<< Day 19: San Antonio to Lafayette, Louisiana | Day 21: New Orleans >>
Lafayette to New Orleans
Genevieve was excited about playing a family game of miniature golf at the campground this morning. Here she is taking the first shot:
Ben gave Sebastian some pointers on his stroke:
We didn’t keep score, and we celebrated whenever someone’s ball finally landed in the hole.
Sometimes we used creative techniques to get our balls through the obstacles.
The finish line!
Sebastian was ecstatic to discover this small lizard on the final hole:
We only had to drive 140 miles today to reach New Orleans.
Some homes around Lafayette.
Shortly after we started on Interstate 10, we found ourselves on an elevated road over an expanse of water.
The elevated road continued for miles, and we crossed over Lake Begeaux.
And then over Lake Pelba.
And then over the Atchatalaya River.
We also crossed over Whiskey Bay, where we could see the elevated highway stretched far out in the distance.
I was extremely impressed with the engineering and labor that must have gone into this massive highway project.
Yesterday we had passed about a dozen people fixing flat tires at various points in our journey. We had also dodged countless thick strips of big-rig tires that had blown out. This morning, we also noticed an unusually high number of flat tires and rubber strips. We were thinking that perhaps the 100+ degree temperatures in this area cause more flat tires than normal. Fortunately, we did not have to change any tires of our own along the way.
Our 4-lane freeway was bordered by thick plants and trees on both sides. There seemed to be a great diversity of tree types along the roadside, including pines.
Every so often I would catch a glimpse of a housing development through the trees.
We also crossed over many rivers, streams and small bodies of water. Such an enormous amount of water was in sharp contrast to the parched southwest and California, where water is precious.
Here are some visual snippets of the Baton Rouge area from the freeway.
Outside of New Orleans, our highway stretched over the eastern portion of Lake Pontchartrain.
We saw what appeared to be remnants of the devastation left by Hurricane Katrina.
The surrounding trees looked like grey twigs sticking out of the earth.
Pumping stations and huge pipes ran along the freeway.
We saw the New Orleans city skyline in the distance, along with the Super-Dome, which was a gathering point for many after Hurricane Katrina.
A large brick church:
Because New Orleans lies below sea level, all of the cemeteries have above-ground burial plots.
Next to the cemetery was our RV park.
We had selected this place because it was only 2 blocks from the French Quarter—we could walk to and from whenever we pleased.
One of the first things that we did after we stopped was to add the state of Louisiana to our map.
The pool at the RV park had a little waterfall, and the children were begging for a swim. The afternoon heat was intense, so we cooled off in the pool, and then walked down to the French Quarter in the early evening.
Many of the buildings in the French Quarter had shuttered windows on the bottom, with large balconies on the top.
We heard a band in the distance and caught the tail end of a parade rounding a corner. We all ran to the next block to see more. It was a wedding! We caught a glimpse of the bride and groom before they were whisked inside of their reception site, a local restaurant.
The next street down was the infamous Bourbon Street!
It was Saturday night, and Bourbon Street was a lively place. Pedestrians were walking down Bourbon Street without any cars flowing through. Genevieve thought that doing something that is normally considered “unsafe” was quite exciting! “Look at me! I’m in the middle of the street!”
Sebastian’s eyes were busy taking everything in. He pointed out these “legs” that moved in and out of an upstairs window.
Of course, we had to stop and visit with the pirate.
I was eager to reach Jackson Square, which my guidebook said was a hub of activity, with bands playing and people gathered. I anticipated a warm and welcoming place where families and visitors could relax and enjoy the evening, similar to the zócalos (or plazas) often found in Mexican towns and cities. When we arrived at the square, however, we found that it was surrounded by a high iron fence, with gates that were already padlocked shut. And the businesses that ran along each side were all closed for the evening. I must admit that I was a bit disappointed.
In front of Jackson Square:
The St. Louis cathedral rose over the square:
A plaque announced that Pope John Paul II had worshipped at the church during a visit to the United States in 1987.
We also learned that the city of New Orleans was established by the French in 1721. The city was the capital of the Spanish province of Louisiana from 1768 to 1803. At Jackson Square, Spain transferred Louisiana to France in November 1803. Less than a month later, France transferred Louisiana to the United States.
We walked to the Mississippi River:
Then we started looking for a restaurant.
We made a good choice with the Chartres House Cafe, which served delicious crawfish and gumbo. They advertised their pecan pie as the “best”, and I would have to say that they could be right!
Walking back along Bourbon Street, Genevieve and I held hands and chatted about the various things that we were seeing. Ben and Sebastian were also holding hands, having their own conversation. Sebastian was apparently quite impressed with all of the activity around him. He told Ben, “When I’m older, I want to live here. But not if I’m married because I don’t think my wife would like this.”
As we turned a corner and headed away from Bourbon Street, Sebastian asked Ben, “Do they have houses here?” Ben said yes and pointed out some houses on the street. Sebastian then said that he meant were there any houses on Bourbon Street, adding, “I want a house back there where the action is!”
<< Day 19: San Antonio to Lafayette, Louisiana | Day 21: New Orleans >>
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