March 28 Monday to Tuesday March 29th New Orleans

We left Baton Rouge without seeing much of the city; we just didn’t have the energy to drive anymore yesterday.  Monday we drove to Hammond on Highway 12 to a Walmart stop, another $100 worth of groceries and we were on our way down Hwy #55 to Hwy #10 off on Louisa Street and down France to the Pontchartrain Landing RV Park which is right on Lake Pontchartrain. (Was a little hairy)  We are set up now for 7 days and it looks like we will need all that time just to see and do all there is to do around here.

Highway #55 was a really great ride, as it cuts down the centre of Lake Maurepas and Lake Pontchartrain, with the swap and alligators on both sides of the road!

We were set up by 1:00, had lunch, then sat outside in the shade and enjoyed the wonderful warm sun and chats with our neighbours.

Tuesday we took the park shuttle into the French Quarter and were dropped off just a block from the Gray Line Bus depot for the 11:00am Katrina / City Tour, 2 ½ hours of incredible sights. The devastation left behind after Katrina that is not yet repaired and the romance of New Orleans except for the smell of garbage was everywhere; the streets are in a state of disrepair; the sidewalks are treacherous.  We finished the tour at 2:00 and went for a light lunch as we wanted to have a New Orleans Cajun supper.  As we walked around the French Quarter, we stopped for a “hurricane” drink – we shared one as it was a triple short!  We walked a little more then stopped at the Crescent City Brewing Company for another brake. By then it was getting onto 5:30 and we started walking to “Montrel’s” on North Peters Street for supper and we were not disappointed.  On route we took a ½ hour donkey/carriage ride around the French Quarter and that was very interesting, but the sky was getting blacker and blacker.

B and L shared a one pound order of boiled crawfish and one pound proved to be enough. They followed that up with a seafood pasta dish.  I (not liking seafood) enjoyed the 10 oz. Rib Eye Steak, garlic mashed and sautéed green beans.  It was wonderful, but B helped me finish it!!  During supper the thunderstorm started, first with just rumbles in the distance, then they were on top of us and the skies opened up and the rain came down in buckets!  We had to walk about 4 blocks to where the bus was picking us up.  Well, it was just wild, the streets were flooding and we were walking and running in water above our ankles. We all got drenched!  The bus came right at 8 pm and we were all so glad to see it, everyone wanted the heat put on and the driver obliged.  We were home by 8:30 and got into dry clothing and just unwound the rest of the evening and thought “Oh what a day”

(poor internet so no pictures)
Hugs
R&B