American Queen Civil War Paddlewheel Cruise!

Boarding the American Queen in Memphis, TN...

 This spring my husband & I took a long-dreamed-of Civil War Road Trip, and an American Queen Steamboat Company Civil War Paddlewheel Cruise down the Mississippi, from Memphis, Tennessee to New Orleans- and it was wonderful! If you are interested in the USA on Any level, or ANY kind of history or literary "buff"- or just want to see America in a way that you cannot if you fly in to a place or drive the Interstate, THIS IS THE CRUISE FOR YOU! I still have Tina Turner singing Proud Mary going through my head! (And yes, one of the AQ's great singers DID sing Proud Mary- and she was GREAT!)

Big Wheel Keep On Turnin'!

Dan, the Big Wheel, Memphis in the background, & our whiskies!

My US Army Ret. husband, who is 69 (born 1946), is literally a SAR- a Son of the American Revolution- his family can actually trace their lineage farther back than even that! He has at least two ancestors who died in the Civil War, as well, and one died at the war-changing Battle of Shiloh in Tennessee, and is buried in the National Cemetery there. The last time Dan was there he was about 10 years old, and based on his sister Martha's college paper that she wrote in the 1950s, I did some research and was actually able to locate his grave on the Shiloh National Cemetery website! We went to his grave, and took a Civil War History tour in Nashville as well; I will blog about our amazing Civil War Road Trip through Tennessee in my next post!

Dan's father did a "Huck Finn thing" in his youth- shoveling coal on a steamboat on the Mississippi. And so taking a paddlewheel steamboat cruise down the Mississippi has loomed large in Dan's dreams for many decades... and so we saved up and finally did it!

I found a WONDERFUL travel agent who was able to get us some "perks" that no one else could, and I HIGHLY recommend him: Rob Weiser at Smart Cruiser: rob@smartcruiser.com

Although there are several companies that now offer cruises on the Mississippi, we chose American Queen for one Extremely important reason: THE BOAT! The Totally Gorgeous American Queen was actually built around an original 1926 steam engine- and it is decorated in authentic and magnificent period style, fitted out with an amazing collection of antiques, including actual Tiffany Glass! Both the food (hubs is a chef, so I'm not kidding here) and the service, were excellent, the crew truly care about their unique and amazing ship, and as expensive as it is (for the same price we could have had a 3 week Caribbean Cruise on Celebrity with a balcony and money left over...) it is a totally unique experience and well worth it! 

As I said above, if you are at all interested in seeing the USA in a way you won't see it on the Interstate, or by flying; if you are "into" US history, or a history or literary "buff" with a love of Mark Twain, this is the cruise for you! Yes, it is, an "older person's" kind of cruise- there's no water slide or kid's activities, and the vast majority of passengers were over 60, including a number of WWII Veterans in their 90s. But a spry and intrepid group of Older People we were! We took a number of the tours American Queen offered, both included ones and extras, and we all did a LOT of walking- much of it in the rain!! We went to the BB King Museum & Club Ebony in Indianola, Mississippi (and danced!), toured the only working cotton plantation, Frogmore; went to the Vicksburg National Military Park & the USS Cairo in Mississippi, and had a great demonstration of Civil War gun and cannon firing at Port Hudson in Jackson, Louisiana, visited distilleries and beautiful historic homes, and made a "pilgrimage" to Po' Boy Lloyd's, my all-time fave Baton Rouge place for soft-shell crab Po' Boys! And we enjoyed American Queen's included "hop-on hop-off" tours, as well, especially in Natchez.   

Calliope Concert as we leave port!

