We have yet to leave really early in the morning. And this morning was no exception. Although we didn’t unhook the truck from the camper, we didn’t get on the road until 9:30am. Our destination today would be New Orleans.
On the way out of Jellystone, I apparently took a corner too sharp, since the wheels of the trailer dipped into a swale next to the road. I saw the whole thing in my leftside rearview mirror. Oh, oh….not too smart! But it looked like I dodged a bullet.
About 200 yards further down the road I looked into that mirror again and see the sewer cap dangling in the wind. Crap! I probably forgot to attach it when I last dumped in Austin. So I pulled over to reattach it, when I noticed it was covered with dirt and grass. I surmised that my swale excursion dislodged the cap; and luckily there was no damage to the rest of the sewage system. Heck that was only a flesh wound.
I continued on my way, and then it occurred to me that maybe I had damaged the stairs that are attached on the side near the back of the trailer. I had done this once before….but when I pulled over a second time, 1 saw that they were unscathed. They were on the opposite side of the sewer. Whew! Luck was with me – and I’m sure this was compliments of the daily lucky ritual I perform before I head out on any trailer trip.
Other than spilling a Coke we made it to New Orleans.
But the GPS had us go a screwy way to get to the KOA campground were we’d be spending the night. At least we got to see some of the neighborhood, and were able to access for ourselves New Orleans’ recovery from hurricane Katrina five years earlier.
This KOA was hard to find, the signs weren’t very big, and even though the GPS was telling us to, “Turn around!” we kept looking for it, until we acquiesced, finally turned around, and found the campground.
When we checked in we discovered that as a service of this KOA, we could ride their 9am shuttle into the French Quarter and return at 5pm. Since we had arrived shortly before 3pm, the 9am trip was long gone. Plus we couldn’t leave the dogs alone in the trailer all day, at which point the staff at the KOA informed us that they also offered a dog walking service – a nice touch, but no thank you. Then we found out we could ride the empty 5pm shuttle that was to pick-up the 9am guests into town. We signed up for the ride.
At 5pm that evening we got on the shuttle driven by one of the KOA staff members. This guy would be our tour guide. He was nothing short of amazing, not only did he take us on the scenic route, he went describing every sight with a non-stop patter, recalling the names and dates movies were filmed in this or that location, the uniqueness of this or that roof, who lived where, what the roads were made of, and on and on. I tipped him $10 when we arrived at the French Quarter just for the extreme entertainment value.
We were dropped off at the waterfront and proceeded to make our way to the French Quarter. This is a great place to people watch; there are a number of characters walking on the streets, from pirates and fortune tellers to street musicians, an interesting mix. We also enjoyed photographing the sites.We found our way to Bourbon Street, the very heart of the French Quarter. At sundown the streets are blocked from vehicular traffic and the crowds begin to materialize as thick as thieves. We were getting hungry, but were overwhelmed by the number of restaurants we had to choose from. A friend had recommended to Marianne that she try a “Po Boy” sandwich. One of the fanciest restaurants in the area is Arnaud’s, but that’s just way too much for us. Fortunately they have a “side” restaurant called Remoulade which was perfect for us.
Marianne ordered a salad with their house dressing, and a shrimp salad. I, on the other hand, ordered a roast beef “Po Boy”. Marianne hated her food, and I liked mine, and feeling sorry for her, I gave her part of my sandwich.
We returned to walking on Bourbon Street, I purchased a T-shirt and best of all, a cigar so that I could blow smoke into the faces of the hawkers whose job it was to entice tourists into their numerous dens of iniquity. Music was blaring from just about every establishment and the smells tantalized my nose.
After walking up and down Bourbon Street we decided to get a dessert at Café Dumont. When the cute little French waitress appeared, Marianne order coffee and I ordered a double espresso. The waitress lamented that they don’t have espresso. Then I’ll have a coffee instead. As a couple of ladies at the next table were leaving, they overheard our order and informed us that when we’re here we need to order the café au lait and beignets. Heck I didn’t know what I was ordering, but if this is what you need to eat in New Orleans, then I’ll give it a try.
A few minutes later Ms. French Petite returned with two cups of coffee with milk and six square donuts without holes covered with a pound of powdered sugar – a perfect treat for my diabetes! Against our better judgment we inhaled this delectable delight and called for a cab to take us back to the KOA.
We were dead tired when we got back to the trailer, and the dogs were glad to see us. I walked them, crawled into bed and passed out.
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