Heading South in Texas

Thursday, 19 December
Somewhere on TX-35 South

After four nights in Pensacola, we’re on the final leg of a five-day trip that will end in Port Aransas today.

We didn’t do much more than chores and errands while in Pensacola.  Using a run to Joe Patti’s to stock up on fresh fish and shrimp as an excuse, we did squeeze in lunch at McGuire’s Irish Pub into our schedule — yummy Senate bean soup and naked fish & chips as good as always.  We had hoped to share that lunch with Chuck and Anneke (of Goldenshoe RV Trip fame), but since both Anneke and I were nursing colds, we postponed the meet-up until the next time our paths cross.

We left Pensacola bright and early on Sunday, 15 December.  The lack of traffic made for an easy day of driving.  We were unfortunately witness to two sad events en route.  The first was a pick-up truck in flames along I-10W; at least the driver and passengers were standing safely outside the vehicle — something for which to be grateful.  The other was a man on the “wrong” side of the railing on the Horace Wilkinson Bridge in Baton Rouge.  The eastbound lanes of the bridge were locked down with traffic backed up for a couple of miles while the police were attempting to talk the man down (no pun intended).  I searched the web the next day hoping for news that they were successful, but the only item I found seemed to indicate that the man did in fact jump.  One has to wonder what would drive someone to take such a drastic step during the holiday season.

The first three days of our trip covered 548 miles (877 km) from Pensacola, FL to Houston, TX.

We drove 329 miles (526 km) on Sunday to overnight at the Frog City RV Park in Duson, Louisiana.  Tucked in behind a Super 8, and with easy access to I-10, this Passport America campground welcomed us not only with warm chocolate chip cookies, but a special Christmas treat as well!

Welcome treats from the Frog City RV Park!

We found Frog City to be quiet, clean, and well maintained with decently spaced pull-through FHU sites ($20.17 Passport America rate).  In fact, we would consider basing ourselves here to explore the Lafayette area when our travels take us back to Louisiana.

Phaeton settled into Site 14 between Green Frog Lane and Mystery Frog Lane.

After a good night’s rest, we were up Monday at 5:30a for what we hoped would be an early start to our next stop — Beaumont, TX.  After all, the reason we had driven all those miles the day before was to hopefully carve out some time on this day to stop by and say an unannounced hello to Judy (of Travels With Emma fame) at Anahuac NWR.  One look at the 35F (1.6C) on the thermometer had us delaying our departure until the temperature rose to a more comfortable 50F (10C).  Unfortunately, that didn’t happen until 10:00a, thus changing our plans for the remainder of this travel day.  (Sorry, Judy; we’ll catch you another time.)

The 128-mile (205 km) drive on I-10W was another easy one.  The only stop we made, other than to top off our diesel, was at the Orange Visitor Center just over the LA/TX stateline.  After picking up a selection of brochures and maps, we extended our rest break with a walk on the short boardwalk that leads out to the Blue Elbow Swamp.

Glimpse of the swamp and the end of the raised boardwalk at the Orange Visitor Center.

Our mid-day timing was less-than optimum for sighting any wildlife.  Nonetheless, we enjoyed the short walk in the sunshine, taking the time to read the informative panels along the way before returning to the coach for lunch.

Informative panels like these provide interesting information as one walks the swamp boardwalk.
[click for more legible versions if interested]

It was after 2:00p when we rolled into the Gulf Coast RV Resort in Beaumont, TX.  Could we have pushed onto Houston, our destination for the next two nights?  Absolutely.  However, we had a service appointment at Beaumont Freightliner the next morning.  Hence the overnight here.  Our reservation netted us a pull-through end site in the front row where we joined the rest of the transients for a one-night stay.  The $36 rate (with a 10% Good Sam discount), included breakfast in the club house served between 7-9:30a.

Little did we know that there was a Phaeton convention at the campground!
(not really, but that’s what it felt like with two other Phaetonites in the sites to our left.) 

