Grand Isle State Park - Louisiana - Happy Thanksgiving!

Wednesday - Sunday, November 23-27, 2016
It's time to meet up with Michelle & Tom, our new camper friends from NH, at Grand Isle State Park. We met Michelle & Tom at Dauphin Island and they were the ones to tell us about Grand Isle.  They remind me a little bit of Maryanne & Jeffrey, my sister and brother-in-law.

We took a ferry across the Mighty Mississippi, Alex's first ferry ride.  Wilson was also excited by this ride because we were able to cross for free due to his now advanced age :)  There are some perks to growing old....I may have already said that previously, but really we must keep reminding ourselves of them.
                                                     

Again, the cost of the campground is $20/night.  The sites are lined up in a row, with a little green space between them, but really no sense of privacy.  What is really nice is that they are all pull through sites, making it easier to park Alex.  What is really not nice is that the place is swarming with mosquitoes. In fact they were spraying something to try to control them, which can't really be good for us.

We had our first social gathering with Michelle & Tom in our Clam (canopy).  Jim Beam, wine, cheese, pepperoni, & crackers, veggies & dip, and pretzels.  Nothing fancy, but it was nice....that is until they started spraying and Michelle was concerned about her cat, which she had left outside.  We went to put her back in the their camper and came upon another cat attacking their cat...Michelle was understandably shaken, but I think the cat will be fine.  She has a bit of a limp but no puncture wounds.  Needless to say our evening was cut short.

We spent our Thanksgiving here.  We had a rotisserie chicken (bought), mashed potatoes (instant), stuffing (Stove-Top), gravy (packet), brussel sprouts, and sweet potato (both of which I actually cooked). As you can see from my plate, I think we did pretty well.  It was delicious too!
                                                     
I thought that the holiday would be difficult but it really wasn't, at least for me.  I'm exactly where I want to be and am thankful for that.  I'm thankful for my family as well, but as I continue to say, life changes.  This holiday not only affects my sisters, brother-in-laws, and kids it also affected my Uncle Tom and Burke cousins, as they always came to VT for Thanksgiving.  New traditions are being made.  I spoke to both kids and all three of my sisters.  In fact, when I spoke to Theresa she mentioned that this was the first family holiday that she has ever hosted at her house...I didn't really think about it in those terms as we've always celebrated at my mother's house (even after her passing). I think she was excited to host.

While here we also went for a drive to explore the area.  There really isn't much here although I think it is a very touristy area.  I think most people come here to fish on the Gulf of Mexico.  We've seen a lot of regular folks fishing, as well as commercial fishing boats.
       
While on our little trip we did see a couple of dolphins and a pelican eating fish guts thrown into the marina by the fisherman.  Of course by the time I got close enough to take a video the pelican was gone and the dolphins were not as visible....but if you look closely you'll see one surface.

                                                                             
Just to give you a bit of an idea of delta environment I took the following video as we crossed the Leeville Toll Bridge ($3.50 car $4.50 car & trailer).  This bridge must have been about 8 miles long.

                                 
Leave St. Bernard - 10:15 am (Wilson picked up gas at Walmart in St. Bernard Parrish before leaving $2.74/gal)
Rte. 39S►3137►Ferry Ride - Plaquemines Pride)►428W (La Palco Blvd.- to avoid New Orleans traffic)►90W►1S - 1/2 Hour stop at Walmart in Raceland, LA to pick up groceries (really not a bad place to shop) prior to going over the toll bridge
Arrive Grand Isle - 2:30 pm
Miles traveled - Approx. 140-150 - I'm a Slacker, I didn't write it down.....again

St. Bernard State Park - Louisiana

Sunday - Wednesday, November 20 - 23, 2016
Life in the city was a lot of fun, but like all good things it must end.  We splurged while we were there, staying at a hotel and eating out.  We certainly spent more than our daily budget while there, so it was time to move back to the camper.

We had made reservation online for a three night stay at the St. Bernard State Park, not far from New Orleans.  The park was so darn sweet, I could have stayed easily stayed longer.  It wasn't crowded at all and the sites were spread out in a way that it didn't feel cramped.  In fact, our spot had a very big green space attached to it.  The only downfall was that the parking space was under some sort of black acorn tree (or would that be oak tree?) and the damn things would drop on the camper creating a very loud sound..almost like someone threw a ball at us.  We've experienced these trees throughout our journey.  Camping here costs $20/night.

