Take me to the Mardi Gras
Our next stop was Ponchatoula, La. It’s a small town across Lake Ponchatrain from New Orleans. It was Mardis Gras season so we took in some of the festivities with some help from our friend Randy and his family.
Before the parades got under way, we took a drive down to River Road for a tour of one of the plantations called Oak Alley. This was a fascinating place and looked like it came right off the set of Gone With the Wind. Very interesting to learn how a plantation was run. If you are in the area, this is one to see.
We eased in to the parades by first attending the Krewe of Caesar parade in Metairie. It was filled with decorated floats and many of the local high school bands and clubs. Though more family friendly than New Orleans, there were still come colorful people in attendance.
It was now time for the major leagues. Randy came down for the weekend and we met him for the Krewe of Endymion parade in New Orleans. We parked a little out of the quarter at his sister-in-law Lisa’s house who gave us a ride in to town. After a quick bite and some libation at his sister-in-law Janice’s French Quarter condo, we headed to the parade. So many people. The vibe was outstanding. So much fun!!!! Even KISS had a float. We had a blast catching beads and people watching.
Catharine made friends with some kids over from Alabama. If you can believe it, she became the mom figure. Handing out tissues for the port-o-potty, hand sanitizer, and general life advice. They were good kids and shared their beads and pocket rum. Much fun was had by all.
Even Buddy got in to the spirit.
We came back to New Orleans a few days after the parades ended and were amazed how fast that city cleans up. I was recruited by some street performers to join their show (and I use the term show loosely). They weren’t very entertaining but made a lot of money from the crowd (but not from me).
We also visited the Abita Brewery in Abita Springs. Very good beer. I especially like their Bourbon Barrel series. After all of the festivities, we need some time to dry out.
Orange Beach, AL
We arrived in Orange Beach, AL on January 15th. We stayed at Pandion Ridge RV Resort which was a great park. We opted for a lake view which we loved. (watch out for the alligators)
We met Don and Nancy from Missouri. Hope to see you next summer and thank you for the plaque. We hung it in our RV and see it every day.
The National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, FL was wonderful and free. We had a former Marine pilot as our tour guide who was very knowledgable. Since my dad was a helicopter mechanic while he was in the Corp, I especially found it interesting.
Something of interest was the Black Sheep Squadron led by “Pappy” Boyington. These marines were asked to fly planes nobody else knew, learn them, then explain how best to use them to other branches of the US services and also foreign pilots during WW II. They were also the basis of the old tv show Baa Baa Blacksheep starring Robert Conrad.
You may have seen avaiators with white scarves and wondered why. We found out that it was to clean their goggles as the oil from the propeller would fly back into the pilots’ faces.
Our guide also told us the story of one of George H. W Bush’s air missions during WW II. Apparently, after a successful bombing mission he was forced to eject from his plane and was later recovered by a submarine where he spent several months before it returned to port.
The Blue Angels also practice here, but they were in California during our visit.
There are a few old forts in the area. One is Fort Morgan which was used to protect Mobile Bay from attack. Fort Morgan was commissioned to be built in 1818 and was completed in 1834. In 1864, the Confederate forces surrendered to Union Naval forces in the Battle of Mobile Bay.
No visit to the Alabama Gulf Coast would be complete without visiting the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park. The USS Alabama was commissioned for battle just in time for World War II. The ship is well preserved and you can spend a day exploring the ship with well marked paths and exhibits. During the height of the war as many as 2,500 men served on the ship. After a tour, you really get a sense of the sacrifice these men made. In addition, to working 12 or more hours a day, the conditions on the ship were both hot and cramped. This is especially so with the USS Drum, the submarine that is also housed at the memorial. Thank you to all who have served.
We crossed the bay on the ferry with our bikes to Dauphin Island. This is a small island with about 1,200 residents. As we rode around on our bikes, nearly every home that borders the Gulf was for rent. Fort Gaines is also here. It is best known for its role in the Battle of Mobile Bay during the American Civil War. Exhibits include the huge anchor from the USS Hartford, Admiral David Farragut’s flagship on which he gave his world-famous command, “Damn the torpedoes – full speed ahead!”
Christmas Kayaking
After many calls and internet searches, Scott and I finally found a place to spend the holidays. We arrived at Oaks Landing RV Resort in Freeport, FL on December 15th. For Christmas Scott and I went kayaking in the Choctawhatchee River. We are terrible rowers. We row for about 5 minutes then hope the current takes us someplace good and not back the way we came.