After we were settled, Mui hopped in the car to go find the Freightliner shop.  Should have guessed things weren’t going to go the way we had planned when he returned to say all was good, but that there were only two RVs in the parking lot.  (More on that later.)  Anyway, as it was already 4:30p by then, we headed out for an early dinner at Pappadeux Seafood Kitchen nearby.  I neglected to take my camera, so no photos of the calamari and grilled flounder we shared; or the chocolate cake we doggie-bagged to eat at home later.  Suffice it to say that the food was good — if a bit overpriced for the area.

Tuesday morning we were up at 5:30a.  Again the temperature was 35F (1.6C).  Since we had an 8:00a appointment with Freightliner, however, we didn’t have the luxury of waiting for the day to warm up this time.  At 7:00a, we walked over to the club house to avail ourselves of the self-serve breakfast, which included biscuits and gravy as well as make-your-own waffles.  By 7:30a, we were parked at the Freightliner facility just a few miles down the road from the campground.

The Phaeton waiting for the Freightliner service bays to open for business.

Mui went to the service counter and had the ticket written up for our annual maintenance work.  8:00a came and went with no sign of anyone coming to take the Phaeton into a service bay.  Normally, that wouldn’t bother us as we know that truck centers often run on a different schedule.  This time, though, Mui was antsy to get going as we had business to take care of in Houston, and he didn’t know how long that would take.  So, when 9:00a also came and went with no sign of any movement, he made the decision to cancel the service and move on.  Technically, we have until February-March 2014 to get our annual service done, so we’ll try again after the first of the year — this time at an RV service center.

(Once we’re settled in one place for a while, we will question Gaffney about Beaumont Freightliner’s membership in the Oasis Network.  This network is, in their words, “tailored to the motorhome customer.”  From what we saw, that’s not the case in Beaumont.)

The short 87-mile (139 km) drive to Houston was uneventful.  With helpful hints from the Z’s, our Texas-based friends and fellow-Phaetonites, we navigated easily through the non-rush hour traffic to a campground MBZ had suggested.  Located just off the South Freeway, and 11 miles (18 km) from the Galleria area where most of our business was centered, Advanced RV Resort turned out to be the perfect place for a two-night stay.  The gated facility was well-maintained, with none of the clutter that usually marks campgrounds that have a large resident population.  Our pull-through FHU site came to $45/night with the Good Sam discount.  Yes, a little pricey, but worth it for the convenience and comfort factor.

The Phaeton in site 810 at Advanced RV Resort.

We made short work of settling into our site.  By 12:30p, we were on our way to the Turkish Consulate to drop off the paperwork for a power of attorney and a few other documents that we needed to have verified.  We went there hoping that if we dropped off the paperwork on Tuesday that we could pick up the documents the next day.  Surprise, surprise!  They asked us to wait and we had everything we had come for in our hands within the hour.

The rest of our business in Houston went just as smoothly, and by 4:00p we were back at the campground for a quiet evening at home.

Unlike the beautiful blue skies that had welcomed us to Houston the previous day, Wednesday dawned foggy and overcast.  Neither lasted long, but for a while we could barely see the Houston skyline (seen in the photo above) through the haze.  Undeterred, we headed back into the city around 9:30a for a Costco shopping run before meeting the Z’s for lunch.

My online friendship with MBZ started what seems like ages ago when we exchanged information about past trips.  We had an opportunity to meet the Z’s in person for the first time in 2010 when we happened to be in Fort Lauderdale, Florida to embark on Caribbean cruises leaving within a day of each other.  Having hit it off so well then, we were really looking forward to getting together with them again … if only for a few hours.

At their suggestion, we met up at Danton’s for a delicious seafood lunch that included raw oysters and campechanas (both of which are pictured above).  Alas, we were having such a grand time that I completely spaced out having the waiter take a picture of us.  Oh well, next time.  And there will be a next time … hopefully sooner rather than later.