There is a little nature trail here at the campground that we walked.  There were a lot of mosquitoes, but we managed ok.  Dealing them was worth it when we came across an armadillo.  We saw him clearly, but he did his best to hide once he came upon us.  We weren't able to get a good picture, but see if you can find him in the larger picture below.  If you can't, I've added a smaller picture where I've outlined him (freehand no less :)) which might help you see him.  The tail is the most visible piece to me.
   

While here we took a day trip to explore the delta, going as far as the road would allow.  We ended up in Venice, LA.  The Delta National Wildlife Refuge is located there, unfortunately you can only get to it with a boat.  We did see quite a bit of bird activity.

  
                               

Did you see the fish that the bird had up in the tree?  Pretty cool!

We stopped at Fort Jackson (Civil War), a long forgotten fort that is for the most part a pile of bricks. The fort is surrounded by wire fence so we didn't get to go in.  It may be open during the summer, it's hard to know, but even if it is there isn't much to see (researching fort I found out it was hit hard by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which badly damaged and destroyed many of the exhibits and left the site structurally damaged after sitting in water for six weeks).  There was a Visitor Center as well which was closed. Of course there were some other things there that we saw including a plaque commemorating the location of the first Mardi Gras across the river from the fort in what was called Bayou Mardi Gras back in 1699.  There was also a monument commemorating Cavelier La Salle (1640-1687), a very early explorer of this region. The pictures below show the monument progressively closer.  Check out the large ship on the Mississippi and Wilson's ode to the Seinfield episode where he was just itching his nose in the car...No disrespect was intended in the publications of these photos :)

                                                                       
                                                             

While driving we were seeing signs for Satsuma and Boudin at the little roadside stands.  We finally stopped at one to see what they were advertising.  A satsuma is a citrus fruit that is sort of like a clementine.  The peel is very loose and there are little to no seeds.  We bought a few of them along with some Kirby Cucumbers to snack on.  The stand we stopped at did not have Boudin, but we were told it was a type of sausage that basically combines sausage with a Cajun rice mixture placed into the sausage casing.  We found some while grocery shopping and Wilson grilled it up.  It was interesting for sure.

Leave New Orleans - 12:30 pm
Rte. 90E►I10E►39S►46►39S
Arrive St. Bernard State Park 1:20 pm
Miles Traveled - Approx. 40 (I forgot to write it down)

Happy Birthday Wilson!

Happy Birthday from Louis  (play me)

                                                         

Louis pitching a laxative :) and his last trumpet (Old Mint Musuem - 2nd floor)

More Pictures

   

                         


                           

                                               
Photo 1-3 - Garden District
Photo 4 - French Quarter (probably Bourban Street)
Photo 5 - French Market District (lots of booths with arts & food etc.)
Photo 6 - Frenchmen Street - Outside a liquor store
Photo 7-10 - French Quarter - Toulouse Street - if you like raw oysters, this is the place to go, they were delicious!
Photo 11 - New Orleans at night - this photo was taken as we walked from Frenchmen Quarter to/thru the French Quarter - based on the architecture I would say closer to Bourbon Street

New Orleans in Pictures

First 5 photos are taken in the French Quarter - walking along Bourban street & others.  The Church is St. Louis Cathedral, which is located in Jackson Square.
Photo 6 Frenchmen Street - Up and coming area filled with lots of music & restaurants
Last 5 Photos are taken in the Garden District - Including the Commander Palace (bright blue) and Lafayette Cemetery.

  

       


  

   

Why Hello New Orleans!

Thursday - Sunday, November 17-20, 2016
We are staying outside of the city, but within the public transportation system.  One of the things that Wilson and I enjoy is experiencing what it's like to travel via buses, subways, etc.  Travelling via the system allows us to avoid the headaches of finding parking, it's cheaper, and in this case it allows us both to drink :)  It also allows for a different sense of the city and the people who live there.  If you never travel this way, I suggest you do so.

New Orleans is like nothing that I've ever experienced.  As we hit Canal & Bourbon Streets, I made the comparison (at least of how in awe I was) of my first time in Atlantic City.  For the first half hour I think I was walking around with my mouth wide open and my eyes focused on everything and anything...except of course the road.  On more than one occasion Wilson needed to pull me back prior to stepping out in traffic :)

We spent two days downtown.  The first day, we meandered around the French Quarter without any specific plan, soaking up the sites.  In our meandering we met a very nice Australian couple, while having coffee and beignets (fried dough).  We also met a guy from Franklin county (VT) who lives in TX now and was there with a bunch of his buddies for his bachelor party.  Random really...we had to use the restroom, so we stopped by Good Friends bar for a beverage so that we could use the restroom...

