Grand Isle, Louisiana

First of all, we didn't go to Baton Rouge. Instead, we decided at the last minute to go to Lafayette, Louisiana. That's the beauty about this lifestyle. Nothing is really concrete. We go where the urge drives us at the time.

In Lafayette, we found the Acadiana Park Camp Grounds, a city park. So, maybe we were really in Acadiana. It was hard to find. But, give it to Jerry, for he didn't give up. I was ready to head on over to the KOA that we had passed earlier. So glad that we didn't because this city park was a gem.

Can you find us in this park???

Here is a closer look. Yes, we were in a flood area.

But, there was no rain in the forecast.

Again, there were nice walking paths in the woods.

And bridges.

We stayed there for two nights at only $15 a night with 50 amp electricity and water. Then, on Monday, March 4, we drove to Grand Isle, Louisiana. We drove down on Highway 49 which was terrible. In fact, Jerry's muffler came loose, and he lost his special rear license plate on the RV when we crossed a bridge that we should never have been on. But, the good old GPS told us to go that way -- and we did.

So now that we made it, we are hanging  out on an island in the Gulf that is about 54 miles straight south of New Orleans ("as the crow flies").

This was the last of the many bridges we took

to get to Grand Isle, Louisiana.

Coming off of a bridge you can see where

one of the hurricanes that affect this island 

took out part of the road.

(These pictures were taken from the RV.)

Guess you'd say that we passed through lots 

of swamp areas.

Grand Isle is small, about 6 square miles. It's population is about 1,300, but can grow up to 20,000 in the summertime with the tourists. It is the fourth largest fishing area in the world with 280 species of fish. Being in the Gulf, it certainly gets affected by the hurricanes, including Katrina, Rita and Gustav in the past. The island is long (about 7 miles) and only a half mile to a mile wide. It has a Subway, one grocery/appliance store and two gas stations, plus a few other small businesses - no banks.

We are staying at the Island House RV Park.

It is small with only about 20 sites. It's owners

(Michelle and Lenny) are wonderful hosts.

Nearly every house is raised on stilts, 

including mobile homes. (Pat and Bill, 

how about moving here???)

And, every house has its own name. This

one is: "Good-bye Tension. Hello Pension."

Some of the other names that we saw while walking around the island are: "It's Our Dream," "Good Enough," "Worth the Wait," "Past Time," "For the Good Times," "Poverty Point," "Somewhere in Time," "Recovery Room," "Therapy," "Making Memories," "Crab Rehab," and "Dream Come True."

You can go down to the docks and buy the real deal -- fresh Louisiana caught shrimp right off of the boats for $4.70 a pound. 

I used one of my twice a month fish meals for this!

Yesterday (Saturday), the Island had its First Annual 5k run for charity. 101 participants turned out for the race. Jerry, who is a runner (having run the LA Marathon 6 years in a row) and put on a number of races himself over the years couldn't believe the age break-down of the race. There were two categories: age 30 and under, and age 31 to the grave.

Jerry running in the Grand Isle First Annual 5k.

Can you believe that a 70-year old actually

came in third in the latter category? He was

so proud of his current personal best and rightly so.

The beach is a short walk from the RV park.

It goes on and on for 7 miles. We've taken

2-4 miles walks on the beach and look 

forward to many more.

We plan to hang out here for a month or so, until the weather improves in the lower states. The temperature has been in the low 60s with a bit of breeze. Michelle just invited us to an oyster event and dinner tonight on the island. We said that we will go and check it out.

Even though we thought that we would have nothing to do on this little island, there is always something going on. More on that later.

Have a great week ahead, everyone!

Sam Forse Collins Recreational Center, Texas

We stayed at the South Toledo Bend State Park in Louisiana until Tuesday (Feb. 26). While there, we continued to  enjoy our stay in the woods and near the water.

Full moon seen through the trees in the park.

 We discovered a number of nice cabins that people

rent in the summer time. Great for large family

get-togethers. All of them were empty at this time.

The one hiking trail that we had not walked was the Eagle Nest Hike. So we did that, too, one day.

