Louisiana, Many March 19 - 26

Southern Leisure RV Resort, Many, Louisiana.  This is our last stop in this lovely state.  The camp ground here is a very old one and not very well kept.  But the local people were very friendly.  We were able to launch the kayaks from the campground which was nice not having to drive for a while to do so.  Kayaking and touring around the countryside some is all we did in the week we stayed here.  It was a very restful week.

Many, Louisiana

The campground is located on the shores of Toledo
Bend Reservoir in the western part of the state.  Across the reservoir is Texas.  One had to be careful when kayaking this place, because the wind would come up fast.  You don't want to get stranded on it with wind.  The reservoir is about 75 miles long.

Kay trying to catch up with me.

We kayaked under the bridge in the background.

The local people said that the water had not been this high in many years.

Once again Captain Maxwell is leading the way.  Just don't tell Zoe that.

I had to make a bigger platform for Zoe.  She always has to be out in front as far as she can get.  The dogs love going in the kayaks with us.  We just have to watch for alligators.

Now don't you think he makes a handsome Captain?

Some of the local residents.

You can always find turtles.

This is an ugly little thing.

Kay took the picture of the swallows nests under the bridge.  There is a little one sticking his head out of the far right nest.

This is my kind of boat dock.  It might need a little repair though.

Another look at the reservoir.

Some of the back waters on the other side of the bridge.

The water was very brown in this part of the back waters.

Kay always has to have some flower pictures for each stop.  I guess by know, you know she loves taking pictures of them.

Also she has to get at least one with some kind of bug in it.

So far this is the only fish Kay has gotten.

These are some of the flowers just before we drove across the bridge into Texas.

We had to park the camper on a good hill.  Had to really block the wheels up to get it level.

Louisiana, Abita Springs Mar 5 - 19

Abita Springs RV Resort is about 8 miles north of New Orleans, LA   We spent two weeks at this park.  Lots of Texas hold-um poker with a very friendly bunch of guys.  Which is one thing I like to do also, second to kayaking.  We did not get much kayaking in at this park.  We did do a lot of touring of the different State Parks though. Kay and I did go to New Orleans one day to tour the city. 

 Abita Springs, Louisiana

 The welcome sign to the campground.

 Looking across the pond at the club house.

 More of the pond and the cabins on the right side.

 The pond was big enough to put the kayak on and try my hand at fishing.  The key word is TRY.

 This mother duck had multi colored ducklings.  We think the father was a Mallard.

 

 Giant Egret

 Kay got another picture of a flower with a bee.

 This group of Azaleas along the fence was just outside the entrance to the campground.

 Kay said this is some kind of Iris but she does not know for sure.  Me either.  It was growing on the edge of the pond.

 More wild Iris along the shore of the pond.

 Kay and I  went to an art market in Abita Springs one day.  She took this picture at the garden section of the market.

 One Saturday night, the park had a tag-a-long to go to the Abita Springs community center and listen to this Cajun Band.  Before the band started to play some old guy tried to teach us how to dance to the Cajun music.  The dances were basically waltz or 2 step.  I will say one thing, here in the south everyone got up to dance.  Even Kay and I danced to a couple of tunes.

 We stopped at Fontainebleau State Park so Kay and the dogs could take a dip in Lake Pontchartrain.

 One of the fishing piers at the State Park.

 On the way out of the park we saw this old dead tree which had an owl's nest on the fifth branch from the bottom.  It is very hard to see.

 We also stopped at Fairview Riverside State Park to check out the campground.  There was a nice boardwalk trail into the swamp we took the dogs on.

 A look at the swamp.

 Max and Zoe on the boardwalk looking at the snake before Kay or I realized it was there.

 This water moccasin was about two or three feet from the edge of the board walk.

 They need to add snakes to this sign which was at the end of the board walk.

 The sign says it all.

 Beignets  this is a Louisiana thing they were very good.

 The look of satisfaction.

This bridge across Lake Pontchartrain is the longest one in the world, stretching 24 miles.

 A day in New Orleans started off with a stroll on the River Walk.

 The water fountain, as you get into the River Walk.

 Some houses and boats along the Mississippi River.

More houses along the Mississippi River.

 We got on this trolley on Canal street and road it up to Bourbon street.

 The trolleys were very crowed.

 Our stop on Bourbon street.

 A look down Bourbon St.  The restaurant on the left is where we had lunch.

 Was a good southern lunch.

 This is the French Quarter section along Bourbon Street.

 I remember this place back in 1960 when I got a bit wasted in this bar.

 Young musicians along the street.

St. Louis Cathedral-Basilica is the oldest Catholic Cathedral in the United States
( 1718 )

The Flags, on the right side the flags represent the countries that New Orleans has been under from its founding t the present.  On the left side, are the Papal flag, the Coat of Arms for the Basilica and the coats of Arms of the Diocese of the Metropolitan Province of New Orleans.

 

After our walking tour of Bourbon Street, Kay and I got on the trolley that went into the Garden District of New Orleans.   The following pictures are of some of the houses along the route.  Also we went past the main campus building of Loyola University.  We saw Xavier campus as well but didn't get any good pictures.

Harrah's Casino, this is where we parked the truck.  It was the only place we could find.  It turned out to be the cheapest place to park after they gave us a discount for having a handicap license.