And thus we concluded our brief stay in Houston.  We were on the road south by 7:15a this morning.  But, that part of the story will have to wait until another time.  We’re about to take the Phaeton for its FIRST ferry ride.  I had better pay attention to make sure that Mui pays attention to the ferry loaders’ directions ;-)

Bead Town: Recycling Mardi Gras Beads … for a purpose

Sunday, 31 March (Part II)
Aviation arbor Famcamp — NAS JRB New Orleans — Belle Chasse, Louisiana
Temps: Lo 58F / Hi 80F (14C / 27C)

In my quest to photograph murals around New Orleans, I posted a note on the Trip Advisor New Orleans forum for tips on where I might find them.  One poster suggested that I might enjoy checking out an exhibit in Slidell.  He was right!

One of two over-sized murals at the Community Feed Store in downtown Slidell.
Featuring the NOLA skyline at night, The 42 x 8 feet (13 x 2½ m) mural contains 1.5 million beads.

A closer look at a portion of the mural featuring the NOLA skyline at night.

The links that the poster provided led me to several articles which gave interesting insight into a community art project undertaken by Stephan Wanger, a German-born, NOLA-based artist.  For Wanger, this project — which he has been working on for five years — is not just a means for recycling Mardi Gras beads.  It is also a means for teaching children about Louisiana … one Mardi Gras bead at a time.  As well, working on the murals teaches kids the value of persistence, something that seems to be a foreign concept to some in today’s society.

The articles describe Bead Town better than I can, so I will provide the links here for those interested in reading more about the project:

Article 1 — Article 2 — Article 3

Also, I uploaded an article from Slidell’s local magazine to my Google Drive.  If you’d like to read it, just click here.

At first I didn’t think we’d be able to squeeze in a visit to Slidell to see the murals.  When Mui told me the swamp tour (post here) he had picked out was just a few miles outside the town proper, however, I knew we just had to stop by and check them out.

I’m going to share several of the photographs I took at the gallery in this post, but if you’d like to see more and read the extensive captions, click this link for the series of photos I posted of the murals/artwork in my online gallery.  If you’re so inclined, it’s worth checking out the posted images in full size to appreciate the minute details.

Zapp's Cajun Craw-tators Potato Chips created by Randolph Matas Elementary School, Metairie, LA and Stephan Wanger. these kettle-fried chips have a Cajun crunch that packs all the flavor of Louisiana.	New Orleans’ Resilience is characterized by this woman who is walking away from a cemetery; the dates of Hurricane Katrina and the BP Horizon Oil Spill are inscribed on the gravestones.

A portion of Sanctuary of Alegria — Home of Happiness.
the mural showcases a view across the mighty Mississippi River towards downtown NOLA.
(record holder for size before the nighttime skyline mural was created.)

A portion of the Sanctuary of Alegria — Home of Happiness mural depicts the
Saint Louis Cathedral with the paddle wheeler Natchez in the foreground.

Center of the Universe
Priced at $14,000, this piece contains 49,000 beads.
It is a tribute to the influence the music of Louisiana has had on the rest of the world.

Tabasco Sauce — created by Randolph Matas Elementary School, Metairie and Stephan Wanger.
Tabasco products are made by the McIlhenny Company, founded in 1868 on Avery Island,
Louisiana, and still family-owned and operated on that very site.

My Beauty Underneath
Priced at $8,000, this piece contains 66,048 beads.
Mask or no mask, we are always challenged to see the beauty in every human.

The Titillations of New Orleans
Priced at $36,000, this piece contains over 200,000 beads.
It is in tribute to the French Quarter's Historic Pontalba Building.

Crawfish Boil — created by Randolph Matas Elementary School, Metairie and Stephan Wanger.
The traditional way for diners to eat crawfish is to "pinch the tails and suck the heads."

Walking to New Orleans — This $20,000 piece contains 75,000 beads.
The work shows Hurricanes Katrina and Gustav bouncing off the spirit
of New Orleans and Louisiana.  The notes in the song are the
beginning notes of "Walking to New Orleans" by Fats Domino.
The sale of this piece will benefit Tipitina's Foundation.

Louisiana State Flag
created by the Andrew H. Wilson Charter School of New Orleans and Stephan Wanger.
The pelican has been a symbol of Louisiana since the 1800s. The flag depicts a mother pelican
feeding blood from her chest to her babies; teaching our children the importance of sacrifice.

