Winter Storm Euclid

Firstly I must say at home in Australia we watch the weather channel and think how boring, but being here you can see the importance of it. Any weather front from the west of the USA almost always ends up affecting a small part of the USA if not all of it. So as we have satellite TV we are, on a regular basis checking the weather and Christmas Day was no different. We kept an eye on it as the Storm Euclid was getting full time coverage, it was affecting a huge area of the states.

So our experience began as I sat and watched the weather channel. I looked out the window and I saw that the cord that is used so pin our annex down was growing in size! It was still only midday and as the rain fell and ran down the cord was icing up. The annex also had ice forming on the edges, yep it was cold no doubt about it.

11 am and it's icing up already


As we had agreed to take a roast turkey across to Chuck and Ceal's place I fired up the Weber ran back inside while the BBQ warmed up then got the turkey ran outside put it in the BBQ, and then straight back inside, it was bloody cold.

While lunch was cooking we sat and had a cup of tea when suddenly a massive tree came tumbling down just missing a family in their RV. I went outside to see what happened, spoke to the owner who said he was packing up and getting out, it put the wind up him and his family. Within 20 mins they were packed and heading out, his parting words, "Walmart is looking good!"

Huge trees were falling from the weight of ice



Once the turkey was cooked we headed over to Chuck and Ceals place. Sitting down to lunch the subject of "ice" rain was raised. I admitted that i had never heard of ice rain so it was explained to us plebs from Australia. In short it's exactly what it sounds like but what happens is the ice sticks to the trees. As a lot of the tree root systems are shallow, the trees become top heavy and fall over! Shit we are hearing trees drop all over the place, yep we were starting to get worried! Chuck and I went out to check out the trees nearest us - one was a pine tree shaped like a bow it was so heavy on top. It was leaning away from our trailer so although we are worried we assumed it would fall away from us.

Just on dusk we see our first glimpse of snow falling from the sky, a first for both Rose and I. We don our jackets, grab the camera and out we go. Of course the locals think we are nuts, this is why they come south each year, to escape the snow! Back inside more conversation and out we go again, we cannot believe we are seeing real snow falling.

The first flakes of snow


Christmas dinner at Ceal and Chuck's



About 11 pm we saw a blinding blue flash, we all stopped talking for a second and then realised that the power had gone off. We hardly noticed as the RV uses batteries for lighting and propane (LPG) for heating so no great effect for the time being. Not long after Rose and I headed home - the snow is about 8 inches thick or 20 cm, are we excited? You bet we are! First thing we did was fire up the generator so that we would have hot water for a shower, then the fun began! We were like two kids - speechless as we looked at the winter wonderland around us, (keep in mind we have never seen such an event before). So we built snowmen, threw snowballs, took photos, walked around and wondered at the sights before us. We were so excited to be experiencing our first ever "white" Christmas! Words do not describe how much fun we had. By 2 am we were done so a hot shower and to bed.

Our first snowmen


Don't throw it Rose, I have the camera in hand!


Yep the snow came down, our truck!


We ran the generator all night, for no other reason than to keep the fan heater going in what we call the basement - the area where all our pipes run through. If the water pipes freeze they can burst, not a situation we wanted to be in. The temperature got down to minus 4 c that night.

The next morning I woke up early and braved the cold to take photos and survey the damage. There was no access in or out of the park as several trees were uprooted and blocking the way, we were stranded. We had enough generator fuel for a few hours more but that was about all, after that we go cold! We talked to Chuck and Ceal and they told us that they had already requested that the National Park people send someone out to cut the trees to clear the road so that we could go and get some more fuel and supplies. By 3 pm they had cut a path through the fallen trees and we head to town for more fuel and two more "gas" cans - as expected they are the biggest selling item of the day. So we settle in for the long haul considering it too dangerous to head out on the icy roads. Then began the cycle of topping up the generator on a regular basis, making sure it didn't run dry, including a nightly 3am top up. The snow very quickly turns into black ice so even the daily trip into town to get more fuel for the generator was risky enough without even thinking of leaving and towing the 5th wheeler.

