The Libators go Corner to Corner: Across the Florida Panhandle to the Big Easy

Time is growing shorter... we fell back to standard time. We do gain an hour twice, too, since we are now heading west towards the central time zone. Our first stop in Madison, Florida yields a clean load of laundry and a good night's sleep at a new and very clean RV park. We parked for the night and left the next morning. I had hoped to see more of the gulf coast, but we just spent one night in Fort Walton Beach before moving on to New Orleans. I did schedule more days there, and we had a great time exploring the city and getting an oil change for the truck on the other side of Lake Pontchartrain. It's been a long time since I've been in the Big Easy, and I really loved going back to visit again.

Northern Florida had more farms than I expected.

Fort Walton Beach sunrise.

Interstate 10.

This was definitely near the gulf coast.

Lake Pontchartrain.

Sunset on the Mississippi River.

Sunset on the levee trail next to the Mississippi River.

Cheers to RIPS on the Lake.

Rebuild better after complete destruction during Hurricane Katrina.

Lakeshore Drive Park.

Sunset on the Northern side of Lake Pontchartrain.

Drama before dark.

The Beignets and Cafe O'Lait at Cafe Du Monde.

A hurricane at Pat O'Brian's.

Shrimp Po'Boy.

A hurricane lantern?

St. Louis Cathedral on Jackson Square.

Shipping on the Mississippi.

I only took photos of the bathroom at the Station RV Resort in Madison, Florida. These were easily the best RV park restrooms I've ever seen. I didn't get to take a shower, though, because I needed to get through two loads of laundry. The laundry room was nice too.  The drive was nice, but nothing really stood out. We reached Fort Walton Beach RV Park the next day, and I was not thrilled with the RV Park, no amenities at all, just a place to park and hook up. All the beachfront RV parks were either full, or for Military only, so I took what was available. We drove into town and ate dinner at The Craft Bar. It was in a strip mall type complex and didn't look extraordinary from the outside, but it turned out to have great food, a nice ambiance and fun bartenders.

This part of Florida was very rural.

Lovely river, no idea what it was called.

Unassuming but good.

A comprehensive beer list.

Fried green tomatoes and fish tacos.

Sunset in Fort Walton Beach.

 

Sunrise on Fort Walton Beach (Russ' photo).

The next day we made it into New Orleans, but we stayed north of the city in River Ridge, Louisiana. The New Orleans KOA Holiday was in a quieter area, and was much less expensive. We only spent one day in New Orleans proper, so it didn't make sense for us to pay top dollar when we could just drive into the French Quarter that once. The first thing we did when we got into our spot was take a walk on the Mississippi Levee Path. We just walked across the street an up the embankment to reach the paved trail. We only did about one mile, because the mosquitos started coming out when the sun went down, and I had enough bites already from our time in the Everglades and the Keys.

Train crossing the River.

Alabama.

We ate lunch at Logan's Roadhouse in Alabama. The rolls were the best part,

It was a nice meal.

We managed to park in the shade.

Alabama

Mobile, Alabama

We just drove through Mississippi, no stops, not even for gas.

The city in the distance.

Mississippi marsh.

Welcome to Louisiana.

Lake Pontchartrain. This is the I10 Bridge.

The Mississippi Levee Path

Lovely sunset.

Lots of river traffic.

Russ strides into the sunset.

Kenner, Louisiana.

The New Orleans KOA Holiday.

Our first full day, saw us driving across the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Bridge to Northshore Toyota in Covington. The truck needed an oil change. It turned into a lucky day for me, because they were having Ladies Day, so I got a manicure, a free tinted lip oil and the chance to talk to some wonderful local ladies. They gave us some great advice on a restaurant for lunch, RIPS on the Lake.

Don't leave the turnouts without a police escort.

The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Bridge.

Northshore Toyota in Covington, LA.

It's Ladies Day!

The Northshore Ladies Day team.

 

Perfect manicure. I needed one badly.

Early dinner at RIPS on the Lake.

Local seafood.

Freshly built. The original was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

Lakeshore Drive Park.

Breakwater at Lakeshore Park.

Live oak and fountain.

Dreaming of summer.

Sunset.

Sundown from the northern bridge over the lake.

We took a shuttle ride from the KOA into New Orleans. Honestly, I just really didn't want to deal with the parking in the city. We loved our driver, Dave; he gave us the local take on what to see in the city and what we could skip. We had breakfast at Cafe du Monde. I definitely didn't want to skip that! The French Quarter was busy with tourists, but we managed to get a table and enjoyed our beignets. We got on the Hop-On, Hop-Off City Tour Bus and just made the circuit around the city. It felt like a good way to see the most in our short time there. When we finished and hopped-off, we wandered deeper into the French Quarter to Pat O'Brian's for a Hurricane and some lunch. After our rest, we strolled around and did some shopping until we were tired enough to just park on a bench on the edge of Jackson Square and watch the artists and the tourists until it was time to meet up with Dave again for our ride home. 

Cafe du Monde.

Simple menu, perfect every time.

The aftermath.

Welcome to New Orleans.

Ready for passengers at Jackson Square.

The trees along the parade routes were full of bead strings.

Murals along the Mississippi levees.

Industrial History.

Modern art.

Cheers to the Hurricane at Pat O'Brian's.

Shrimp Po'Boy.

Old and new.

It was good.

Cling to the wall (after drinking the whole thing).

It comes with the drink.

Pigeons and promenades.

It would make my life better, but I'm addicted.

Gas lamps.

St. Louis Cathedral.

Lift your eyes up to the heavens.

A small prayer.

St. Louis and Jackson.

It's called the crescent city because it's in a bend of the river.

Have Hope.

Moving the goods.

Rivers and rails.

Shopping for something unique and local.

Cover.

Shadows and city.

Our final day was mostly spent close to home. We did go out to an Italian restaurant in Kenner that was a short drive from the KOA where we stayed. Gendusa'a Italian was very popular; we had to wait, but the food was nice. I wasn't a big fan of their cannoli, but the appetizer combo was fabulous. We also went shopping to restock the pantry and fridge at Winn-Dixie.  

Our neighbors. Taken from the bedroom window.

Stained glass at Gendusa's Italian Restaurant.

The appetizer.

It was uncomfortable outside, so everyone was indoors.

Our indulgence from shopping in NOLA. They were too sweet except with coffee.

New Orleans was everything I remembered and more. It's always interesting to go back to a place and see if it holds the same feelings as my memories. I enjoyed showing Russ the city I remember. It also made me think of my friend Zelda, who I explored with on my first visit. My parents lived in Slidell (on the other side of Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans) in 1965, I think. They enjoyed the city, but not the bugs or the humidity. In the end, a hurricane took out their fishing pier, so they left. Pat O'Brian's was a favorite of theirs, hence a must-see for me. I do appreciate that some places have retained their unique culture despite the tendency of all American cities to become clones of one another, with the same national chains and the same strip-mall architecture. New Orleans is definitely it's own, authentic place.