I should mention that on the way to Pennsylvania we discovered we had a slow leak in one of our tag axle tires. Every travel day we needed to fill it prior to leaving. We needed to get this fixed. Best case scenario is a patch, worse case is of course a new tire, which for RVs is crazy expensive. Fortunately, we found a place in Florida and were able to get the tire patched. Best part is it was free thanks to our warranty.
Top Sand Hill Preserve State Park was great. This was a state park and for $5 you could stay all day on the beach. The beach was white, sugary sand with protected sand dunes and at this time of year was mostly empty.
Bootcamp, Thanksgiving, and Then South for the Winter
November and December have been busy months. We left the western part of Texas and headed toward Houston where we stopped briefly to visit with friends. A few days in mid-November we spent in Livingston, TX for RV Bootcamp. This is a 3 day workshop put on by Escapees RV Club and is for new RV owners. Due to all the research Scott and I had done, we felt that most of the information was repetitive. We did get the RV weighed fully loaded, and we had plenty of weight capacity left. (YEA!! We can get more stuff.)
After completing the course, we left for Pennsylvania and Thanksgiving with family. We arrived in York, PA on November 21st and left December 7th. It was great to see the entire family and enjoy some great food. The weather fell below freezing while we were there and so we were glad to go south to warmer climes. We were both sick for almost the entire time.
The drive south included several one night stopovers. One in particular was at Kings Dominion in Virginia. Being the off season, the amusement park was closed but he RV park was open. We were literally the only people staying there.
Mid-December found us in Jekyll Island, GA. Jekyll Island is a barrier island and is most famously known for being the exclusive hunting club for families with names like Rockefeller, Morgan, Vanderbilt, Pulitzer, and Baker in the 1800’s. The historic Jekyll Island Club, which currently is a hotel, is an example of the “hunting cottages” the wealthy constructed.
The Georgia coast was beautiful and we enjoyed weather in the 70s during our stay.
Ghost Town and Starlight
One of the most interesting and historical cities around, Terlingua Ghost Town is a showcase for an old mercury mining town that was abandoned. Today you can see the old houses as well as restaurants and other shops that have cropped up around the town. There is also a cemetery for new and old souls. Below is a picture of the Perry Mansion which is being renovated for tourist lodging. I read that Howard Perry built the mansion for his new bride who took one look at the town and left. Poor Howard.
Within the Ghost Town is the Starlight Theatre Restaurant & Saloon which is a must do while you’re in town. The food is good and there is live entertainment on the weekends and most nights during the peak season. The porch outside is where the locals sit, tell stories of the past, and watch the sunset and moon rise with the background Chisos Mountains.
Lajitas, an incorporated town near Big Bend and home of the Lajitas Golf Resort and Hotel, has had a beer drinking goat as mayor since the 1970’s. The original Clay Henry goat had a beer with Willie Nelson during his visit and show at the Starlight. Lajitas may have the right idea for appointing political officials.
Matching wardrobe was not planned. Maybe a result of spending too much time on the road together.
We will be leaving Lajitas and the Big Bend area for Fort Davis. Fort Davis is the home of astronomical McDonald Observatory (https://mcdonaldobservatory.org). The observatory has educational seminars nightly as well as “Star Parties” where you view the night sky with their telescope. It was here that we learned about the solar eclipse that will be visible in the western part of the US in August.
Rafting the Rio Grande
We really wanted to make the most of our time in Big Bend National Park. We had hiked most of the accessible trails, we had taken several drives through the park, but we wanted more. We decided to take a one-day rafting tour down the Rio Grande through Santa Elena Canyon.
We met our guide James at 8am at the Lajitas Crossing to load and board the rafts. The river was still, the sky was clear, and the morning was early.
There were two rafts launching. The passengers in our raft in addition to ourselves and the guide, were a recently married couple from El Paso. The other raft contained a guide and three guys who “clocked in” before we even launched. Ah, beer…the breakfast of champions. After a short row, we finally hit some rapids.
They were pretty mild. The views were awesome though.
We stopped for lunch around noon near the entrance of Santa Elena Canyon. There was a small rocky beach on the Mexican side of the river where we ate and explored. I guess you could say we were illegal immigrants.
After lunch, we continued down the river. The pace picked up as we went through some class III and IV rapids.
One in particular was called the Rock Slide. The Rock Slide was created centuries ago when a portion of the cliffs overhead collapsed and choked the river with house-sized boulders.
Once we were out of the rapids, we floated through the 1500 ft canyon walls of Santa Elena.
It was a long day, but one we will never forget. The pictures do not do justice to the sites encountered floating down the Rio Grande through Santa Elena Canyon.