Opelousas: The Honey Comb Barber Shop

 

The Honey Comb Barber Shop, Highway 190, Opelousas, Louisiana.

Every time I passed this barber shop, which is on the west end of Opelousas, on Highway 190, I wanted to pull over to take pictures. Finally, I did so.

The Honey Comb Barber Shop, Highway 190, Opelousas, Louisiana.

I'm glad I did because there is a plan to repaint the barber shop, according to a gentleman who lives nearby. But maybe the new will be just as sweet as the old.

The Honey Comb Barber Shop, Highway 190, Opelousas, Louisiana.

I always smile when I think about men in barber shops, and also in local diners, where groups of them gather in the mornings after the first breakfast rush passes. Talk, talk, talk, talk, talk. Women take the rap for gossiping, but men are no slouches in this department.

The Honey Comb Barber Shop, Highway 190, Opelousas, Louisiana.

In the photo below, I like the listing of oils, lotions, and incense. A tradition of millennia, is it not? To soothe one's skin and spirit with tactile care.

The Honey Comb Barber Shop, Highway 190, Opelousas, Louisiana.

A ritual of self-grooming and social grooming that all of us living creatures seem to need.

The Honey Comb Barber Shop, Highway 190, Opelousas, Louisiana.

South Louisiana Musicians: The Band Courtbouillon

The Band Courtbouillon, Festival Acadiens et Creoles 2015, Lafayette, Louisiana.

The Band Courtboullion is an assembly of principals from three crazy-popular South Louisiana bands: Wilson Savoy of the Pine Leaf Boys, Wayne Toups of, well, Wayne Toups "zydecajun," and Steve Riley of Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys.

The Band Courtbouillon, Festival Acadiens et Creoles 2015, Lafayette, Louisiana.

At the Festival Acadiens et Creoles 2015, Courtbouillon played on the lawn of the Hilliard Art Museum.

The Band Courtbouillon, Festival Acadiens et Creoles 2015, Lafayette, Louisiana.

As their bands' leaders, the three musicians play the accordion. But as The Band Courtbouillon, Wilson Savoy often picks up the fiddle and Steve Riley the guitar.

The Band Courtbouillon, Festival Acadiens et Creoles 2015, Lafayette, Louisiana.

The three men have distinct singing voices. This cubes the band's repertoire, as the band can present three songs with but one set of lyrics, with each lead singer able to offer a different translation of the same song.

The Band Courtbouillon, Festival Acadiens et Creoles 2015, Lafayette, Louisiana.

The Band Courtbouillon, Festival Acadiens et Creoles 2015, Lafayette, Louisiana.

Here's a short interview the Courtbouillon members in 2013:

Loose Ends: New Mexico: Bottomless Lakes State Park

Bottomless Lakes State Park in New Mexico presents sweet surprises to its visitors.

I discovered recently that I have a 360 video of a spot in the park's Wetlands Trail: 

Below is my original post about the park, published on May 7, 2013:

Bottomless Lakes State Park: Another New Mexican Surprise

Bottomless Lakes State Park, New Mexico 

I didn't have high expectations for Bottomless Lakes State Park. The photos on the New Mexico state parks page are a bit shoulder-shrugging, but since visiting all of New Mexico's state parks is one of my goals, I made my plans and went.

(A note to the state of New Mexico: I like your "find a state park page," but once you click through, the information for each of the state parks is inadequate in presentation and content. There aren't even directions to get to the parks. And wouldn't a link on each park page to your parks events calendar be nice? And because New Mexico is so rich in federal public lands, perhaps a link in that direction, as well?)

One of the coolest things about New Mexico's geography is that in one spot, you can look out over the horizon and see an uninterrupted plain of scrabbly flora and sandy soil. But take a few steps forward and a new world opens at your feet.

Thus Exhibit A at Bottomless Lakes State Park:

Exhibit A, Bottomless Lakes State Park, New Mexico

 And Exhibit B, just a few steps into the frame, so to speak:

Exhibit B, Bottomless Lakes State Park, New Mexico

Thanks to the very pleasant volunteer at the park's visitor center, I learned how deep are the sinkholes - or cenotes - that dot the park, and how salty the water.

Bottomless Lakes State Park, New Mexico

   

Visitors can swim in one of the sinkholes. At that lake are a couple of pretty stone buildings and shade structures with picnic tables.

Bottomless Lakes State Park, New Mexico

On the day I visited, there was lots of activity at the swimming hole.

