The Big Easy.... isn't

Day 4:

This would turn out to be the most interesting yet.
When I last left you, we were being transfered to buses. We finally were able to leave at 2 am.
Carol and the others headed for Houston, were put on a different bus to Austin. Louis and the rest of us were put on a bus headed for New Orleans that would pass right through Houston. Why it was ok for our bus to go to Houston and not the other bus, I don't know.
What happened next was like something out of a disaster movie. We were on a 6 lane freeway headed toward Houston in the middle of the night. There was not another car, not one, headed east with us. The west bound lanes across the freeway looked like rush hour traffic. Nothing but solid headlights for miles and miles. It was kind of creepy, and most of the people on the bus were pretty uptight. The driver tried several times to find a place we could pull over to get out and stretch, and grab something to eat, but nothing was open, and most places were boarded up. Again, an eerie experience. We finally found a place at 7 in the morning that was open. It was already boarded up, and they said we are evacuating in 5 minutes, so hurry up! It really was like a movie.
Once back on the bus, the wind & rain started to pick up. As we looked southeast, we could see Ike approaching. I've never seen anything like it. The wind continued to increase. My guess was 30 to 40 mph, with gusts up to 60 mph. Have you ever been on a bus in winds like that? The speed of the bus didn't match my taxi ride the other night, but this was now the wildest ride I've ever been on. I'm still completely calm and at peace, and trying to thank God for my adventure.
As we enter New Orleans, it looks like we are driving across the ocean. There are big waves, and the water is very near the bridge. Louis & I look to our right and see why Amtrak refused to let us continue by train... the waves are washing over the track. Thanks Amtrak!!
As we enter the city, the rain drops in buckets. We are drenched.
I hang out with Louis at the station until his friends come to pick him up, then I hail a cab to my hotel. The ride was really boring. The cabby took his sweet time. I'm not complaining, really.
With the storm, I was unable to explore New Orleans. I stayed in the hotel and watched the storm worsen. My room had a sliding glass door with a small balcony. The wind got so strong, the curtains in my room would fly up in the air, even though the door was shut tight. There was a lot of mold in the room which caused me to have a mild asthma attack... I lost my inhaler somewhere along the way. I survived, and was better as soon as leaving the hotel.The hotel was filled with National Guard. I talked to one of the guys and asked if they were here for the hurricane. He said yes, but not for Ike. They have been in New Orleans helping the police since Katrina. He said they will probably be there another year. The city is still in bad shape. They have not nearly recovered from Katrina. It really is still a sad sight. The humidity in New Orleans is almost unbearable. I have no plans to visit again.
Even with all this, I'm still having a great time! I can't explain it, I just know God is blessing me.
Things begin to improve on day 5, as you'll see tomorrow.
I may get caught up by the time I leave Birmingham.
Be Blessed,
Matt