Spring Break in Louisiana

Our first thoughts for a Spring Break trip was Big Bend; however, there wasn't an RV spot open within 125 miles of Big Bend. Second thought was the Rio Grande Valley. Now I know there are plenty of parks that aren't 55+ but I sure couldn't find one when I was researching. And every Texas State Park was fully booked as far as I could tell so.......I decided to check Louisiana. When we set out, I was the only one who actually knew where we were going....everyone else was just happy to go. Steve, Willy, Harley, and I filled the front seat and Cameron, Morgan, and Angus were in the back. Helen had a Triathlon Camp and a work meeting in D.C. so she wasn't with us this time. It was a full truckload though.

Once we crossed the state line, the kids started guessing New Orleans....one of their favorite places.  But first, let me tell you about our first night out. I didn't think there would be a problem with an overnight along I-10....I was wrong.  Both of my normal stops were full. I found another Passport America park a little further along and called ahead. Yes, they had a pullthrough. Drive through the park to the back and the camphost will meet you. Obviously, 98% of the RVs were permanent residents but at least there weren't a bunch of dogs running loose. We met the host and he took us all the way back along the pot-holed road, past the cabins that had obviously been destroyed by the last hurricane to a spot near the entrance. We were in the better neighborhood next to a Tiffin motorhome. While we were hooking up, two ladies in a Class C came in next to us. Okay, this will be fine. Well, I ran the air conditioner and handed out ear plugs but you could still hear the roar of traffic on I-10 only 25 feet from us and it went all night long. Glad to leave the next morning.

The kids thoughts of New Orleans when we turned south off I-10 at Lafayette. Many miles later, Cameron saw a sign for New Orleans but I told him we definitely were not camping in New Orleans. We were staying in Westwego at Bayou Segnette State Park. This is a nice park. The sites are long and narrow and often set at more of a 90 degree angle though and the road in the campground is also narrow. You may remember me camping there in October. I was smart enough to remember that one of our group had a site that backed in from the drivers side and was not at such a sharp angle so I made sure to reserve that one. Steve directed and I got it back in pretty easily....unlike the last visit.

The kids liked the park and were okay with not camping in New Orleans. Monday morning, we drove over to  Algiers Point.

Hey kids, look across the river.

This is in the ferry terminal.

Yes, that is New Orleans!!. They enjoyed the ferry ride over.

I was all set to take the street car over to the French Quarter. Steve said.....it's only a couple of blocks and heads inland away from the river. It was an interesting walk....of at least a mile and a half!

Artists in Jackson Square.

No, this is not Café Du Monde. Sorry to say, we did not get our beignets and café au lait even though we tried three times over two days. The line was literally over a block long outside every time.....even the takeout line was nearly that long. I heard some locals say that they had never seen it so bad even during Mardi Gras.

This is the Market Restaurant

We shared an alligator appetizer....yes, it really does taste like chicken....the kids love it. Cameron tried a gyro, Morgan had a ham and cheese poboy and could barely get through half of it. Steve and I shared a  Muffalatta. They are as big as a plate so I ate a quarter, Steve got down half, and we took another quarter home with us.

The French Market is always interesting. They have a number of food options in there and even have tables now so we may go that route on the next trip.

Azaleas in full bloom.

Tuesday we headed to the Jean Lafitte Swamp Tour. I found a groupon which helped with the price.

These kids have really grown this last 6 months!.

I had to explain to all of them who Jean Lafitte was and his place in Louisiana history and also about Barataria.

There were about four boats that headed out one after another but they managed to space things out so it seemed like you were alone. It was a good tour although they cram too many people on board.

There was a gator back in there behind the log.

Can you see the turtles?

The gators were swimming along minding their own business.

An old cabin no longer in use.

Another cabin.

A baby gator made the rounds while the guide gave a nice spiel about the swamplife.

They also had a large gator head as well as a huge turtle shell which they passed around.

This tank back at the office held several small gators.

Since we were already out there we decided to go to the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve.

Unfortunately, the office and exhibits are only Wednesday through Sunday and it was Tuesday.

They had a nice board walk out through the swamp. I went back to move the truck to the far end of the mile long trail and the rest of the group headed out on the trail.

They saw a huge alligator fairly close up as well as other wildlife so they really enjoyed the trail.

We tried Café Du Monde again on Wednesday....again no luck so we settled for District Donuts. This is a favorite place for Steve and Helen. They were sold out of some of their more exotic donuts but we still got some good ones.

Since we drove to New Orleans over the Huey Long Bridge, we decided to go to the New Orleans City Park. I warned the kids that we were not getting beignets there as our group in October tried that and they were disgusting....just a warning. We walked through the sculpture garden.

It was very interesting with very diverse sculpt

On our final day, we went back into New Orleans. Steve and the kids rode the St Charles Street Street Car out to Washington Ave in the Garden District. I drove the truck and met them there since I have ridden the street car several times and they had never done it. We took them through the Lafayette Cemetery which may sound a little strange but New Orleans cemeteries are so different. I had done a tour back in October so I would explain how the whole process worked. Then we had a very late lunch at a local restaurant. Three of our group were relaxing later that evening. The dogs got lots of walks in at the park so they didn't mind staying the RV and napping while we were out touring.

All in all, it was a great trip. I made a reservation for our overnight going home at Gulf Coast RV Resort which is a PA park and very nice. They even give you breakfast like a hotel. I think this may well be the last trip we can all ride in my truck. The kids are small adults now and the back seat is very small. The only person really comfortable was the driver as the front passenger seat had to be moved way up so Cameron could fit. I will give the kids lots of credit though....they never once complained.