Just across the street from this large sinkhole was a quiet boardwalk trail (the Wetlands Trail) with intermittent stick-built structures, I'm guessing birdwatching blinds, but also the perfect cool, shady places to lug your folding chair to and have a cool lunch, with only the sounds of birds, bubbling water, and sweet breezes to keep you company. I had this pleasant boardwalk trail entirely to myself.

On the surface, the wetlands soil is a mass of white or off-white crystalline crusts, some flat against the surface; others clustered around twigs, plants, or objects. If you push your finger into the surface just a little bit, you'll bring up water.

Do you see the perfect little paw print below?

Bottomless Lakes State Park, New Mexico

I placed an earring close by for a size perspective.

Bottomless Lakes State Park, New Mexico

It's funny how there's a thin, red layer of silt over the white gypsum at the park.

The tamarisk, aka the Water-Sucking Soldiers, were in bloom the weekend I visited. 

A slide show:


#30

Washington, Louisiana: Squirrel Cookoff

Je suis desolée that I missed the Squirrel Cookoff at Willie's Campground in Washington.

But holy gee, already this past weekend I was committed to the superb inaugural Experience Louisiana Eunice festival, a visit to the Saturday morning zydeco doins' at Cafe des Amis, a musical food fest at the Opelousas Farmers Market on Saturday afternoon, put on by Wilfred Kinnerson of Briskett Baskett, the St. Landry Catholic Church cemetery tour in the evening, capped off with my first time at La Poussiere in Breaux Bridge. 

Damn it.

How did they prepare the squirrel? Did anyone offer squirrel brains? Were bushy squirrel tails somehow insinuated into the festival? Did diners have to pick buckshot out of their meals?

Opelousas: Magnolia Fruit

Magnolia fruit, Opelousas, Louisiana. October 2015.

On the campus of the St. Landry Catholic Church, on the corner where Union Street takes a 90-degree turn, across the street from the "Turkey Neck Dinner" diner, is a magnolia tree.

Magnolia fruit, Opelousas, Louisiana. October 2015.

In October, its fruit laid among the fallen leaves, mulch, and a bottle or three of pocket-size Seagram's.

Magnolia fruit, Opelousas, Louisiana. October 2015.

Magnolia fruit, Opelousas, Louisiana. October 2015.

Magnolia fruit, Opelousas, Louisiana. October 2015.

Magnolia fruit, Opelousas, Louisiana. October 2015.

Magnolia fruit, Opelousas, Louisiana. October 2015.

Louisiana: An Evening Hike at Chico State Park

From an evening hike a couple of days ago at Chicot State Park:

Mushrooms on a log, Chicot State Park. October 2015.

Golden silk orb-weaver, Chicot State Park, Louisiana. October 2015.

Sighted, but not photographed, were a couple of speedy armadilloes and a dainty pair of deer.

Washington, Louisiana: Cedar Hill Cemetery

Cedar Hill Cemetery, Washington, Louisiana. Eugene Lemontey, born in France and died in Washington.

The village of Washington, Louisiana, lists four historic cemeteries:

1. Cedar Hill Cemetery
2. Hebrew Rest Cemetery
3. Hinckley Family Cemetery
4. Old Church Landing Cemetery (aka Yellow Fever Cemetery)

Cedar Hill Cemetery, Washington, Louisiana.

One day, I took a quick look at Cedar Hill Cemetery.

Cedar Hill Cemetery, Washington, Louisiana.

I have so much appreciation for individuals who give their time and careful attention to identifying and mapping the inhabitants of graves in cemeteries. Here is a list of the deceased buried at Cedar Hill Cemetery.  The names. These families are still here, as they have been for hundreds of years. From the name list, you can click through to a photo of the person's grave. Sometimes there is additional information about the individual.

Decades ago, when my mother researched her family's genealogy, she traveled to different sites in the US and in Canada, visiting libraries, exchanging letters with people and organizations who might have the information she sought. Now - so much of this data is a click away. 

It's a beautiful thing.

Cedar Hill Cemetery, Washington, Louisiana.

I am curious about the putty-colored box in the tree above. Is it for beekeeping?

Learning to Dance: The Pause

Dancing La Marinera in Tularosa, New Mexico. San Francisco de Paula Festival 2013.

Last year, at the Feed 'n Seed, I danced with an older gentleman. A slow-ish song. About 30 seconds into our dance, he said quietly in my ear, "Slow down, we're not in a hurry to go anywhere."