I LOVED- and mean LOVED- the AQ's Calliope Concerts! Yes, the pianist plays a real, steam calliope, as the boat pulls out of port in the late afternoon, and it is absolutely magical! Being out on the deck in the late afternoon sun, watching and listening to him play the calliope, with the little puffs of steam rising at every note, transported me into the pages of a Mark Twain book, and it was totally wonderful!!!
I am currently reading Mark Twain's "Life on the Mississippi"- and I actually understand some of it now! LOL I did some serious reading in preparation for this Civil War Road Trip, playing "catch up", as it were, with my US Army Ret. History Buff hubs! One of the first books I read was William Safire's "Freedom", about the people and events leading up to Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. I also read Shiloh - A Novel by Shelby Foote, which was an excellent way to begin to understand how real soldiers on both sides, both enlisted and officers, saw the Civil War as they fought it. Next on my agenda is to read Shiloh - the Battle That Changed the War by Larry Daniels, which I bought at the bookstore at the Shiloh National Cemetery, as the only Shiloh books any of our WV libraries had was "the one about the dog". LOL

The AQ had several fine lecturers on Civil War history and river lore aboard, including an excellent "Riverlorian": Jerry Hay www.Riverlorian.com! They also provided some wonderful evening entertainment- not only period entertainment (we LOVED the great banjo player- we bought his CD!), but musicals, with a great band and some truly fine talent- Dan and I did more dancing on this trip than we have in years! Because it's a small and intimate boat, as opposed to a huge cruise ship, you are "up close and personal" with the entertainers, and it was delightful to swing dance right in front of the band, enjoy drinks brought to our table, and "shmooze" with the captain, crew, and entertainers; on several occasions the Captain even played his fabulous paddle-wheel guitar in the bar with the band!
And the AQ crew REALLY impressed us! I am an Official Artist for the US Coast Guard, and I have had the pleasure and privilege of spending a lot of time aboard a number of USCG cutters, and the AQ crew reminded me SO much of the best Coasties! We went below decks and the crew showed us the 1926 steam engine, and they were not only extremely knowledgeable about her, they were so delightfully- and rightfully- proud of her! Other crew members were seen painting and sprucing up the ship throughout our cruise, as well, and everyone we encountered seemed to feel pleased to be a part of the AQ team. So AQ is obviously doing something Very Right...

Our stateroom- tiny, but lovely!

TOO cute! :-)

 We took an "Outside Stateroom with Open Veranada", meaning that our (tiny) stateroom opened onto one of the main outdoor verandas. While not a private balcony (as we have grown accustomed to on other cruises), we had chairs and a little table outside our stateroom, and it was lovely to sit outside and enjoy coffee or a glass of wine and watch the river go by... Our stateroom was very lovely but Extremely tiny- smaller, even, than the stateroom you have on a Celebrity Cruise, for example- so I encourage anyone taking an AQ cruise to leave those extra shoes at home! LOL We were on a road trip for several weeks, one that took us from a snowy, icy winter in WV to summer in NOLA, and so we had Way too much luggage for that tiny stateroom!

The beautifully appointed American Queen public rooms...

American Queen does offer one BIG- and pleasing- perk: "free wine with dinner". It's the "little things" like that that make a cruise truly enjoyable, and not being "nickle-and-dimed-to-death" for wine is definitely one of them!
 

Charboneau's Cookbook & Pralines...

and chocolate strawberries-VERY nice things to find in our stateroom!

Below deck, learning about the boat from the crew!

The original 1926 steam engine!

The Captain (on the left)- playing with the band!

Civil War historic presentations...

Great period music!

And excellent musical entertainment!

One of THE coolest things is when they put the smokestacks down in order to allow the boat to pass under the bridges...

Fear not- Elisse is at the wheel! LOL

 This was EXTREMELY cool- one of the most interesting and "funnest" things about a river cruise down the Mississippi!

The North & The South have made peace! At the Vicksburg Museum

Magnificent Tiffany stained glass at Vicksburg's Church of the Holy Trinity

USS Cairo Iron-Clad Civil War Boat- Vicksburg, Mississippi

Dan- about to set off war at Vicksburg!

Docked in Natchez- right by the pub! :-)

At Frogmore Cotton Plantation

Elisse, learning to pick cotton! At Frogmore Cotton Plantation

At Frogmore Cotton Plantation

Leaving Natchez on the river... You do NOT get to see this if you fly in!