The morning after


The best seats in the house


A winter wonderland


Sunrise



We waited for the power to come back on for 3 days but were told that it could be 7 days or more before this happened as they are not prepared for snow storms here like they are up the north of the USA and had to get extra work crews in to help. Given we were in a National Park with 2 others we weren't going to be a number one priority.

Day 4 I woke up and said to Rose, we are not going forward here and the ranger reported that the walking trails would be impassable due to the number of fallen trees etc, so we packed up heading for somewhere (anywhere!) that had power.


- Posted by RnR on their IPad

Location:Gulpha George Arkansas

'Twas the night before Christmas

So we headed west across the border to Arkansas, we had a loose idea of our destination - a place called Little Rock, but having spoken to the barman at the Heartbreak Hotel we went a further 35 miles to the town of Hot Springs. This town is famous, wait for it, for it's hot springs, now there's a surprise! We decided to go to a National Park called Gulpha George, which sits about 2 miles from the actual town. We pulled into the park and had plenty of spots to choose from so picked one and got ourselves all hooked up. Payment here was via a machine, put your site number in, days staying and feed it cash for a receipt which you pin at your site. No ripping the system off here. There are volunteers on site here as well as a park ranger that patrols the area in his squad car complete with his AR 15 semi automatic rifle strapped in between the front seats!

Our arrival at Gulpha George National Park


As we were one of only about 3 campers here we quickly introduced ourselves to the volunteers on site, Chuck and Ceal (short for Cecilia). Volunteers are given free sites around the country in the National Parks each year in return for them keeping an eye on things and doing some general maintenance duties. In reality most volunteers are from up North and are wanting to escape the snow and cold in their home towns. Chuck and Ceal were no different with this being their first go at being volunteers.

Within hours we were chatting and having a beer, including Miles the other park volunteer. Miles was a fantastic man of knowledge and we sat and listened to his many stories and experiences.

The next morning as we basked in the sun Ceal asked us if we wanted to hike the 2 miles into town with them. We jumped at the chance and within 30 minutes we were hiking up the very steep hill, a real leg burner! We arrived in town to what seemed like a place lost in time. A lot of the buildings were built in the 20's, and there is a row of "bath" houses fed by the warm water which flows from the natural springs. Many a gangster was known to frequent the town in days gone by. They had an unofficial truce when they came to Hot Springs for a "break" and did not shoot one another.

This building was used to rehabilitate soldiers after World War 2


Many a Bathhouse lines the street


No not "VB" but the springs are capped to maintain their purity, a nice thought though!




It is said that the water is some 4000 years old by the time it seeps deep down into the earth and then comes back to the surface via the springs and it is believed it has many health benefits, which is evident by the number of bath houses still running. There are several "public" taps around the town where people congregate to fill their water bottles with the so called therapeutic water, and yes we filled ours.

Of course no trip into town would be complete without a beer stop so we found a place called Fat Jacks but it was closed, bugger! A bloke sitting out front confirmed this but then the front door opened and we were invited in. They were waiting for a delivery but the bar manager was more than happy to open the bar just for us, we felt rather special. So two beers later the delivery was complete and the barman said he was shutting back up. We can honestly now say we have been kicked out of a bar in the USA at closing time, it was 2-30 pm. We wandered a bit further down the street and found a place called the Ohio bar so in we went for one more beer and then the 2 mile hike back to camp.

Last drinks on Christmas Eve


So we headed home with a few rest stops along the way, to admire the view of course! We said our goodbyes at this point but had decided to have an 'orphan's' Christmas lunch tomorrow at Chuck and Ceals motor home. We made plans for who would bring what and waited with baited breath as there were weather reports of a cold front moving in with possible snow, could our dream come true? A white Christmas?