This centered me right then, and for the rest of the dance, I could be in the moment with where my partner was going and which rhythm line of the song he was choosing.

Holi Festival 2014, Lafayette, Louisiana.

Earlier in the year, before the Feed 'n Seed experience, at a Vermilionville Bal du Dimanche, a woman generously tutored me on a zydeco movement. I had taken zydeco lessons a month or so before, and I'd learned a basic zydeco shuffle in which every beat of the eight-count in zydeco was accounted for with a step or tap. But this woman was showing me something different. I didn't see the eight counts in her steps, I couldn't replicate her movements, and it confounded me.

I asked her about the step count, and she said - bless her generous heart - "don't worry about counting, just move with the music." I couldn't do anything with that information, so I asked her to keep demonstrating her steps until I could solve the mystery. She graciously complied.

Finally, I saw it.

On the third and seventh steps, she PAUSED. The fourth and eighth step were there, but "silent." Ohhhhhh.

When I excitedly shared my newfound understanding, the woman looked a little puzzled, and then shrugged, as if to say "whatever," apparently not excited as I about my tremendous breakthrough in understanding. I'm guessing she had so internalized her step movements, she didn't even notice the pause, and thus didn't think to explain it.

Feed n Seed, Lafayette, Louisiana.

These two experiences planted seeds in my neonatal dance mind, but they didn't stick until I took a new round of zydeco dance lessons this month.

The instructor informed me several times that I was going through movements too quickly. He EXPLICITLY directed me to pause. He hammered these points when I struggled to make turns correctly, so that I'd finish on the right foot at the right beat.

Finally, I got it. I have to PAUSE when I take that first turn-step.

The pause makes all the difference.

There is a maturity, an elegance, a sensuality, in the dance pause.

It's gratification delayed, it's listening and feeling, it's a breath.



Related posts: 

Learning to Dance: Solving for X
Learning to Dance: The Tao of Following

Good Night, Newm.

I left New Mexico in September 2013. This is a lost love letter, found.


Good night, Newm.

Good night, trains going east, west, north, and south.

Good night, dancing skeletons.

Good night, soaptree yuccas, my waving roadside soldiers.

Good night, American, Navajo, Mescalero, Chiricahua, Lipan, Jicarillo, Zuni, Hopi, Pueblo, Tortuga, Spanish, Mexican, German, and all of the ghost residents who rest below your soil.

Good night, fragrant roasted chiles.

Good night, Sacramento, Organ, San Andres, Jemez, Guadalupe, Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

Good night, twin sunrises and twin sunsets.

Good night, shimmery White Sands.

Good night, grandiose Tularosa Basin.

Good night, sonic booms.

Good night, little red ants.

Good night, tarantulas.

Good night, pretty tamarisk.

Good night, tumbleweeds.

 

When I left New Mexico and entered Texas, back in September 2013, on my way to Missouri, I felt the slightest physical tug, as if I pushed through a living membrane that separated one world from the next.

South Louisiana Musicians: Rockin' Dopsie, Jr. and the Zydeco Twisters

Rockin' Dopsie, Jr. and the Zydeco Twisters. Washington Catfish Festival 2015. 

Rockin' Dopsie, Jr. is what some folks might call a show musician. He and the Zydeco Twisters are high-energy.

You might notice the apron that Rockin' Dopsie, Jr. is wearing. Based on what I've read, the use of the apron became a tradition for some Zydeco accordionists, as it protected the instrument from the performer's sweat.

Rockin' Dopsie, Jr. and the Zydeco Twisters. Washington Catfish Festival 2015. 

He doesn't pull as many people onto the dance floor as other performers, but he definitely keeps the audience's happy attention.

Rockin' Dopsie, Jr. and the Zydeco Twisters. Washington Catfish Festival 2015. 

I caught him at the Washington Catfish Festival 2015. A gorgeous festival day in a beautiful park.

Rockin' Dopsie, Jr. and the Zydeco Twisters. Washington Catfish Festival 2015. 

 Enjoy the video below from the 2012 Oyster Festival, covering a James Brown and a Michael Jackson song:

He's the son of the original Rockin' Dopsie, who died in 1993, and who was born in Carencro, just down the road from my temporary Opelousas home. Another of the original Rockin' Dopsie's sons, Alton (Tiger), plays drums in the Zydeco Twisters band, and a second brother, Anthony, plays accordion and sings. A third brother, Dwayne, fronts his own band, called Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers.