At the Charboneau Distillery in Natchez, with Mr. Charboneau himself!

The wonderful Kings Tavern bartender making me a unique smoked cocktail!

Leaving Natchez- & the fun historic pub Natchez Under-The-Hill Saloon!

Our cruise went from Memphis, Tennessee down to New Orleans, Louisiana, with a number of stops along the way, and some of the cool things we got to do included a visit to the Charboneau Distillery in Natchez to taste their rum, and then having a yummy bite of the famed Brisket Flatbread at its sister restaurant next door, the historic King's Tavern, where the wonderful bartender made me a fabulous smoked craft cocktail! Yes, we bought the local spirits there, and later that evening, before we left Natchez, found the fab & historic Natchez Under the Hill Saloon, which dates from the late 1700s, and has been a brothel, a bar, a warehouse, and a general store! We took AQ's included Civil War tour of Vicksburg National Military Park and the USS Cairo Iron Clad River Boat, (which is amazing to actually see, up close and personal!), and also had time to see the incredible Civil War collection at the Old Courthouse Museum,  and the truly magnificent Tiffany stained glass windows at the Church of the Holy Trinity, as well as the fun Biendemham Coca Cola Museum AND the great little Depot Museum!
We  enjoyed a delish lunch at the Magnolia Cafe in  St. Francisville, LA, and had time to wander and explore the town and its museums and shops. And we took a really cool "Swamp Tour" in Lousiana, as well, and got to see an incredible swamp cemetery dating from 1915 AND cuddle and pet a gator! :-)

The historic Natchez Under the Hill Saloon

At Po' Boy Lloyd's for soft-shell crab & rabbit sausage Po' Boys...

Baton Rouge, LA

Baton Rouge, LA

Dan & Gator, in a LA swamp! :-)

Gator in the LA swamp!

The AQ in port

At Club Ebony in Indanola, Mississippi:- yummy tamales! :-)

Music (& dancing!) at Club Ebony, Indianola, Mississippi

At the BB King Museum, Indianola, Mississippi

The AQ in port...

Civil War gun & cannon-firing demo at Port Hudson, LA

Magnolia Cafe, St. Francisville, LA

We met so many really nice people and truly had a lot of fun on this cruise! We would LOVE to be able to take the 23-day American Queen cruise from Minneapolis to NOLA- THAT is THE American River Cruise to beat all!!!

How's my neck?! I used RoC MULTI CORREXION 5-in-1 Chest, Neck & Face Cream...

After 2 weeks with Roc Multi Correxion 5-in-1

Thanks to being a member of Crowdtap, I was able to sample RoC® MULTI CORREXION® 5 in 1 Chest, Neckand Face Cream, and I have been using it for for two weeks now, with excellent results! Having done "before and after" photos, I can honestly and seriously say that my skin looks much better, ESPECIALLY on my neck- that is where I truly see a great, positive difference! My neck is smooth now (I'm 56 and definitely had a "wrinkly issue"), not dry, and much more even-toned, with none of the red, blotchy discolorations I had before, and I love it! I have no problem now wearing more "open" tops, which is a great feeling! I did "before and after" photos, so I could see if I had any real, visible results, and I have to say I'm really impressed- and will keep using it!  

Before starting to use Roc Multi Correxion 5-in-1

My one issue with the product is that I do NOT like using SPF chemicals on my skin and they are not needed in this cream. The cream actually has 4 of them: Avobenzone 2%, Homosalate 4%, Octisalate 4%, and Octocrylene 2%.  UCK! The skin is the largest organ of the body, and I prefer to use as few chemicals on it as possible, and as these four are truly NOT needed in this product, I am hoping Roc will come out with a version of this cream that doesn't have any of those chemicals. When I reviewed Roc Multi Correxion 5-in-1 Chest Neck & Face Cream online I gave it 4 stars for that reason- if not for that, I would have given it 5 stars.

