DAY 10 - Houston, Texas

I got up early enough to go to Shul. Before we got to town I started doing some research to find services of various congregations in the area where we were staying. Even though I found more than a couple Jewish communities in the Woodlands area, most of them didn't have Shabbat day services. I don't like resorting to Chabbad but they were the only ones that claimed they held morning service (and lunch afterwards of

course). I made my way to the address the Chabbad website said to go to and found the house. There was a Mezuzah on the door but no answer. It was still early enough to go to another synagogue in the neighborhood, so i decided to head towards it. Their website claimed they only hold morning service when there is a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, so I crossed my fingers and hoped there was one. And I was right.

The Temple was very unique. It wasn't the architecture of the building that astonished me, but the way the Bar Mitzvah service was led. The Beth Shalom Reform Jewish congregation had interesting rituals that I thought made the place special. It wasn't the Woman cantor or the mini wailing wall they had in their entrance that wowed me, but the way the Rabbi conducted the service with authority, but also included the audience too. I was hoping for a small brunch after service to be served but unfortunately there were buses waiting at the door and I assumed it was invite only, so I headed back to our room at the motel.

Houston is a huge city with very complicated roads and bridges. I am not sure it was the heat or the fact that we didn't know many people in town, but we started getting short with each other and ended up splitting up in town. I found out that there was a huge Gay Pride parade which held music stages and fun activities, so we went there. It definitely was the right place to be at. There were thousands of people there, and even though we didn't fit in with the crowd it sure was an interesting scene!

We spent the afternoon in the city roaming around the festivities, and chilled on the grass near our bikes. I am pretty sure many people there thought Uri and I were together which is funny, but I see no reason why a straight person can't go see the pride parade just for fun.

We drove back to our motel which took us a long time due to the huge amount of traffic leaving the area.

Texas is a HOT state! Too hot.

DAY 8/9 - New Orleans, LA - Houston, Texas

New Orleans was really interesting so we had to stay for one more day. We walked around town and hung out near the french quarter and the river walk. We spent some time at our hosts jewelry store on Royal street and didn't feel like leaving the store because it was so hot outside. There definitely is plenty of attractions and more things to do in this city, which are worth seeing cause it does not compare to any city I have ever been to before.

After packing all our gear up which always is a tedious task, we headed out on I-10 West towards Houston.   We have been riding in the peak of the heat in the day which really tires us out and makes us more edgy with each other,  but over all we have been getting along.

We saw signs for Lake Charles and decided to stop there for lunch. It's a small and very cute town. We parked in the historic section and walked toward the lake to relax. We got as far as half a mile and just collapsed on the grass near a local park. We were discussing if it was safe to leave all our belongings on the bike's while we stroll town because there are thefts everywhere. Overall we know which towns look more intimidating and which ones or more tourist friendly. Uri spotted the boardwalk which was adjacent to the lake so we got up and walked in that direction. Considering the fact it was 91 F we still felt the heat beating on our necks. When we got closer to the park we saw a huge public fountain and I didn't hesitate and stripped and jumped into the water. It was so refreshing! I knew that it wouldn't take long for my clothes to dry in this weather so I didn't mind enjoying the free public shower in mid day June. Everything went well except for the fact that after I lay down to dry on the deck near the lake, I got up too fast and got this huge splinter in my right foot. It didn't hurt but when you ride 300 miles a day on a motorcycle you need to be in mint condition. Dovid pulled out a knife and Uri got the splinter out in seconds.

We got back to our bikes and were real hungry so we sat down at a local bar & grill restaurant. We booked out hotel for the weekend and were off to Houston.

As the sun started to set the humid is began to get colder and made it a lot more enjoyable to ride. The bridges in this area are constructed in a way where it is so steep going up or down you feel as if you will fall off a cliff when descending. We had 140 miles to do before dark and assumed we would make it in time. Night was getting close and we had to stop for a break to stretch our legs and drink. We took a side road and tried to stay off the interstate in order to enjoy the views on the way. The outskirts of Houston are quite populated and are very green. The land is flat but not at all monotonous like Kansas. As we got closer to the big city the roads got bigger and more congested. We entered The metropolis of Houston right at sunset and enjoyed the beautiful view of the reddish orange sun disappearing slowly.

It was dark when we got to our hotel so we parked and go into bed in a matter of moments. What a day.

DAY 6/7 - Perdido Key, FL - New Orleans, Louisiana

The refreshing swim in the ocean at Perdido Key made the first hour of the ride so much more fun. However it began to rain a bit so we stopped at a gas station a few miles ahead. It wasn't so bad so after the short break we continued on the road and tried to ignore the small rain drops on the visor of the helmet. The weather here changes so rapidly, it can be sunny and hot and a few moments later the clouds come in and it rains like winter has arrived. We passed by Mobil again because we were on our way west and there were no other roads which would take us to the same destination. Uri and I were really tired because we didn't

sleep much the night before, so we stopped for a coffee break and to eat a snack. It was so hot and humid which just made me want to be on the bike the whole day cause the breeze is so refreshing.

We got to New Orleans and were welcomed warmly by the Edri family who are close friends with Dovid. We unpacked our gear as fast as possible because it began to rain again. Even though it was rainy the weather was still hot and humid. The roads in New Orleans are bumpy and raggedy which is extremely uncomfortable to ride on. Since 2005 when Katrina hit the city there has been a lot of reconstruction in town and many houses and buildings have been rebuilt. However some of the bigger projects such as road work has not been fully fixed.

We went out that night to town to the French Quarter and to Bourbon street. The town is knows for it's unique people it attracts but also for its old architecture. It was established in 1718 almost 300 years ago, which makes it one of the oldest town in the United states. It does have a feel of an ancient place and reminds me of Nachlaot in Jerusalem, or Florentien in Tel Aviv. The down town is hopping every night and really is a city that doesn't sleep.

During the day we toured Canal street and went to see the local casino owned by Harra's. The casino has symbols and artifacts that resemble the unique city which makes it not generic at all. The specific casino we visited was more touristy and doesn't attract many local, because they gamble on the other side of town. We strolled down the river bank of the Mississippi and ate at a famous coffee shop called Cafe Du Monde. When we returned to our parked bikes we found a gift from the local police. A parking ticket... The only thing that comferted us is that all 4 of us got one including our hosts that live here. Oh well, everything is an experience.

New Orleans is definitely one of the most interesting and hip cities I have been to and spending more than 2 days here would be quite a blast.