From Heart of Louisiana: The Dopsie Brothers, by Dave McNamara: 

Their real family name is Rubin, but dad became Dopsie when he first started playing music.

"My daddy said he got the name from a guy that danced jitterbug from Chicago," said Rockin' Dopsie Jr. He used to be a jitterbugger and his name was Dopsie, and when he died, my daddy took the name as a young kid and started playing accordion and he call himself Duped , little Dopsie."

Rockin Dopsie (original), aka Alton Rubin. Source: All About Blues Music.

(In the photo above, what do you notice about how Rockin' Dopsie, Sr. held his accordion?)


Rockin' Dopsie, Jr. and the Zydeco Twisters get your blood racing, sha.

Louisiana: Cane Harvest Begins, and a Song

Harvesting sugar cane. Louisiana. November 2013.

On Saturday morning, on my way to Lafayette, as I listened to KRVS' Saturday morning show, Zydeco Est Pas Sale, the DJ acknowledged the start of the sugar cane harvest. In its honor, he played Clifton Chenier's bluesy waltz, Je Suis en Recolteur (I Am a Farmer).

The words in English:

They call me a cotton picker
They turn around and call me a corn breaker
I'm a cane cutter, oh yes, I'm a cane cutter.

I'm a potato digger.

Ain't no way, ain't no way, baby, you're gonna starve with me around.

I'm a cotton picker, a potato digger
I'm a cane cutter.

Oh, oh yeah, yeah darlin'

I'm a cotton picker
I'm a pecan cutter 
And baby, I'm a potato digger.

But everybody got to know where I'm a farmer
Everything gonna go wrong.
Everything gonna go wrong.
Oh yeah, baby.

Enjoy:

Related links:

Louisiana: Sugar Cane (December 2013)

Jeanerette, Louisiana: The Sweetest Place in Louisiana (January 2014)


 

Louisiana: Neutral Ground and Buggies

Rustavi, Caucasus Georgia. View from the boulevard. September 2011.

Neutral ground

A couple of weeks ago, two acquaintances talked about Crowley and the wide expanse of its Main Street, mentioning the neutral ground. I smiled inside, feeling pleased that I actually knew what they meant when they said "neutral ground."

This is only because, back when I first moved here, a native North Louisianan had told me that the "neutral ground" is what South Louisianans (really, more specifically, perhaps folks in New Orleans) call medians. Which is what Midwesterners like me call that (often) grassy strip of grass that divides a highway or thoroughfare.

Some New Orleans people attempt to explain the history of the neutral ground below:

 

By the way, here's an old movie of downtown Crowley from 1915:

And here's what downtown looked like after a 1940 flood:

Buggies

Horse-drawn or baby-carrying, right? Or vehicles you drive over sandy hills?

True enough. But in South Louisiana, a buggy is what Midwesterners call a grocery cart or shopping cart. I didn't know anything about this until I was checking out at a Champagne's (shawm-pines) grocery store, and the cashier asked me if I needed help with my buggy.

Perplexed, I asked, "What?"

She repeated her question.

While my brain gears slowly rotated in search for meaning, she realized I wasn't from here and translated for me.

On Taking Annual Relocation Intermission in Missouri - In the Winter

 

Winter Cycle #5

Last year, I ended Year One in South Louisiana after Thanksgiving, and sojourned in Missouri for two months before returning to Louisiana for Year Two.

The time in Missouri resulted in an Important Life Lesson. Which was:  No, no, no, no, and no.

Visiting Missouri in December and January:

• Too cold
• Weather too unpredictable
• Days too short for local touristic activities
• Everybody is busy with holiday preparations or going out of town, so it's hard to find mutually-agreeable times to meet
• Flu season
• I'm not sure I ever saw the sun while I was there

Thank the baby deity that I don't have to do that ever again if I don't want to. This year, I'll be in South Louisiana until the end of February, and then I'll spend March in Missouri. March brings spring. The days are getting longer then. Crocuses bloom, and daffodils aren't far behind.

Icy daffodils.

Taking a Budget Road Trip, Part 6: Road Trip Technology

Louisiana Road 3083

My biases

1. Budget
This is a series about budget road trips. Therefore, the recommendations reflect same.


2. New not always better
A new technology might be better than the old. And it might not be. Its value depends on the user's wants and needs, in addition to the road trip route and a reasonable risk management plan.