Work in progress — showing a great blue heron in flight as part of a swamp scene.

What a fantastic find this exhibit turned out to be!  Free, too.  And what a great way to recycle the zillions of Mardi Gras beads that are thrown from the floats during the pre-Lent festivities each year.  What is truly amazing is that Stephan Wanger is not a formally trained artist and was not involved in art until he began this project!  What a way to make an entrance!

City to Swamp

Sunday, 31 March (Part I)
Aviation arbor Famcamp — NAS JRB New Orleans — Belle Chasse, Louisiana
Temps: Lo 58F / Hi 80F (14C / 27C)

It’s raining; it’s pouring.  But it doesn’t really matter; we’re done for the day.  Besides, this was a day at home and we had no sightseeing plans to be rained out.  Işıl checked out of her hotel this morning, and spent the day with us here before Mui took her to the airport for her return flight to Turkey (via Chicago).  The storms moving through the area held off long enough for her plane to take off from NOLA; she’s already in the air on the next leg of her journey home.

We’ll be heading out tomorrow.  So, Mui spent the afternoon working on pre-departure chores.  We’re all set to leave the big city for a quiet state park in Mississippi.  But before we get there, a post to wrap up our visit to NOLA.

Friday, 29 March

This was our day to do the walking tour of the Garden District, a NOLA neighborhood that is best known for well-preserved mansions built by the wealthy in the period between 1832-1900.  Initially developed as a series of plantations, the land was later parceled off and sold.  From these parcels the original neighborhood was born with two large residential lots to a block.

Picking up Işıl from her hotel, we hopped on the St Charles Streetcar for the ride to the bottom end of the district.  Just past Lee Circle, our car blew a fuse, showering sparks everywhere.  After a short delay that brought streetcar traffic in either direction to a standstill, we boarded another car and completed our ride.

Starting our walk at Lafayette Cemetery, we continued from there to each of the 23 houses on the map, reading the brief descriptions included in the brochure.  Beautiful homes — from Italianate and Greek Revival mansions with 20+ rooms, to NOLA’s typical shotgun row houses; and Victorians with gingerbread trim.  What I liked the most was the “iron lace” decorating the balconies of many of the houses.

Lafayette Cemetery — laid out in 1833 by the original residents of the Garden District.  Within its
first 20 years, the cemetery was almost filled with those who succumbed to yellow fever.

I’ll share a few photos from some of the houses that charmed me.  If you’d like to see more and read the captions, visit my online gallery by clicking this link for the Garden District photo series.

2627 Coliseum Street: The gingerbread trim and elaborate iron work flatter this beautiful mansion, which is said to be owned by Sandra Bullock.

1331 Third Street: Decorated in iron lace, this home was built in 1850 for a prominent cotton merchant who was president of the Cotton Exchange and also served as the NOLA postmaster.

1331 Third Street – backyard of the home in the above photos.

2523 Prytania Street: Our Mother of Perpetual Help was once an active Catholic chapel.
Previous owners include Anne Rice (used it as a setting for her novel, Violin) and Nicholas Cage.

During our stroll through the Garden District, we took a break to have lunch.  We ended up at Gott Gourmet, where Işıl satisfied her craving for an American hot dog, and Mui and I enjoyed casual fare.  Mui ordered a muffaletta, a traditional New Orleans sandwich that originated amongst the immigrant Italian population of the city; and I had a shrimp BLT wrap.  The food was quite tasty; and our sidewalk table provided a spot from which to people-watch while we ate our lunch.

Muffaletta, Shrimp BLT Wrap, and Original Chicago Style Hot Dog.
[the two photos on the right are courtesy of Gott Gourmet’s website]

Though Gott Gourmet had something to satisfy each of us, it did not have dessert.  No problem.  I had spied a “sweet boutique” called Sucré across the street and already had plans to check it out.  It was a difficult decision, but we passed on the gelato and treated ourselves to tempting miniature cakes instead.

My Xocolat Sucré (far right) and Mui’s Tiffany (top left) were served on the same plate;
Işıl’s petit strawberry was plated separately.