- Posted by RnR on their IPad

Location:Hot Springs, Arkansas

Beale Street

Feeling adventurous and needing a break from the kitchen we decided to eat out for dinner after a big day. Yep it was a cold day, the advantage was it kept the crowds away. We scanned all the information the park gave us and one restaurant stuck out more than the others, a place called Marlowes which was about a mile or so up the road. The added bonus was that they send a pink limo to pick their customers up and then take them home again at no extra charge. And to top it off we would get a 10% discount off our bill due to the fact that we were staying at the Graceland RV park. A quick phone call and our pink limo was on its way. I called last drinks in the trailer and before we knew it we were heading up the road to dinner. We arrived and, as with all places here in the USA, the restaurant was well decorated for Christmas. We braved the cold, ran around outside and took a couple of quick photos before heading inside, it was freezing!

Outside Marlowes at Memphis


I knew what I wanted for mains but we were keen to try a different entrée. So Rose picked out "deep fried pickles" or a what we call gherkins. We had expected them to be thinly sliced as we had experienced in New York but these came out whole, yep a rather large whole gherkin deep fried in a crumbed batter, or what's commonly called "breaded". They were just lovely, yeah we felt guilty with the deep fried stuff but we vowed to work it off later and we are here to try different foods so what the heck.

My full side of "ribs"


I then ordered the full slab of BBQ ribs with a side of coleslaw and baked beans, sounds weird but that's how it comes. Rose ordered the "brisket" which of course comes with BBQ sauce and two sides. My ribs sat across the full length of the plate and were fantastic, the meat just fell off the bone. We tucked into our meals but there was no way we could finish them so unlike Australia we could take a doggy bag home.

The next night was a trip to Beale street. It's like the Bourbon street of Memphis. The Heartbreak hotel runs a shuttle bus for $5 each way so we booked it. As always the driver offered some local facts, the one that impressed us the most is that Memphis is the home of Fed Ex parcels and employs some 35,000 people. Memphis has one of the busiest airports in the would due to the amount of Fed Ex planes that come and go. We had also noticed that both gas and diesel prices were rather low ie 30 cents a gallon cheaper. We are informed this is because of the massive oil refinery in Memphis and the cost to transport the fuel is less so cheaper fuel. I must let them know that back in Brisbane because that theory doesn't work there.

Beale Street


Beale street is considered safe, it has its own Police precinct and the street is blocked off at night for party goers. BB Kings bar was recommend to us so in we went, grabbed a seat and listened to the live music. First thing we noticed was the volume - it was perfect. We could actually listen to music and talk, we were impressed! We were prepared to settle in for the night but we had to see the rest of Beale street so we braved the cold, did a lap down one side of the street back up the other and straight into BB Kings again. In no time at all our bus was waiting across the road so we departed the famous Beale street and headed home. We could have stayed longer but tomorrow we are heading further west so home we must go.




- Posted by RnR on their IPad

Location:Memphis Tenessee

Graceland the Home of Elvis

What journey around the USA would not be complete with a visit to Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley. To be honest I have never been a fan of Elvis, I have watched his movies, (only because my older sister watched them on a Sunday afternoon many years ago), I have listened to his music and definitely don't dislike it but I will admit I have never bought an album or CD. I am sure Rose feels the same way, so why are we going to Graceland? As I said, you just have to.

So our day began with Rose finding an RV park to stay at as we drove up the interstate from Vicksburg MS, and as usual Rose checked the sites that give feedback. She found one just up the road from Graceland and a good price too. Well we arrived and drove into the park, stopped and looked at one another! Is this the right park? This does not look remotely like the feedback we read? One look said it all, we are not staying here, I would not even leave my box trailer here let alone park our fifth wheel for a night! We drove in and found the fastest way out! We knew there was an RV park at Graceland, well just across the road , but it bares their name and is managed by them. So we high tailed it out and down the road to the other park. We pulled in and checked with security and promptly booked in. What a relief , a bit dearer but well worth it for peace of mind and security.

Yep it was a cold day, the advantage is it keeps the crowds away.


Elvis Presley Boulevard, Graceland on the left and the tourist complex on the right.


