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APRIL 1985  Dan and I began our vacation by Flying to New Orleans. The picture above is Memphis, Tennessee from the air just prior to landing. We were in Memphis just long enough to change planes.  The first thing we did in New Orleans was visit the observation deck of the World Trade Center for a bird's eye view of the city (pictured above). Next we walked all around the French Quarter. We saw Jackson Square, St. Louis Cathedral, Bourbon Street, and other historic places.  We stayed at the Hilton where we got a nice view of downtown as pictured above.  The next day we headed north into Mississippi crossing Lake Pontchartrain enroute. We spent the afternoon in Jackson, Mississippi where we visited the state capitol (pictured above), the zoo, the Governor's mansion, and other places if interest. We spent the night in Monroe, Louisiana.  The next day it was on into the Lonestar State. We passed through Shreveport, Louisiana on the way (pictured above). 
 We spent two nights at the Hyatt Regency Dallas at Reunion. Reunion Tower is a 50-story tower topped with a three-level geodesic sphere. The two shots above were taken from the top of the tower. On the left is the Dallas skyline, on the right is the grassy knoll and the former Texas Schoolbook Depository, the site from which the shots that killed President Kennedy were fired.  While in Dallas it would have been rude not to drop by and say howdy to the Ewings. We drove all the way out to the Southfork Ranch just to find out that no one was home.  The above two pictures were both taken at the Southfork ranch near Plano, Texas.  Before heading south out of Dallas we made a brief stop in Fort Worth (pictured above).  Next we drove down to Austin, making stops in Waco and Georgetown where we toured the Inner Space Cavern. Pictured above is the state capitol in Austin.  Next it was off to San Antonio, my favorite Texas city. We toured Natural Bridge Caverns on the way down. The picture above was taken from the top of the Tower of Americas, a concrete spire rising 750 feet.  This is where we stayed, the Marriott Riverwalk. The San Antonio River loops through downtown and the Riverwalk or Paseo del Rio is a tree-lined footpath following the riverbank with lush foliage and bordered by nightspots, restaurants and shops.  Above is San Antonio's most famous landmark, the Alamo.  Above is San Antonio at night as seen from the balcony of our hotel room.  After San Antonio it was time to start heading back east. We spent the night in Houston. The picture above was taken from atop a building in downtown Houston. The picture shows just a portion of the city's numerous skyscrapers.  The next day we had brunch in Galveston, Texas (pictured above) before continuing on to Baton Rouge, Louisiana for the night.  The next morning we visited the Louisiana state capitol. The picture above was taken from the top of the 34-story capitol building. From that lofty point you got a good view of downtown Baton Rouge & the Mississippi River. Later that afternoon we flew home from New Orleans. Click the banner below for my latest trip to the Lone Star State.  
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