A new technology can actually result in an unintended consequence of engendering a false sense of security, which - at worst - can result in a trip disaster.


3. Hidden costs
Every piece of equipment carries a cost in regard to:

• Safe-keeping from theft (think big-ass camera)
• Protection from damage (think sizzling summer heat inside a parked car while you go for a hike)
• Worry about forgetting it somewhere (motel room, hanging on restaurant chair, on a restroom counter) 
• Practical portage (how much gear do you want to carry on your shoulder, around your neck, or in your pockets?)
• Freedom to be spontaneous (Wow! A street festival! Let's stop! Wait. What about our stuff?) 

4. The joys of being out of touch
Some simple joys of a road trip are:

• Being in a place and no one knows where you are
• To get lost figuratively and literally
• To be alone with yourself or alone with your travel companion(s)

You deny yourself these pleasures if you tether yourself too closely to technology, including social media, texting, and phone calls.

Mule deer crossing, Bosque del Apache road, New Mexico.

Technical gear recommendations

Into this category, I place: 

• Cameras
• Phones (smart and dumb)
• Laptops, tablets
• Dedicated devices for listening or reading

Cameras

Do you have a big expensive camera? If yes, think carefully about the pros and cons of taking it with you on a road trip.

Decision variables include: 

1. What are the expected temperatures on your route - will it be too hot to leave the camera in your car for several hours while you do something without the camera?
2. How anxious do you get about theft - will you worry too much about leaving the camera in your car on occasion? 
3. How will the camera - if you have it on your person - affect your freedom of physical movement if you go on a hike, go dancing, walk through a museum, visit an amusement park, walk to the hot springs for a dip, attend a crowded festival? 
4. What do you generally do with your photos? Post them on social media? Scan through them and then toss the SD card in a drawer? Produce creative work for personal or professional satisfaction?
5. Do you feel confident about how to use your big, expensive camera? 
6. Is photography a major component of your road trip or is it a visual footnote of your trek? 
7. What are the photographic subjects you're likely to encounter on your road trip? Jaw-dropping scenery that you will stop to contemplate? Micro-beauty such as flowers or insects? Or mostly fun shots of people, places, and things you come across to document your trip?
8. Depending on the answers above, is your phone camera good enough for your needs? Do you have an inexpensive point-and-shoot that you could take with you?

Phones

Dumbphones
Do you still only have a dumbphone? No big deal.

If you want a mapping application, then you can buy a dedicated GPS device, although this is a financial investment that may not be worthwhile. Better to borrow a device, if possible. Or maybe you're bringing a tablet with you, and you can use that for your mapping.

But my experience is that a paper map works just fine. Plot out the trip's (or just a day's) route in advance and mark the route with a bright highlighter marker.

A mapping application is most useful when I'm looking for a particular address within a city, and when push comes to shove, I can call the destination point for directions.

Smart phones

• See Road Trip Apps below. 
• Consider taking a spare charging cord and keeping it in your trunk, in the event you leave one behind in a motel room.
• If you don't use a pass code to access your phone data at home, think about using one while you're on your road trip. When we're outside our familiar surroundings and routines, some of us get more alert, while others of us get fuzzier. If you fall in the latter camp, then you are more vulnerable to leaving your smart phone behind in your motel room or at a restaurant. 
• Consider enabling the emergency alert feature on your phone, if it isn't already. You never know. 
• Be a fanatic about charging your phone. If you've got the ability (see Power Recommendations below), think about keeping your phone plugged in while driving. 

Laptops, tablets
On a road trip, I do take my laptop. I've weighed the pros and cons and decided that having my laptop with me maximizes my enjoyment of a road trip.

But many folks are extremely comfortable conducting all of their online activities on their smart phones. They may have cameras with wifi capability that allows them to upload photos to their preferred internet destination.

As with the camera variables, think through if you really want to bring a laptop or tablet on your road trip. Remember that every piece of equipment you bring adds to your protection and portability "cost."


Dedicated devices for listening or reading
Currently, I diversify my gadgetry portfolio by having an mp3 player for my music and a basic Kindle for my electronic books. I bring both on road trips.