The weather prediction is cold and windy, great get those thermals out Ron. The RV park Is attached to the Graceland tourist complex so we just walked through the back gate and we were there. I am looking where is "Graceland" I can't see it. I am thinking we must drive out to it? So we check out all the packages available, we go for the platinum $36 with a 10% discount for our RACQ membership, a nice surprise. We are herded to the obligatory photo with a canvas background of the Graceland gates, "we take photos of all our guests" great where have I heard that before? I take a photo of the girl taking my photo, she cracks up and she sees the funny side of it, let's face it we aren't going to buy it anyway. So we walk ten steps get issued our audio headset and controller for our self guided audio tour and up to get on the "shuttle" bus, I look up and I see Graceland, yep it's across the road a mere 300 metres away, go figure! So we get in our bus wait at the traffic lights, yes there is a set of traffic lights just for the shuttle buses to cross the road, straight into the grounds of Graceland.
The photographers response to our photo being taken.


Standing out front of Graceland.


We are dropped off at the door and met by a big heavy set man who explains the rules, no audio recordings, no flash photography etc, he opens the door and we are in the home of Elvis. The rooms are all exactly as they were the day he died, the decor is all original. The audio tour directs you to numbered points and then gives a brief history of the room. By today's standards the house is not big, not opulent but for a star of the day it was. You self guide yourself around the ground floor only, apparently Elvis was a very private person and always met his guests downstairs and no one ever went up stairs, and that is true to this day, no one goes up stairs, we are told there are no photos of upstairs! (I wonder how many security guards have snuck up at midnight?)
The lounge room.


The billiard room lined with tapestry.


So we tour all the rooms, go out back and see the carport, yes carport not an enclosed garage where his cars were parked, then to the office out back, then to the trophy room which houses loads of gold records, his outfits etc. We then go to the "racket" ball building (squash court) he had built. it is lined with more of his numerous awards, more costumes and gold records. We are told Pricilla set this up when Graceland opened but it will be changing soon to reflect what it was like the day Elvis died, right down to the racket and ball sitting in the middle of the floor as he left it just hours before he died.
The racket room.


So the final part of the tour is the grave of Elvis. Many an Elvis fan has made this journey and I am sure millions still want to, we are lucky to have done it and we are very surprised about how we feel about it, we are truly humbled by the experience.
Rest in Peace


Back to the bus and across the road to the tourist hub of Graceland. Here there are many other displays each with a souvenir shop attached, a bar and food shops. We see our photo they took, perfect shot of me taking a photo of the photographer, no thanks we laugh and move on. All up we spent four and a half hours there and truly surprised ourselves. We would recommend a stop at Graceland to anyone travelling the US.

We were informed by our friend Neil, who I might add is a mad Elvis fan that people write messages on the wall of Graceland, and they do. Thousands of messages! So we decide to sneak up that night and add ours, I say sneak because it just felt so wrong "graffitiing" on a wall, it's not within our nature. There is lighting and security out front of Graceland but we had to walk across a car park and down the road. Now there are parts of Memphis you can go and some you can't. We are told don't leave the immediate area of Graceland as security can't keep an eye on you, that's the advice we get and we take it. We let the guard know where we are going, no worries he says I will keep an eye on you, thanks mate.
How could we resist?


A great day was had by both of us, we now look at Elvis in a different light.

- Posted by RnR on their IPad

Location:Memphis Tennessee

Day Trip

After two days of sitting around we were determined to get out and about so we set off for the historic town of Natchez. Natchez sits on the Mississippi River with views all around. Natchez is where the Natchez trail starts obviously, and goes some 400 miles up to Tennessee. This trail was originally a trail that was used by buffalo to transport goods, most likely the path of least resistance from one point to another, then the Indians used it as a trade route. It slowly grew and became one of two roads across the wilderness. The reason you can still see sections of it is that it was used so frequently that the trail in places sits 5 feet below normal ground level! To stand on the trail and think about what has passed the point you stand is very thought provoking.

Some of the old houses of Natchez are fantastic.


Following a similar path is the Natchez trail pathway, a road that is closed to commercial traffic, so cars only and a speed limit of 50 mph this follows a similar line as the original trail. Here we stopped at the ranger station and we were met by a volunteer park ranger. The national parks employ a lot of volunteers, people who generally live up north, head south for the winter and supplement the Parks service. They are not paid but are given a site for their trailer, power, water and in some cases propane in exchange for 3 days a week work.
The ranger was dressed in period costume.