With a stroll along the Riverwalk in the French Quarter next on our agenda, after dessert we headed to the Washington Street stop to catch the next streetcar.  The stop in the direction of Canal Street was crowded, so we took a car heading in the opposite direction for a few stops before getting off and boarding a car heading in the right direction.  The ride was crowded and noisy, and drained what little energy we had left.  By the time we arrived at Canal Street, we were all ready to call it quits.  Dropping off Işıl at her hotel, we walked to the parking lot where we had left the car and returned home to recharge our batteries.

Saturday, 30 March

A beautiful day of sunshine and blue skies greeted us for our last day of sightseeing. 

To show Işıl a different side of Louisiana, we started off with a boat tour of the Honey Island Swamp with Pearl River Eco-Tours, which we chose based on reviews on Trip Advisor, and the fact that this operator offers a small skiff experience instead of a noisy airboat ride.

Along the Canal near the launch site are abandoned boats like this one.                  
They landed here from 30 miles (48 km) away during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.             

As luck would have it, our tour was the first full one of the season, and we had 20 other people in our group.  A nice enough tour, but I was disappointed when the captain didn’t stop at some of the few wildlife sightings we had — a lone great blue heron, a Kingfisher that was posing nicely on a branch, and turtles sunning themselves on the logs.  On the plus side, Captain John did point out two pairs of nesting yellow-crowned night herons in the bayou, and we did see several young alligators in a canal not far from our launch site.  He also talked extensively about the eco-system through which he was taking us, and the people who choose to make their homes on the banks of bayous.  In the end, it was worth the $23/person price for the tour.

Again, I’m sharing a few photos and a video, but you can click this link to see more in the series of photos I posted online.

The captain estimated this gator to be about 5 feet (1.5 m) long; hence about five years old.

This pair of youngsters sunning themselves on the banks of the canal gave us our best sighting.

The Great Blue Heron was a drive-by sighting as the boat moved into one of the bayous.

A bayou is a slow-moving river.  As we traveled further into the swamp on one of the bayous …

… we learned that bald cypress trees hold onto their dry leaves until new buds
push them off the branches in the spring; and we saw a lot of bald cypress
knees peeking out of the shallow bayou.  Also …

… sightings of water moccasins like this one made me happy that our boat was covered.  And we …

… caught a glimpse of Heckle and Jeckle, a pair of nesting blue-crowned night herons,
who did not cooperate for a photo op.

I’ll wrap up our tour with a short ride through Honey Island Swamp.

26-second boat ride in the swamp.

Our plans included lunch at Café du Bon Temps, which describes itself as serving Cajun/Creole dishes from the Louisiana kitchen.  Maybe it does … but it was closed.  So, we postponed lunch until our return to NOLA and drove into Slidell to check out Bead Town.  That deserves its own post.  Moving along …

Back in NOLA, we parked the car and walked to the French Quarter for a lunch of red beans and rice at Café Maspero.  With a cruise ship in town on an already busy Saturday before Easter, there was a line to get in, but the wait wasn’t too bad.  Since Işıl had expressed an interest in having beignets after lunch, we ordered the appetizer portion of this Creole dish, which is traditionally served on Mondays.  Why?  Because Mondays were washday and this dish could simmer on the stove all day while the women were busy scrubbing clothes.

For beignets, we decided to go to Café Beignet, which is located inside the Musical Legends Park on Bourbon Street.  A three-piece jazz band provided entertainment as we enjoyed our hot beignets and beverages with less hub-bub than what we would have experienced at Café du Monde.

(You can tell I was drained from the bustling French Quarter — I didn’t take photos at either Café Maspero or Café Beignet, and had to resort to screen captures from their websites.)

Our return home ended up being a bit of an adventure.  After picking up the car, we headed out of the city as usual, only to find the traffic at our exit backed up considerably.  So, we drove back into the city and made our way to the ferry terminal at the bottom of Canal Street.  A short ride across the Mississippi put us back on the right track and soon we were home to enjoy a quiet evening.