The Eagle Nest Hiking Trail was not paved,

but winded through the woods along the water.

There was even a bench in the middle of the woods on which to rest.

A couple of nights, we had beautiful sunsets.

On Sunday, Dave and Dorothy took us out to a Japanese restaurant for a delicious brunch. It was along the lines of a Benihana Restaurant (though it was not one) where the chef performs all kinds of tricks with his knives while preparing the meal in front of us.

Vegetables, shrimp, red snapper, beef and scallops on the grill.

And here we are, sitting back after finishing the meal.

On Monday, Jerry turned 70 years old. He celebrated by preparing the meal for the four of us. He loves to cook -- if you haven't gathered that by now. He made tri-tip, something Californians are familiar with, but have to get a special butcher to get it for you here in the South. 

Then on Tuesday, we packed up the motorhome and drove a distance of three miles across the border from Louisiana to Texas. We are now within a mile of Dorothy and Dave's place. The Sam Forse Collins Recreational Center is located right on the reservoir. It is free, but you can only stay four days. There are no hook-ups. They do have large showers, though. We basically have the whole park to ourselves, with the exception of one guy who spent a couple of nights here. 

Parked at the Sam Forse Collins Recreational Center.

We don't know what kind of birds these are, but

thousands of them come together in a flock and 

settle on the grass around us. You should hear the

symphony they create with their chirping.

The cliffs along the reservoir in this park.

We are joining Dorothy and Dave tonight for a deep fried cat fish dinner at a restaurant. Not me. I will find something else to eat. Just to update you on my vegan diet. On March 6, I will have been on this diet for a year. In the last couple of months, I have modified my diet a bit to where I will now eat fish twice a month. I had fish on Sunday, so I will not eat it tonight. Plus, if I'm going to eat fish only twice a month, I have to be selective.

Tomorrow, Dorothy and Dave will join us on the coach for coffee and caramel-cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Then Jerry and I will pull out of here and head towards Baton Rouge. We really enjoyed the last two weeks here with them.

Have a great weekend, everyone! 

South Toledo Bend State Park, Louisiana

We were going to spend a couple of nights in Jackson, Mississippi, but decided to postpone our trip there because of the thunderstorms. Jerry doesn't like driving in storms. So we arrived in Jackson on Wednesday (Feb. 13) to await Dorothy's arrival. (Dorothy is my sister.) We stayed at the Swinging Bridge RV Park in Jackson. There was an actual "swinging bridge" near the park.

Due to its run-down condition,

the "swinging bridge" in Jackson

was closed to traffic.

Picked Dorothy up at the Jackson International Airport at midnight. Because it was so late and we had 300 miles to drive to deliver her to her husband, Dave, in Burkeville, Texas, we decided to take our time getting there. So the next day, we drove from Jackson, Mississippi, to Vidalia, Louisiana, where we stayed for one night. What a lovely park! The River View Park and Resort is located right on the Mississippi River. Wish we could have stayed longer than just one night.

Parked at the River View Park and Resort

in Vidalia, Louisiana

We arrived early enough for Dorothy, Chanti and I to take a 4-mile walk along the Mississippi River.

Dorothy and Chanti along the Mississippi River

in Vidalia, Louisiana

Walkway along the Mississippi River

in Vidalia, Louisiana

Same walkway -- looking in the other direction.

Bridge over the Mississippi River.

Notice the long barge that spans the photo.

Another look at a large barge. We saw

a number of these barges going up and down

the Mississippi River.

On Friday (Feb. 15), we drove the rest of the way and arrived at the South Toledo Bend State Park. This Park is located in Louisiana, but is 3.4 miles just across the border from Dorothy and Dave's place in Burkeville, Texas.

Parked at the South Toledo Bend State Park.

The water from the Toledo Bend Lake is behind us.

The Toledo Bend Lake, at 186,000 acres, is the largest man made reservoir in the South. This State Park is absolutely beautiful. All of the 55 sites are paved and there are many miles of paved and unpaved walkways around the water and into the trees. For $20 a night, we get 50 amp. electricity and water. Right now, there are only 2 other sites occupied.