This ranger was so knowledgable of the trail and the area we spent 30 mins talking. She then directed us to the restored house a short distance away which was originally the the residence for the 1200 acre property. We walked up to the house and we were met by here husband, dressed up in period costume for the time. We then given a guided tour of the house, not a big house, just a 16 x 20 ft timber cottage. To make extra money the wife of the original owner of the property took in travellers at 25 cents a night. This is because travellers walked this trail to head back home to Tennessee after taking their goods south by boat. (Keep in mind they had no way of travelling up river as steam boats had not been invented at the time). So they sold the boat and walked home and did it all again the next year, truly amazing. This place even has a cemetery where a number of slaves now rest, truly humbling experience of a time not so long past.

A visit to Vicksburg would not be complete without a tour of this historic battlefield. We arrived at the ranger station and we were pleased to be able to use our yearly pass that we bought before we left Australia, so no entry fee. The visitors centre had a great fibre optic display of how the battle took place and you have to keep in mind what we take for granted ie crossing the very wide Mississippi by a bridge they had to walk hundreds of miles to find a crossing point and then do battle!

The obelisk in the distance was the Confederate lines.


We purchased a CD and we drove the battlefield, each track coincides with a point on the drive, it then goes on to explain the events that took place at that point. The distance between the trenches in some places no more than 50 metres. As both sides exchanged bloody fire across no mans land one woman's house which overlooked the battle refused to leave, so she literally sat in her house as the battle raged below her, she was eventually moved to a cave lower down. The residents of Vicksburg also dug caves to escape the artillery bombardment from the Union army. The Union laid siege for some 40 days until the Confederate army surrender.

The battlefield view from the hose where the woman stayed, the battlefield is the cleared area.


This "iron clad" battleship was sunk by a mine laid by the Confederate army. It was raised from the mud 98 years later!


Vicksburg is also famous for something else not so bloody, and this is because the building where coke a cola was first bottled still stands in the older part of town. Before bottling of soft drinks the only was way to have one was at the drug store poured from a soda fountain. This building houses a small museum and shows how at the time each bottle was filled by hand one at a time! As we know the rest is history.

Where coke was first bottled.


- Posted by RnR on their IPad

Location:Natchez and Vicksburg Mississippi

Rest Days

We left New Orleans and travelled up Interstate 55 but not without incident. Our 30 amp power cable just sort of pushes into the rear of the trailer and there is a cap that closes over it, no real problem, however as we left New Orleans we once again ventured onto the longest concrete bridge I have ever seen. So 10 miles into the bridge section a truck pulls along side and motions something is wrong out back of our trailer! Shit the bridge is two lanes with a narrow breakdown strip, do I stop or keep going? I did not know how much further the bridge went at this stage so we pulled over. I could not get out due to traffic, so Rose had to squeeze out and see what the problem was. She returned rather pale, not from the problem but the wind and noise as prime movers pass you at 65 mph with not much more than 18 inches of clearance is enough to make anyone go pale! In short with all the bouncing about the cap had come off and the power cable was dragging, Rose stuffed it back in and away we went, no time to check for any damage.
Where the power cable comes out of the trailer


Twenty miles further on and on a normal road we found a spot to stop. I checked the plug and just a small amount of wear on the back of the plug, very lucky, we avoided an emergency stop at an RV shop for repairs. We are pretty sure we clipped the cover on as in both instances, it appears it had come loose with all the bouncing about on the bridge, so we will need to keep an eye on it.

We left Interstate 55 at a place called Crystal Springs and headed west towards Vicksburg another famous battlefield from the civil war which sits on the Mississippi River. Our general process when moving is pick a town or city and as we travel Rose gets on the iPad and finds a place to stay. In this instance we opted for a park which is owned by a casino, cheap rates at $22 a night with full hookups, water, power and sewage, oh, and a bus at call to take you to the casino. All the usual routine, set up, grab a wine, read the travel brochures and put the BBQ on.

