Wilsons Sandbox

For those of you who have read my posts; the KLR Evac from New Orleans is Cancelled. I have decided to ride-out the storm here in N.O. I want to get this post out prior to losing power. It may be a few days before I again have internet, or phone, or elec., or water. The first of the small outer bands of the storm have come through; I am in Mid City New Orleans. Overnight, conditions will deteriorate, and by noon tomorrow , it will be rockin'. What I am seeing outside is not the howl of the storm, it is its whisper. Am I nuts? Maybe, but the forecasters are saying that the storm will be a Cat. 2-3, and is a tad east of New Orleans, so it should not be a major problem. The formula that my decision to stay is based on is the same one that I used the last time....... So New Orleans should be OK, well, sort of........ I fully expect to lose power in the early AM hours (I don't have a generator). It will be days before power gets restored, and potable water will be a few days too. I have 4 days of food and water, 2 days of cigars and Martel, after that...... Don't laugh, this may sound a tad dramatic, paranoid, or make me sound like a gun nut, but I am strapped inside my house. The block that I live on has 18 homes, 9 per side. Seven (7) of the homes are vacant-unoccupied-destroyed since Katrina, all of the others homes are now vacant too. All of my neighbors have left. Outside it is pitch black, the only sign of life is the neighborhood feral cat. As far as I know, I am the only person on this block, maybe for a few blocks. So it is wiser to be armed. I feel like I am in that 70's movie, the Omega Man. And yes, I consider myself warned by the authorities that if things go south, I am on my own. Hay, I have a KLR as my last mode of Evac! (a green one). What could go wrong! Actually, my hurricane plans have worked out, sort of. I got my cars to a high rise parking lot, so they are safe. But, if I would have left in the early AM, daybreak, as planned, I would have ridden out in rain and wind, nothing unmanageable, but next time I have to leave a little sooner. I am in the process of cooking anything in the ice box that is perishable. Why? Two reasons. First, I am hungry. Second, once the power goes, any uncooked food is lost. So cook it now and put it in the ice box, maybe I can get a day of cooked food before I resort to the canned stuff. Photos? Sure, I took some a little while ago, as the "Before" and tomorrow I will take some during the storm, and then the "After" photos. I parked my KLR between two homes where it should be safe form winds and rain. I have yet to see a post on how many MPH winds a KLR can take before it falls over. Lastly, nothing would make me happier to be on my KLR heading out into the night not knowing where I am heading. But the storm looks to be negotiable. Now come sunrise...... And, I thank all of you who sent me the words of encouragement, and even offers of a place to stay! I'll use that as a rain check (no pun intended) for next time. I'll check back in when I can. Eddie (03' KLR - " la poderosa")

God Bless You Eddie and May You Weather the Storm Well! Let us know when you resurface and are OK. We know it may be days or weeks before that happens and we'll be waiting for the "good word". Sincerely, $bob$ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]