4.27.14 - 5.6.14 Florida & Louisiana

4.27.14 – 4.29.14  -  Blackwater River State Park:  This State Park is in the Florida Panhandle, 30 miles Northeast of Pensacola.  We pulled in Sunday afternoon after a few hours driving under clouds and just a small amount of rain. Monday was a “work” day, as we did a WalMart run 15 miles away to Crestview, FL which is also our legal address and where all our mail is sent.  The mail service then forwards to whatever address we request. Since we were close, we picked up our mail and were able to see for the first time the physical address which is on our drivers license and voter registration card..  Today was also Laundry Day, so we found a Laundromat using the GPS and did the deed in about 2 hours.  While the laundry was drying, I spotted the courthouse down the street and walked over and arranged for absentee ballots to be sent so we could vote next November via mail from Arizona. 

4.30.14 – 5.2.14  Tuesday morning we left Blackwater and drove to Fontainebleau State Park, 24 miles across Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans.  After we got set up, we turned on the TV and heard that the heavy rains which we seemed to escape, had inundated Pensacola to Crestview, caused flooding and forced the closing of Blackwater State Park, where we were just a few hours earlier, as well as several roads we used to access the park.  I-10 was also closed down in both directions due to a fiery truck crash on a bridge.  I guess it was my great planning that got us out in the nick of time.

On Wednesday we crossed Lake Pontchartrain via the 24 miles causeway that passes the middle of the lake into New Orleans for a toll of $3.00.  The causeway is a four lane (2 lanes each direction) concrete highway that isn’t very smooth.  Where the concrete slabs join there is a little hump that in our heavy duty truck we’re getting a little bounce every second for 24 miles. It got a little annoying, but the alternative is to drive around the lake which would add 45 minutes to the trip. 

We’ve been to New Orleans a number of times, so our routine is to first find a place to park, which we do on a side street a few miles away from town just off Canal Street. We then take the Canal Street trolley into town and spend the afternoon walking around the French Quarter, Jefferson Square and enjoying the local food. 

This trip, we were verbally accosted twice by local drunks. The first was a young man on the sidewalk who out of the blue extended his middle finger stating F*** You, over and over as we walked by.  Just an hour later in Jefferson Square we were sitting on a bench and the young man on the bench jumped up and did a very similar thing and then rode away on his bicycle.  Weird people here.

New Orleans Selfie - Do these people appear threatening?

Lake Pontchartrain on the beach at Fontainebleau State Park

Jackson Square - New Orleans. Ask her about your future

Jackson Square Sites

 

Trolley on Canal Street


 

Bourbon Street - Wall to wall people at night 

 

5.2.14 – 5.4.14 – Chicot State Park near Ville Platte, LA.  -  The weather has been great since we left Florida. We left New Orleans very satisfied (Great food & good time) and travelled Northwest to another Louisiana State Park; Chicot State Park.  After arriving and setting up, we discovered that in our campground loop this weekend was an annual Dutch Oven Gathering (DOG) of the Louisiana Dutch Oven Society.  They were serving jambalaya to anyone who wanted it (we had just finished our dinner) prepared in their Dutch Ovens.  We were not hungry and were a bit late to partake, but it was a nice gesture of them to invite all campers.

5.4.14 – 5.6.14 – Caddo Lake State Park, Karnack, TX:  As I write this update, we are just a few miles from the Louisiana/Texas State line.  This area is still a lot like Louisiana with the swamps, alligators, and here, more poison ivy than I have ever seen. We don’t dare get off the pavement as the poison ivy is everywhere – on trees, tree stumps, growing in the weeds all over the place.  Otherwise, this is a really nice park.

 

Our Home at Caddo Lake

This is Texas - Feels like Florida