RoC® MULTI CORREXION® 5 in 1 Chest, Neck and Face Cream is a smooth, rich, yet light cream, that goes on smoothly and is absorbed well; I use it after my RoC^® RETINOL CORREXION^® Deep Wrinkle Serum in the morning. (I also use it on the back of my hands, and they are much more even-toned as well- they were quite red and blotchy). Roc Multi Correxion 5 in 1 cream utilizes "HEXINOL^® Technology", to strive to improve a wide range of aging issues, including fine lines and wrinkles, loss of firmness and elasticity, loss of radiance, and evenness of skin tone.

I found the biggest benefits to me were with regards to lines and wrinkles on my neck and chest, and evenness of skin tone. Roc promises it will give visible improvement in as little as 4 weeks, and as I have seen results in only two weeks, I do want to stick with it! The other great thing is it's only $28.99, and readily available at places like Walmart, Walgreen's, CVS, and & Drugstore.com, and  not some $400 cream, so you can afford to give it a shot! For more info on the product, go to the Roc skincare website and the Roc Multi Correxion 5 in 1 Chest Neck and Face Cream page.

Let me know what you think of the product in the comments- have you had success with it, too? What other products do you use with it?

Elisse colors her hair- successfully!- with Garnier Color Sensation!

The gray roots are totally gone & my hair is actually shiny!

I haven't dared to color my hair myself in YEARS- basically because every time I did it was a disaster! The worst part was always the straw-like texture of my hair after I'd colored it- not to mention odd, brassy color, and poor gray coverage. So I usually have it colored at an Aveda Salon, where I know I will be happy with the results! But we live in the Extremely Rural West Virginia mountains, and I can't always get to a salon when I want... and I Hate when the gray starts showing! Thanks to being a "Crowdtapper" on www.crowdtap.com, I learned about Garnier Color Sensation hair color, and because of the "multi-dimensional pigments and precious oils" and 100% gray coverage, I really wanted to try it, as it seemed like it just might be The right home hair color... So when I had the opportunity to sample it, I jumped at the chance! And I have to say I am VERY pleased! I had had high hopes that because of the oils it would leave my hair silky and shiny, and it truly did- if anything my hair feels and looks BETTER now than before I colored it, and that is Truly a first! I am a total klutz when it comes to this kind of thing, but this is truly easy to apply, and there's no unpleasant chemical smell, it took all of 25 minutes, and it TOTALLY covered all my gray roots!

Garnier Color Sensations 3.26 Deep Burgundy

I used Color Sensation 3.26 Deep Burgundy, and I was quite pleased with the color, which looks quite natural, and is basically identical to the color I had done at Aveda 3 months ago. If anything I wish the color was even more intense! And, as I said above, the best thing was how shiny and soft my hair is- a total first for me with ANY home hair color! Now all I have to do is get another good cut & style- and I saved about $170! :-) Two thumbs up for Garnier!

As you can see, I have had Many different hair colors over the years!

Chef Dan Smokes- with a CaveTools Smoker Box!

Chef Dan does a lot of smoked meats at the Elkhorn Inn, both for us and our guests, and his smoked lamb chops, ribs, duck, pork loin, and salmon are pretty amazing, if I say so myself! He even does a smoked Cajun Beer Can Chicken! Although we do have two gas grills, he usually winds up using our trusty old charcoal grill as a smoker- even in the freezing cold of a West Virginia mountain winter!  (Yes, he is smokin' in the snow in that photo!) So we were Very pleased to be able to test the Smoker Box from CaveTools.com, and found it truly to be of great value!

The Cave Tools Smoker Box is simple enough to use: it’s a well-made, sturdy, stainless steel box (3” wide, 9” long, and 1 ½” deep) with a hinged lid that has holes for the smoke to escape, and it holds two cups of the wood chips that will turn your gas or charcoal grill into a real, live smoker! It holds plenty of chips, but its relatively small size means that it will fit perfectly between “flavorizer bars” and the grill grate, or directly on top of the charcoal, depending on what kind of a grill you have, and it’s sturdy enough that it won’t warp from the heat. You can easily lift the lid to add more wood chips, too. One of the best things about the Smoker Box is that it has no holes on the bottom, so the wood chips won’t catch fire- they’ll continue to smolder instead of burning, like good little wood chips should! No “instructions” come with it, but that’s not so terrible: you simply put the soaked wood chips in the box, and put it on the grill!