One of the paved walkways.

One of the unpaved walkways.

Dave has been busy working on his house on the water. He has really done a lot of work so far.

Dave and Dorothy's house -- looking up from the water.

We have taken turns eating together at each other's place every couple of nights. We were with them last night and they are due back here for dinner on Friday night. Lots of fun together.

Dorothy and Dave

We had originally planned to leave here next Tuesday, but have decided to stay four days longer. Only, this time, we are going to move to another state park on the Texas side that is also on the water. It will be free, but there are no services. Since we are self-contained, it will work for us.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

McComb and Meridian, Mississippi

Now into Mississippi - our 33rd state on this east coast trip. Arrived at Dr. Bob and Cheryl's place about 15 miles outside of McComb on Wednesday (February 6) and spent two nights in their drive-way. Had a great time catching up with them. We hadn't seen them in over 30 years. They are good friends of Pat and Bill.

The weather has not been our friend as it has rained off and on for the last six days. And, the forecast is for more rain until Thursday. Lots of heavy rain with lightening and thunder last night. In fact, a tornado touched down last night in a town we had just traveled through on our way here to Meridian. Poor Chanti! Even with three doses of homeopathic anti-anxiety drops throughout the day and evening, she barely settled down.

Driveway leading to Dr. Bob and Cheryl's house.

Parked in their driveway.

Cheryl and Dr. Bob with Hercules and DJ (peaking around the left side). 

DJ stands for "just dog."

Hercules, a German Shepherd.

Since Pat and Bill will be moving here when their house sells in Cambria, we took time to check out where their new pad will be, and to take some pictures of the ponds on the property.

 Had a little fun colorizing this photo. 

(What else could we do with rain clouds like this?)

Same photo angle.

The second pond on the property.

Looking over the first pond towards their house.

Thank you Bob and Cheryl for a great stay. After saying our good-byes on Friday morning, we headed over to Meridian, Mississippi, because Jerry was stationed at the Naval Base here over 50 years ago. He just had to check out the old base. At that time, he was assigned to the Photo Lab and was anxious to see the old Lab. Well, I guess things change. There is no Photo Lab because everything is now digital. Duh!

Nevertheless, he had an appointment this morning to get a tour of the base. A couple of servicemen took him on the tour. But, since it was raining, he didn't get the pictures he wanted to take.

 We took this picture the other day when it wasn't raining.

(We checked out beforehand where he was to meet the 

servicemen for his appointment today.)

Not much more to see in Meridian other than there are 100 carousel horses located throughout the town. Here are pictures of a couple of them.

We leave for Jackson, Mississippi, tomorrow where we are going to pick up Dorothy (my sister) at the airport on Wednesday and drive to the Burkeville, Texas, where her husband, Dave, has been staying to get away from the Minnesota snow. So looking forward to that.

Have a great week, everyone!

New Orleans, Louisiana

Congratulations to the Ravens, though we were disappointed that the 49ers didn't win. Good game none the less!

We are still in New Orleans at the Jude Travel RV Park which was filled for the weekend. The park half emptied out since Sunday, but has now filled up again. Guess these new guests are here to celebrate the last week of Mardi Gras. We will be pulling out of here tomorrow morning, too.

For those who haven't seen the clip that was shown on national television last week, here is a link: (you may have to copy it and paste it into your browser)

http://wgno.com/2013/01/30/hotel-rooms-on-wheels-rvs-invade-new-orleans-for-the-super-bowl/

Not much more to report. We had tickets to go on the Creole Queen Paddlewheeler last night for an evening of jazz music and buffet dinner, while cruising the Mississippi River. Was really looking forward to the evening -- but the rain cancelled the event.

We took a ride around New Orleans to check out the devastation caused by Katrina in 2005. Lots of areas still look pretty bad, but others are on their way to recovery. Here are a few pictures that we took.

Off to Mississippi tomorrow. Have a great week, everyone.