The next day we set down as a "rest" day, yeah you may laugh but it's not all beer and skittles on the road. We had washing to do, including sheets, sweep and vacuum the trailer clean the truck and just sit back and do nothing. As we watched local TV they had predicted severe thunderstorms with a slim chance of tornados in the viewing area, we were "viewing" so we assumed that was us! We tuned our walkie talkie to the national weather emergency channel to listen, no drama at this point so we had dinner and went to bed.

The next morning we awoke to very dark skies and the impending storm blowing in from the west. We asked ourselves do we want to go out in this or wait it out, we played it save and stayed in for the day, pulled the doona back up and read our books. The storm passed and by mid afternoon we were ready to go to the casino for a "coffee" as Rose put it, yeah right. We called the shuttle bus and off we went. We went to the sports bar and watched the NFL and spoke to some other people from Seattle and Memphis.
The Casino is made to look like a giant paddle steamer.


Ok tick casino off the list and home we go. The driver asked which site we were at, I said mmm just down here on the left and look for a grey truck, the others in the bus all laughed. Some other conversation went on and as we were leaving a lady sitting at the front said, " love your accent" as we say, what accent?

A great day tomorrow we will get out and about.


- Posted by RnR on their IPad

Location:Vicksburg Mississippi

Bourbon Street

We arrived back at our trailer and decided to visit the bar, sounded like a good idea at the time. We pulled up a seat and started speaking to some of the locals, they lived and worked around the area and stayed short term at the park. Then another couple walked in and not sure if it was our accent or Roses good looks but they moved seats so we could all chat. Garry and Barb were from Canada, not sure if anyone is left up there right now but we all started chatting, as you do. Rose had a red wine which came in a sealed glass, yep take the plastic cap off, remove a seal and there you have a glass of wine, no guessing how long the bottle was open, a fresh glass every time.

The next morning at ten we met the shuttle bus to take us into the French Quarter. We orientated ourselves and we set off to see the sights, first stop the French market, yep plenty to see including some Cajun cooking and don't forget those cheap souvenirs. We are feeling pretty seasoned travellers so we look and that's all, having cleaned out our unit in Australia we know how much clutter you can accumulate and we are determined not to accumulate on this trip.
The age of the buildings is remarkable considering the constant flooding that has occurred.
The French market


Some of the local architecture








Next stop Bourbon Street, still early in the day so not much happening here, so we set off to see the old cemetery full of crypts and dozens of tour guides, we figured why pay to look at something that is free, we even eaves dropped on a couple of tours to learn something, cheeky yes but what the heck!
The cemetery


We then jumped on a trolley bus to take us to the city gardens and it was further than we expected so we pretty much had to catch the same trolley back as we wanted to do the paddle steamboat at 2-30pm which takes you 6 miles up the Mississippi river and back. Some quick walking and we made it with 15 minutes to spare.
$1-50 for an all day ticket, very cheap


We got our tickets and got a tacky photo taken with a wooden ships steering wheel, you know the ones, they then try to flog a package of photos to you for $30 which you then stick in a cupboard never to be seen again, we let them take the photo it keeps them happy. We were one of the last people to board, everyone is jostling for the best seats up front, us in true Aussie fashion make for the "Texas" bar, last on the boat first in the bar! I have a massive hangover but would not be deterred so I said to the barman "what's good for a hangover" quick as a flash he says "a Bloody Mary" good I'll have one. He was right I did feel better, in fact so much better I had another one!

Nothing like a Bloody Mary to get over a hangover, cheers


We head up river and as expected all those people who rushed for seats up front are moving, they suddenly realise being up front on a boat in cool weather is not much fun so they head inside where it warm, not me I need the fresh air. The commentary on the trip was good, on the river we are in fact higher than 50% of New Orleans, no wonder it floods! It's also one of the busiest ports in the USA.


Ok paddle steamer trip done on the Mississippi River tick that one off the bucket list, now to Bourbon Street. Although it was still early the place was just starting to get busy. We have all heard of Bourbon Street New Orleans and I was no different, I was expecting bars with budding jazz musicians playing and I just wanted to listen to some good ole sole searching music.
Well to be honest I was disappointed with Bourbon Street, it was lined with "shop" front bars, strip joints, and numerous people hustling you to go into their "joint. We could not find a quiet bar to even listen to some jazz, in fact we passed two places trying to out do one another with how loud they could pump out their music! Ok I have seen enough, lets move on.