Dedicated device pros:

• I don't drain my smart phone's juice when I play music or read an e-book
• My mp3 player and Kindle have long battery lives
• Arguably, I enjoy better sound via my mp3 player
• It's easier to read ebooks on my Kindle than on my phone
• I just feel generally better when I diversify my limited resources across several devices

Cons: 

• The more gadgets I take on a road trip, the more I have to babysit
• If I've got limited charging capacity in my car, then I've got to be assiduous about charging the devices at night when I've got access to wired resources
• The assumption about better sound on my mp3 player is untested; it is possible the sound is just as good on my phone
• Although I don't want to read an ebook on my phone, I could choose an audio book instead and listen to that on my phone

 

Highway 54 train between Corona and Vaughn, New Mexico. 2013.

Power recommendations

Source: Cable Wholesale

Three-prong to two-prong plug converter
You never know when your overnight accommodations will lack accessible three-prong wall outlets. A converter costs less than a dollar, doesn't take up much space, and you can find one at any big box store.



Surge protector power strip
Whether you're staying in a motel, at a friend's house, an airbnb or a couchsurfing place - outlets can be scarce. If you've got a travel companion, this could double your demand for outlet access.  If you don't travel all that much, just bring a power strip from home. Throw it in your trunk and only bring it out if needed.

If you decide to buy a strip: 

• Check for roominess between the plug slots. It's annoying to have three or four plug slots on a strip, but the slots are so close together you can't actually fit two plugs right next to each other if one of the plugs is fat. 
• Consider cord length. My power strip is designed as travel-friendly (with universal plug slots), so its cord is only ~ 13". This is great for packing, but sometimes it presents minor challenges in a motel room where the only available outlet is hard to reach. This writer uses this travel-size power strip. It has no cord at all.  
• If you don't travel much, then a longer cord might be more practical for you. In that case, choose a power strip that you'll like using at home so you don't add to your special-occasion clutter load.

USB wall charger

USB wall charger. Credit: Philips

I've used this one for several years, and it's worked well for me. I like the blue light that glows while mine is in use because I'm less likely to forget it in a motel room. I also like the foldable plug. I can plug the charger directly into a wall outlet or into my power strip. In the latter, however, it falls into the category of a fat plug, so this sometimes affects my ability to plug in neighbors.

If I were to buy one today, I'd get one with two USB ports like this one.


Car lighter adapters
OK, yes, today's cars have handy USB ports and outlets stashed all over the place. If you have such amenities, then skip ahead.

My car is 20 years old, so I've got one power source for charging and playing music: My lighter.

I do have two lighter-based powering gadgets, but they are geezers.

Portable power inverter. Credit: ebay seller

One is a big, heavy, one-outlet power inverter that I bought back in 1990 maybe. I bought it for the road trip to Alaska I took with my daughter.

Upside: It still works. Downside: It's big, it's clunky; it has only one plug-in. I have to use my USB adapter to charge devices on it.  And while I'm charging something on it, I can't listen to my music player because I've only got the one lighter and the one port. 

FM transmitter device. Credit: ebay seller.

My other gadget is a Gigaware FM transmitter device to plug into my mp3 player. It's been a wonderful tool for me on road trips. In the past year, however, I have to place the player in just the right position to get the appropriate volume, so it's on its way out.

When I replace the above two devices, I'll get an FM transmitter that also has a USB port. This one, perhaps. Consequently, I'll be able to listen to my playlist and also charge my phone. Evidently, such a device would allow me to talk on the phone hands-free if I receive a call. Nice, if true.

Pearl Street Mall, Boulder, Colorado.

Road trip apps


I offer my recommendations below. Manage your expectations. It is a humble list.

Road trip planning and management
Evernote is a well-designed application that you and any road-trip companions can use like a file cabinet. Toss into Evernote screenshots, websites, photos, articles, lists, links - a repository of information that helps you plan and manage your trip. Here is a list of articles about how to use Evernote for a road trip. Set it up on your desktop, laptop or tablet, and sync it to your phone.

Directions
I use Google maps.

Gas price app
I'm trying out Gas Guru. It seems straightforward. Gas Buddy is more popular, but seems to have too much interaction.

Road attractions
Roadside America has an app that looks very cool. Alas, it is only for iphones or ipads.


Related links:

Updated: Taking a Budget Road Trip, Part 5: Loose Ends
Updated: Taking a Budget Road Trip, Part 4: Pack List
Updated: Taking a Budget Road Trip: Part 3: Food and Drink
Updated: Taking a Budget Road Trip: Part 2: Lodging 
Updated: Taking a Budget Road Trip: Part 1: The Basics

Or click on the Take a Road Trip tab at the top of this blog. Or click here.