We found warmth!

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Feb 2nd: We got up early to finish packing the Motor home. It always seems to take longer than expected to get going. We finally got on the road at 11:07AM. The roads were dry, although occasionally there were some snow showers. We stopped in Dayton, Ohio and George met with Paul S. a fraternity brother. We continued driving until midnight and made it to mile 60 of I65 Kentucky.

Feb 3rd: Colder this morning than yesterday. Ate breakfast at Stan’s: country ham, eggs and biscuits. Today as we drove it got less cold, but not yet able to call it warm. The surprise of the day was the rest area/information center when we entered Alabama. There was a 224 foot Saturn 1B rocket on display on the grounds! Still not ready to stop the drive south to warmer weather. George says:
“ Asphalt is black,
Concrete is grey,
Those are my favorite colors today.”

Feb 4th: Spent last night in the Walmart parking lot in Meridian, Mississippi. Continued our drive south until we reached the information center when we entered Louisiana. It finally felt warm! The temperature was around 60 degrees in New Orleans, compared to negative 4 degrees in Michigan that morning. They were very helpful at the information center and we decided to stay at the Fontainebleau State Park near Mandeville on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain. The Tammany Trace is a Rails to Trail that runs through the park. The Trace is 31 miles long and paved.

Feb 5th: We drove to Big Marsh National Wildlife Refuge and saw two pelicans diving for fish. It was interesting how they were coordinating their flying and diving. Maybe they were practicing for some type of Olympic pairs competition They do look somewhat prehistoric in the air. Later we biked the Tammany Trace from our campground to the harbor in Mandeville. It was great to see a liquid non frozen lake, smell and see colorful flowers, walk on green grass and enjoy outdoor activities without freezing.

Feb 6th: Today’s activity was to go into New Orleans. We’ve never been there before and have only been exposed to it on the news. I felt a little apprehension as we headed across the causeway. We had a wonderful time walking around the French Quarter. We stopped by the National Jazz Museum, ate Beignets and drank café au lait at Café Du Monde while sitting outside listening to street musicians. We wandered over to Bourbon street. What started out as a relatively quick visit, ended with us still there at dinner time. We settled on sharing two different dinners, so we could enjoy a wider variety. We shared Jambalaya and Crawfish Chicken and then headed back to the RV after a very enjoyable day. We talked about coming back another day, as there was still more we would have enjoyed seeing.

Misc: We hadn’t planned to stay in Louisiana, it was only a place to go through to get to where we were going. We were both surprised by our decision to camp a couple nights on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, but that could be explained by the weather finally being warm. We have been impressed by the pleasantness and helpfulness of the people we have met. The facilities at the campground are great. We have water and electric and the cost was $16 regular, but $8 with the National Parks Golden Access Passport. Our original decision was to stay 2 nights, but due to having so much fun and such a positive experience, we’ve extended our stay a few more days. It has been interesting to hear on the news programs the plans and count-down to the Mardi Gras. It has been fun to see various decorations in preparation for the event. This is a bigger event than I realized and goes on for a longer period of time than I imagined.

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Photos

George in New Orleans
Jackson Square near Cafe du Monde

Comments

[Cindy H,]

Southern heat!
Looks like your having a ball! So glad you are getting a chance to share the warmth. Great pics, fun to see, esp. the Pelicans! Continue to relax and enjoy as you explore and travel. You all deserve to enjoy your getaway and time! Hope the fur kids are having fun too! Cyn.