Ocean Springs, MS - August 31 and September 1

From New Orleans, we headed for Mississippi. We ended up in the Davis Bayou area of Gulf Shores National Seashore just outside of Ocean Springs, MS. The national park campground was quite nice. It had water and electrical hookups, but no sewer. They did have a dump, though.

Our camp site was an end spot, so we had lots of room. A raccoon came by both evenings to see if we had any extra food. The first night he came ambling right up almost to where we were sitting around the fire.

We had a discussion about the difference between the definition of "bayou" and "swamp" (not to mention marsh, wetland, bog, slough, and so forth). We determined that the major differences are that a bayou has open areas and there is some water movement, whereas a swamp does not have as many open areas and the water is typically stagnant.

We explored the area and hiked around the Nature's Way Loop Trail. It is only supposed to be 1/2 mile long, but we got off the track on a side trail for a while. We were hoping to see an alligator and found out where one normally hangs out. We finally saw him our last day there. We also saw frogs, turtles, snakes, and lots of birds and bugs.

Do you see the snake?

 

Sandhill cranes

 

 

We met a nice couple in the motorhome next to us. We were coming back from our hike and waved to them. They waved back and told us to "grab your chairs and a drink and come over and talk to us". Their motorhome was almost identical to ours. They started out 20 years ago doing exactly what we are doing and never stopped. They stay in their motorhome during the summer and in their 60' boat in Belize in the winter.

New Orleans - August 29 and 30

From Galveston, we headed to New Orleans. We stopped for the night on August 28 at Iowa, LA. There is not much there; it was just a place to stop.

In New Orleans, we stayed at the French Quarter RV Park. It is the only one close to the French Quarter, and charges $96.00 per night. This seems exorbitant, but if you want to see the French Quarter, it's the place to be. The other parks were around $45.00 to $50.00 per night, and if you had to take a taxi to and from the French Quarter (you do not want to drive there, and there is precious little parking), it makes the $96.00 per night reasonable.

The RV park was only about a block from the French Quarter, and we were warned not to walk that block after dark. 

The first day we were in New Orleans, we walked around the French Quarter and over to the French Market Place. That night, we went to see the action on Bourbon street. Lots of partying going on there. And, a lot of people trying to do anything they can to get your money. The whole French Quarter (especially Bourbon Street) smelled of trash, old booze, and vomit. Lovely odor.

One of the employees at the RV park recommended Deanie's seafood restaurant. We ate dinner there and had barbeque shrimp, seafood boiled potatoes, and bread for dipping as an appetizer. For the main course, I had the crawfish ettoufee and Mike had a combo plate of shrimp and catfish. My ettoufee tasted okay, but I was sick for the next two days. Never again.

The following day we were going to take a river boat cruise, but since I wasn't feeling well, we skipped it. In the morning, we walked through the St. Louis Cemetery #2, which is right next to the RV park. It is one of the oldest above-ground cemeteries in the area. We found out afterward that it's safer to visit the cemeteries in large groups. I guess they have had some problems with robberies.

In the afternoon, we walked through the French Quarter to Woldenberg Park at the edge of the Mississippi River. Next to the park is the Aquarium of the Americas and an IMAX theatre. We then walked over to Harrah's Casino and played the slots until we cooled down.

The AAA TourBook Guide has been really helpful. It gives a background on the cities, attractions, restaurant descriptions, and so forth. One of the items in the book was how to sound like a local in New Orleans. I've posted it below:

Cajun - a descendant of the French Acadians who fled Canada in the mid-1700s and settled in the Louisiana bayous.

Chartres (CHAR-ters) - don't use your French accent with this street, or with Burgundy (ber-GUN-dee), Conti (KONT-eye) or Calliope (CAL-lee-ope).

Cher - a Cajun endearment.

Creole - strictly speaking, the original French and Spanish families who formed the elite of New Orleans society, as opposed to English-speaking immigrants who came later.

Fai do-do (fay doh-doh) - a Cajun street dance that lasts all night.

Krewes - private social and civic groups that organize Mardi Gras parades.

Lagniappe (lan-yap) - an elusive term for "a little something extra", like a baker's dozen.

Laissez les bon temps rouler (LAY-zay leh bawn tawn roo-LAY) - let the good times roll.

Pirogue (PEE-row) - a long, narrow swamp boat, originally made from a hollowed cypress log.

Neutral Ground - the grassy median separating street lanes.

Tchoupitoulas (CHOP-a-TOO-lus) - pronouncing this street is the true test of a native.

Vieux Carre (VOO cah-RAY) - the "Old Square", or the French Quarter.

Galveston - August 26 and 27

After Port Aransas, we stayed in Galveston, TX. The RV park we stayed in was new, so there weren't many people staying there. We had the pool to ourselves. The beach was just a short walk away.

We drove through old Strand Historic District in Galveston and looked at the architecture. Some of the most interesting buildings are the iron-fronted buildings. We went to the Pier 21 Theater and watched "The Great Storm" (about the 1900 hurricane that killed approximately 6,000 to 8,000 people) and "The Pirate Island of Jean Laffite". We then took the Galveston Ferry to Point Bolivar and looked at some houses for sale in Crystal Beach. We both prefer the south end of Galveston Island, where the RV park was located. It's much less touristy.

Port Aransas, TX - August 19 through 25

We stayed in Port Aransas, TX (the only town on Mustang Island), for a week. The RV park is just over the sand dunes from the beach.

The beaches are quite a bit different from those in LA. You can drive cars on the beach (you can get a permit at most gas stations), dogs are allowed on the beach, as is alcohol and smoking.

There was a boardwalk from our RV park to the beach. A good majority of the people in the park either owned or rented golf carts. On the weekends, they set up traffic lights for the pedestrians and golf carts coming and going on the boardwalk.

I got stung by a jellyfish on the first night we were here (Mike's birthday). It was extremely painful; felt like fire. The intense pain lasted for about an hour. The red marks across my ankles lasted for just over a week.

One day, we drove into Rockport and Fulton. Mike's parents used to live in Rockport 20 years ago. We tried to find their old house, but were unsuccessful.

In Fulton, we walked around the grounds of the Fulton Mansion State Historic Site. The house is closed, as it's being restored. It was the home of George W. Fulton and his wife Harriett. They made their fortune in ranching and meat packing. The house was built in 1874 - 1877 and is unique for the area. The architecture is in the French Second Empire domestic style and has gas lighting, central heat, and indoor plumbing with hot and cold running water.

We met lots of nice people here. We now have some new Facebook friends (Louis, Irma, Eva, and Lavar). A lot of people keep their RVs in the park for several months and travel back and forth on the weekends. The majority of the people we met were from San Antonio.

One day we went into Corpus Christi and looked at all the old houses in Heritage Park.

When we left, we took the ferry from Mustang Island over to Harbor Island and up through Aransas Pass. The ferry trip is extremely short. The grackles have things all figured out; they wait on the ferry for the cars to board, then jump up and pull bugs from the grills. Just before the ferry docks, they fly off and get on the ferry going the other way.