The place is like no other - we were shocked when ordering a libation whether or not it was for here or to go...crazy.  You can also drink very cheaply if you look around.  The best deal we found was 2 - 12oz cans of Yuengling for just $3.

One talks about Las Vegas as being filled with temptation but I don't think it really compares to New Orleans.  Not only does New Orleans tempt people I think that it also creates an environment that allows one to recognize, acknowledge, accept, and "feed" their dark sides.  This could be very dangerous for some...

The second day we started in the Garden District where we visited Lafayette Cemetery and walked around looking at the lovely homes.  We also walked by the Commanders Palace which is in this district.  We took a streetcar to the River Walk and down to Frenchmen Street.  Down there we visited the Old Mint which is now a museum housing money making machines and a music history museum on the second floor.  We also went to the French Market, which is a large Art Market, with a wide variety of items ranging from chatchkis (sp?) and handmade arts.

You can't talk about New Orleans w/o discussing the music...it's everywhere on the streets, restaurants, and clubs.  There was a lot down on Frenchmen Street, which is kind of the up and coming hippster place.  The Spotted Cat bar reminded me of something that you would see in Montpelier.

                                          

On the road to New Orleans!

Thursday, November 17, 2016
Dauphin Island was a good overnight stop.  It provided a nice break for us.  Here we also met Michelle and her husband (actually Wilson met the husband but I only met Michelle), who are on a similar journey and are from New Hampshire.  They will be at the St. Bernard State Park at the same time that we are and they have invited us to head over to Grand Isle State Park after that.  We have no plans between St. Bernard & our next pet/house sitting gig in TX, so we will probably head there...Michelle was really nice, she's from New England, and there's a Grand Isle in VT, so once again, it seems to be a sign for us.
We left Dauphin Island after a pleasant cup of coffee and a stroll through the Audubon Bird Sanctuary, which was adjacent to the campground.  There we met some nice folks from IL.  We are beginning to meet more and more people who are doing what we are doing and they appear more engaging.  I'm not sure if there is more engagement because of them or because of me, perhaps a little of both.
As we are drove along we saw several things that were interesting, among the most notable was a man rolling a cross along the shoulder of the road.  The cross was at least 10 feet long and was on wheels.  Shortly before that we saw a man in the middle of the road who seemed a bit off, we speculated he was also sharing "the word" and imagined a bit of a face-off when they met...Have we been on the road too long?  We also saw a couple of signs that MS has placed on their roadside that caused us to question what they meant - Mississippi Gulf Coast A Certified Retirement Region and Welcome to Mississippi - Birthplace of America's Music.  I looked online for explanations of both those signs...appears there is some contention from Louisiana regarding birthplace of the blues...as for the retirement sign, seems there are a lot of retirement communities and that the state worked with the Dept. of Transportation to acknowledge...
Great music playing based on our travels - Paul Simon's Graceland (Mississippi Delta shining like a National guitar..) and That Was Your Mother (Standing on the corner in Lafayette, state of Louisiana...Catching a little of those Cajun girls dancing the Zydeco...).  We also listened to some blues as we entered New Orleans; Keb'Mo, BB King, & yes WC Handy.  A special thanks to Joe for giving us his old I-Pod, which has an eclectic array of music.

Leave Dauphin Island - 10:23 am
Rte. - 193N►188W►90W►607N►I10
Gas - Clark's Shell (90W), Bay Saint Louis, MS - $1.85/gal
Arrive New Orleans (actually Marrero, LA) 2:35 pm
Miles Travelled - 165.4

Happy Birthday W.C. Handy!

November 16, 2016
Dinner last night was at BB Kings Blues Cafe where they have a mural depicting Muscle Shoals, The Almond Brothers Band, Aretha Franklin, and W.C. Handy - all of which are in/from Alabama.  Of course that leads to the question of who the heck is W.C. Handy?  Now I've heard his name in the song Walking in Memphis and really never thought about it...but with smart phone in hand, I had the tools to Google him.

W.C. Handy is an American composer and musician, known as  the "Father of the Blues". He did not create the blues genre, rather he is credited with giving it it's contemporary form and expanding it from a regional style of music to a national form....And it just so happens that 11/16 is his birthday, so.....Happy Birthday W.C!  Thanks for giving us the Blues!

Today we jumped in the car without having a real plan as to where we would end up.  We knew that we wanted to head closer to New Orleans and would like to stay close to the Gulf region.  We have ended up at Dauphin Island at the Gulf of Mexico. Dauphin Island, Alabama

Dauphin Island is sweet...it's resorty, but not overly resorty if you know what I mean.  I get a sense based on signage and general feel that it still maintains a certain small town feel to it.  Of course it is November and not the height of the season so I really can't be too sure.

