Expeditions and Adventures: Westward Ho the RV

Leaving out from Alabama the dogs and I made an uneventful trip to the Louisiana State Park just south of New Orleans and fairly close to fellow WomenRVer Claudia's home in Metaire. It was uneventful mostly but did provide me an opportunity to remain once again humble as I was required to unhook the Honda at a Pilot station as the the turning radius for getting lined up to the pumps was just a "bit" too tight for the car to clear the large cement block provided to protect the pumps. As I pulled over to the side of the lot to re-hook the car I observed a much larger Class A (also towing a car) attempt to line up close enough to one of the pumps and give up and pull out of the lot altogether. I raise a toast to the truck stops that offer RV (gas) lanes. I will state that of the handful of places that I have had to unhook and turnaround or reattach the car, a gas station is probably one of the safest and least stressful places. (Those old narrow roads leading to blocked entrances to state parks are the worst, unless you enjoy the challenge of backing up a rig on narrow road until you find the wide spot to turn around and reattach the car.)

And before I forget to add somewhere. These Louisiana State Parks rock. Walking around two different parks now I can say I haven't found a site that wouldn't be doable. They are either graveled or with cement pads and all fairly level to the eye with plenty of space for clearance on all sides.... length and width and height.

Now back to the New Orlean's Claudia tour. We started at the parking lot on the levy with a quick walk over the levy to look at the river. See the river? It is right there.

Then we started walking.

And then I started noticing the carriages and the mules. "Let's go find the station!" I say. And off we went. The hip and sciatica last longer this way and having taking carriage rides through historic cities in the past, besides the neat history the guides share, there is just an opportunity to listen to the neat sound of clop, clop, clop, that resonates with the visual history of the architecture going by.

Included in the tour was a stop at one of the older cemeteries. Each "site/tomb/crip?" is owned by a family. Some hold multiple bodies over time. Some hold hundreds. The family own the lot unless someone buys them out. Nicholas Cage did just that. Then the original family has to move out its family's remains. Nicholas' choice was to build a pyramid. It appears strange against the stones of history here. I did take a picture but if you want to see it you will need to Google it. Claudia added that when Nicholas lost all his money, the powers that be repossessed all his New Orleans houses, etc but cemetery plots are not allowed to be touched.......

There were many stories about Marie Laveau. She gathered great power around her during her life. The family of famous folks buried around her were not pleased to find their loved ones placed next to her. I am thinking that those that passed didn't waste much time worrying about that.

Some of the crips have families that paid up front for perpetual care. Some did not.

This guy was famous about town and loved the blues which had its birth, so the legends say, in the area right behind that brick wall. Again, according to the story, the family built the wall to keep his spirit from returning to the less savory world that the blues might pull him back to.

Not all families are still around to worry about their ancestors. And another fun fact, the tombs can get to temperatures up to 400 degrees. As the bodies are reduced over time, is how they can add more to the family tombs. The rule is that you can't open any of the family plots until a year and a day after a body has been interred. But don't worry they have rental tombs you can use until your beloved is ready for the family crip.

Architectural details are easier to notice when you don't have to watch where your feet are traveling.

"I was a good mule, wasn't I"

She liked nose rubs but the carrot her driver gave her seemed to please her more. Mules are bright creatures.

Back to the State Park, the dogs and I walked down past the cabins. They all sit out on the water with screened in porches and wonderful views of the canal.

The second day Claudia and I made our way to "Mardi Gras World". Not the museum but the company responsible for designing, building and often storing a large portion of the floats that appear in the parades. The tour helped explain the process and how the Krews plan out their parades. And for one who has never been to New Orleans and certainly never during Mardi Gras I now know about the multiple Krews and just how many parades there are during those two weeks. And how many parades occur each day.

The large warehouse is right on the river.

Many of the "heads" are repurposed from year to year. This lady is a work in process with much Styrofoam carving left to do.

Need some extra body parts?

This slide reveals the two compartments all the floats have. Porta potties! The tour guide reminded us that often the participants on the floats can be out on a float for 6-8 hours at a time before they return to the warehouse.

A field of flowers waiting for their assignments

Claudia, queen of the_______ . " Tour guides. That is what I meant to write in there.

The Stern Company also has about 20% of their work come from outside corporations and for parades for other areas of the country.

Now back to our drive around town. Yes, the houses in the Garden District are beautiful but not so distinctive from other southern towns like Charlotte, NC, Beaufort, SC, etc. The smaller houses were a little more plentiful and reflective of over all New Orleans.

This tree might be New Orleans version of Alaska's, "Let's take bets and see when the spring ice break up will come." It has been there a long time but just for safety sake lets not park right next to it. Or across the street either now that I think of it.