the free tour. After that, head west to Luling or Lockhart (people vary on what's best) to get some of the best barbecue in Texas. If you head north from there, to Elgin, they're famous for their polish sausage. But it's good in Luling too.
I would hit Austin before San Antonio. Spend at least 3 days there. Very cool town. Lots of nightlife and live music. For food, get a kolache for breakfast. Also hit Chuy's or Trudy's for Tex-Mex.
Between Austin and San Antonio, New Braunfels is worth stopping at. Actually, if you haven't had enough barbecue, there's a great place near there called the Salt Lick. Get it to go though and just eat it outside on their picnic tables. If it's the right time of year, you can tube on the Guadalupe near Gruene. Or you can go to Schlitterbahn (water park). Or both.
San Antonio is cool for the Riverwalk. I think the margaritas are awesome but the food isn't very good. Maybe two nights there. From there, I would head back north maybe to Enchanted Rock and/or Pedernales Falls. You could also visit Fredericksburg. They're more known for their German food, but I don't think it's fantastic.
Between there and Carlsbad, there's Big Bend. It's a big side trip, but an awesome area. There's one lodge in the park or you can camp, but everything fills up quickly. I usually stay in Alpine and commute down, just because it's cheaper. Fort Davis is also really cool.
Definitely go up to Carlsbad Caverns, then west to Alamogordo and visit White Sands.
Cut south just before Arizona to visit the Chiricahuas. If you look at the map, this is the little town of Portal, AZ. Great canyon and it would be a good place to camp for the night. I would spend at least 5 days in Tucson. Lots to do. The food specialties are the chimichanga, carne seca, the Sonoran hot dog, and the cheese crisp. Best Mexican food in the country in Tucson.
Where can I find arrowheads in Louisiana around Baton Rouge?
Dylan
I am living in Plaquemine, LA. I am wondering if anyone can point me in the right direction to finding arrowheads around my area.
Answer
1
Research. There are plenty of resources available to those who are serious about finding Native American artifacts. Search the web, go to your local library, and consult those who know about the area's history. The Louisiana Archaeological Society is a great place to start for amateur archaeologists. They may even have a few sites where they are already digging, and they would love your help with unearthing past treasures.
2
Go to the library and find out where the tribes set up towns, as well as sites of battles. Your chances of finding ancient weapons are higher if you opt for the latter, but along with a splendor of weapons, you may also dig up fallen warriors of the past. Be careful that you're not getting more than you bargained for.
3
Narrow the list of potential dig sites down. Sites near water are good, because the water does a lot of digging for you and you may find some lying on the ground or in shallow water. Water is a particularly good place to look for arrowheads, because the Native Americans would go there to hunt animals that watered there. Areas that have been recently developed or plowed are also a good place to look, as the digging may be done for you.
4
Try finding out where their campsites and towns were located. These areas may be protected by the government or some other organization, so make sure that you're not breaking any laws by searching in these areas before you get started. If you do go this route, make sure you do more than just search the immediate campsite. Search around as well, since over time these artifacts may have been moved.
5
Look around you and examine the terrain. If you were a Native American, where would you have set up camp or hunted for animals? Search these areas first. Keep in mind that where there is now a farm, there may have been a dense forest. But the hills and rivers will be largely the same now as they were a thousand years ago.
6
Look very closely once you've chosen your site. Erosion may be a factor on the artifacts. After surviving a few thousand rain storms, arrowheads may not be immediately obvious. Examine each stone carefully, and if you think you're on to something, get it as clean as possible to examine it more closely.
7
Take all your suspected arrowheads to an expert, so he can help you identify the genuine pieces of history from the coincidentally pointy rocks. At this point it's up to you whether you want to keep your finds or donate them to a museum so that others can share the wonder of these ancient people.
1
Research. There are plenty of resources available to those who are serious about finding Native American artifacts. Search the web, go to your local library, and consult those who know about the area's history. The Louisiana Archaeological Society is a great place to start for amateur archaeologists. They may even have a few sites where they are already digging, and they would love your help with unearthing past treasures.
2
Go to the library and find out where the tribes set up towns, as well as sites of battles. Your chances of finding ancient weapons are higher if you opt for the latter, but along with a splendor of weapons, you may also dig up fallen warriors of the past. Be careful that you're not getting more than you bargained for.
3
Narrow the list of potential dig sites down. Sites near water are good, because the water does a lot of digging for you and you may find some lying on the ground or in shallow water. Water is a particularly good place to look for arrowheads, because the Native Americans would go there to hunt animals that watered there. Areas that have been recently developed or plowed are also a good place to look, as the digging may be done for you.
4
Try finding out where their campsites and towns were located. These areas may be protected by the government or some other organization, so make sure that you're not breaking any laws by searching in these areas before you get started. If you do go this route, make sure you do more than just search the immediate campsite. Search around as well, since over time these artifacts may have been moved.
5
Look around you and examine the terrain. If you were a Native American, where would you have set up camp or hunted for animals? Search these areas first. Keep in mind that where there is now a farm, there may have been a dense forest. But the hills and rivers will be largely the same now as they were a thousand years ago.
6
Look very closely once you've chosen your site. Erosion may be a factor on the artifacts. After surviving a few thousand rain storms, arrowheads may not be immediately obvious. Examine each stone carefully, and if you think you're on to something, get it as clean as possible to examine it more closely.
7
Take all your suspected arrowheads to an expert, so he can help you identify the genuine pieces of history from the coincidentally pointy rocks. At this point it's up to you whether you want to keep your finds or donate them to a museum so that others can share the wonder of these ancient people.
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