Leave Atmore, GA 8:50 am
Rte. 65S►10W►188►193 (and a bit of here & there)
Arrive Dauphin Island Campground 12:30 pm
Miles Travelled - 109.5

Walmart "Camping" and more...

November 14-15, 2016
We left Columbia at 3:30 pm, our latest start yet. We planned three travel days to get to New Orleans just so we wouldn't be rushed. As you may or may not know there are many Walmarts that allow overnight camping. It's just a parking lot but if you are in route somewhere and need just a place to crash it's pretty handy. It's smart on their end as well because inevitably you buy something, which of course I did. So if one were to be literal than it really isn't "free" parking.

   

After our night at Walmart, we had breakfast at the Waffle House.  Apparently waffle and pancake houses are big in the south because we've seen a lot of them.  Of course, I'm an excellent target for marketing (even though I realize what's happening) because I have been jonesing for pancakes or waffles....The experience was like walking on to the set of Alice - I was transported to Mel's Diner, without the Flo and Kissing of Grits.  The cook station was right across from the breakfast bar where we sat and it was a show...It was busy and there were no visuals of tickets being passed to the cooks...what there was, was a lot of hollered out orders of smothered this and that...It was throughly entertaining.

Wilson also found that there were casinos who let you park overnight for "free" as well. We stopped at the Wind Creek Casino in Atmore, Alabama. Apparently Alabama doesn't allow regular gambling but they do allow Bingo. The casino only has slots and each one has electronic Bingo cards associated with it so that they can be technically playing that game while playing the slots. I'm not sure how that exactly works but it must be a giant loophole.

   

We promptly "paid" for our parking slots, as much as we were willing to lose, then went to the movies and dinner.  All of which were here in the facility...I didn't even mention the arcade or bowling alley 😎.  We each received a $10 food voucher for setting up a rewards account. We also will be able to get matching free play for our losses over $75 later this week. What a lure to get us back.

I again go back to marketing efforts...Within the casino the same songs seemed to keep playing..or at least the Electric Slide song was playing every other song...I'm sure there are studies that point out patterns and associatied responses to various stimuli etc...but I just felt like they were taking a page out of Ground Hog Day...repetition...listen to Electric Slide - put my quarter in - play the slot - repeat.

Our reservation in New Orleans is for 11/17 so we have another day of winging it. We will head toward the water and figure out our next night of lodging later. Until then....

Leave Columbia 3:25 pm
Rte. - I20 ►285S►85S
Gas - QT (Quick Trip) Exit 93 (I85) Covingtown, GA - $2.14/gal
Arrive - Newman, GA - Exit 47 (I85) - 8:05 pm
Miles travelled - 246

Leave Newman, GA 9:35 am
Rte. - 85S ►65S
NEW TIME ZONE - 10:25 am - Central Time - Mile Marker 74 (I85 in Alabama shortly after the Georgia border) - The magic of cell phones because they fell back an hour all on their own...It's like daylight savings time all over again.
Arrive Atmore, AL 12:50 pm (1:150 pm EST) - Exit 57
Miles travelled - 244

Bonnie Raitt and John Prine sing Angel in Montgomery - Wilson's choice as we pass Montgomery, AL today.

One thing to mention is that there are wild fires burning in the northern mountains of GA as well as in the Great Smokies in NC.  While driving in GA and AL you could smell the smoke even though it was miles and miles away...Nature is a powerful thing - I know I've heard that they suspect arson, but if that is how it was started, it is nature that feeds it and is why they continue to burn.

Columbia Reflections - Farewell

November 14, 2016
Today we will leave Columbia and head toward New Orleans.  I even believe that we will stay in our first Walmart parking lot tonight :)

Columbia is a great city!  It is easy to get around and there is so much to do.  It's a college town for sure and I usually don't like college towns -- I have never liked all the teeny boppers, even when I was considered one....imagine how I might feel as a middle aged woman :)  Although the city is defined a great deal by the university it is more than that.  Culturally you can enjoy concerts, traveling broadway plays and all of the other things a larger city has to offer.  The thing that sets Columbia apart, in my experience, is that feels inclusive.  I say this specifically around my experiences around the university activities...for a week I was a Gamecock.  Even when I was going to UVM I never felt a part of that school experience.  There is a passion here that is infectious and I was very happy to have been infected by it, even for a short time.

If only it was by the ocean......I could see myself living here.

Goodbye Columbia, I'll miss you!

Capitol Building

Representation of Slave Boat

Star represents Cannon Shell from Civil War

A Horse's Ass :)