One of the coolest things about the CaveTools Smoker Box is that it comes with a special website link that has a 30-page Barbecue Recipe Book, as well as a Meat Smoking Guide, that lists the times and temperatures for different meats, as well as the flavor profiles for different kinds of wood chips, so you can decide what you want to use, depending on what meat or fowl or fish you are preparing. We’ve collected a lot of recipe info over the years that Dan has been a chef, but this Guide was new to us and of Great value!  The list of wood chips alone made us long to try ones we haven’t yet used!

Cave Tools also has a GREAT YouTube page, with 100s of excellent BBQ video tutorials: https://www.youtube.com/user/GrillBrush  I spent Hours pouring over their videos, which cover basically everything you’ve Ever wanted to know about grilling, smoking and BBQing!

Chef Dan likes to use Hickory (“Sweet to Strong with Heavy Bacon Flavor”) and Mesquite (“Earthy Smoke Flavor”) wood chips, as well as Jack Daniel's Whiskey Barrel Oak chips and for smoking chicken breasts and riblets, he used the Jack Daniels chips. He first soaked the chips in water for ½ hour, and then placed them in the Smoker Box, and put the smoker box on the grill- he used our Weber Gas Grill.

Chef Dan also likes to use a variety of Rubs and Mops, which he makes up himself, depending on what he’s smoking. For his smoked lamb chop racks, for example, he’ll coat them with olive oil and a mixture of Italian herbs, wrap them in Saran Wrap, and let them marinate in the fridge overnight. He’ll then “mop” them periodically, as they smoke, with a mix of coffee and wine and spices. Rubs and mops are where you can really get creative!

For the smoked chicken breasts he mopped them with Korean BBQ Sauce, and the riblets he coated with olive oil and mixed Italian herbs before placing them on the grill. Then he tucked the Smoker Box under the grill rack, shut the grill and let 'em smoke! Easy-Peasy!

Chef Dan, smokin' in the snow- at night, no less!

Our Weber Grill, with the Smoker Box on the left, under the grill rack

 The Smoker Box is quite inexpensive, and with all the cool stuff you get to go along with it, it’s quite the bargain! AND, for my loyal readers, I have a special coupon that will get you an ADDITIONAL 15% off when you purchase it on Amazon! 15% Off Amazon.com Coupon Code: TJ4VTYCS

It also comes with a LIFETIME SATISFACTION GUARANTEE, so if, at any point, you are unhappy with your Smoker Box, you can return it for a full money back refund! They REALLY take Customer Service seriously- which we love!

Smoking, BTW, is for WAY more than ribs and burgers! There are tons of really delicious "foodie" things you can do with a Smoking Box:  

Herb-Rubbed Smoked Ribs

Smoked "Lacquered" Duck

Smoked Pork Tenderloin with a Chilean Quince-Merken Glaze

Herb-Rubbed Smoked Cornish Game Hens

Chef Dan with his Smoked "Cajun Beer Can Chicken"

Herb-Rubbed Smoked Lamb Chops

Salmon, smoked on a wood plank, and Smoked Corn on the Cob

For more information on the Smoker Box, you can see it on Amazon.com here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B011VJ51J8/ref=sr_1_23?ie=UTF8&sr=8-32&me=A3IEEDMWTA8OSP&keywords=smoker+box&linkCode=as2&tag=hyacinth18-20  

and on the CaveTools.com website here: http://cavetools.com/products/smoker-box-wood-chips/?utm_source=Blogger&utm_medium=Review&utm_campaign=SmokerBox   

They have a lot of other cool BBQ tools, too, so this really Is the place you want to go for your BBQ needs- and for great gifts for the Grill Master in your life!  

Let me know in the comments what YOU like to smoke- and how you do it!