Two streets up we found what we were looking for, firstly a nice place to have some dinner. We tried something different, firstly, green sliced tomato deep fried, very nice I would eat it again, then we had some crab cakes finished off with a local fish called "red fish" blackened with Cajun spices and it was great. We then went another two blocks and found the live jazz we were looking for and if you wanted fresh oysters they shucked them right there at the bar for you. It would appear to me that the traditional part of Bourbon street has given way to cheap booze, hustler clubs and nothing more I won't be back but I would visit the many other things New Orleans has to offer.


- Posted by RnR on their IPad

Location:New Orleans Louisiana

Baton Rouge

Our first "Walmart" stop and it was not to bad, we know why they do it we spent four times as much as a park would have been! To be honest we were nervous to start with until four other RV's pulled up. We bought a fresh pizza from Walmart and just put it in our oven, it was real nice, nothing like you get back home from Woolies. So we heated our pizza and turned all the lights off opened all the blinds and had a red wine as we people watched, you have to remember Walmart is open 24 hours so we also had a security guard to keep us safe. So a free nights stay and only a 15 minute drive to the dealer to get the shower fixed.
Me taking Rose out for pizza in a Walmart car park


We pulled into the dealer right on opening and were first in line, we explained the problem and they were onto it. In the meantime we checked out all the other new fifth wheelers, mmm they were great next time I could be tempted to go bigger! They had a special on to install some Maxair vent covers which had been recommended to us so we got them installed while we were there, now we can leave the roof vents open even if it rains and no panicking if the weather changes while we are out.

We arrived at New Orleans just on dusk and our first impressions of the park were a shock to say the least. We thought our GPS had taken us the wrong way as we headed down a bumpy concrete road into what looked like a disused industrial area, well it was, my first thoughts, bloody GPS, second thoughts where can I turn this thing around! So we kept going and found the entrance to the park, very nice indeed, but still nervous. We go to the nice new office, raised of course as the park is on the "other" side of the levy. We were met by a very cheerful and lovely girl who welcomed us, now we are thinking, this will be ok. We got the full run down of the park and we were impressed, security gates, a restaurant and bar and a shuttle bus to the French quarter. We booked in for 3 nights.

We were guided to our site by a young bloke Sean, he said to let him know if we needed anything as he would be around. We set up and start planning what we would do for the next 2 days.
The view from our lounge room


Next morning a quick walk around the park and we bumped into Sean, I asked about filling our gas bottle, no worries before we got back he had picked it up, filled it and returned it to our site, what great service, this bloke loved his job and was great to chat to. Sean even picked up our garbage, you just put your trash out by ten and he picks it up and takes it away, a first for us in and RV park.


I wanted to go to Baton Rouge to see the home of the show called "Sons of Guns", this is a show on Foxtel where they do stuff with guns, they are armourer's by trade and my son who is also an armorer and I watch this show. Well we set of on the 60 mile trip along the interstate through the middle of New Orleans, just past peak hour and we are doing 60 mph through the city, keep up Ron, I'm doing 60 and I am the slowest truck on the highway! The drive was amazing, one section of the road is actually 22 miles of raised road, like the Hornibrook bridge in Brisbane but it goes for 22 miles crossing the low swampy land of Louisiana.

We found Red Jacket Firearms and met a security guard who quickly told us no one was around as production was finished but there was a shop front two doors up. We looked around the shop and who walks in but Kris and his wife Stephanie from the show, a quick intro and a photo and I am happy.


We jump in the truck and two seconds later Rose says, hey isn't that Will Hayden the owner, quick as a flash I am out of the truck and ask for a photo.


Photo done and I am real happy, even have the T shirt to prove it! So we drive around Baton Rouge for a bit then head back to New Orleans.

Driving home we are met with a traffic jam due to an accident on the "high rise" we think this is the highest part of the freeway, nothing to do but plod along.


- Posted by RnR on their IPad

Location:Louisiana