New Orleans

   

The day was sunny and pleasant, an encouraging sign. We caught the bus across the street and bought passes (which we were told were good for the weekend). The bus ride was longer than expected, we seem to be a long ways out. Then, we transferred to the Canal St. streetcar. After about an hour, we walked into the French Quarter along Bourbon St., which has to be the loudest and most crowded street in America. We ended up in New Orleans on a weekend, with the added kicker of Spring Break. Aren’t we lucky? The French Quarter is all about jazz (and commerce). One of the first things we saw were some statues honoring jazz greats.

There are buskers in the Quarter, but the first (and most common) ones we saw were young boys sitting on plastic crates and beating loudly on the bottoms of five-gallon pails with drumsticks. They were pretty good, but you can hear them for two blocks.

We looked into a couple of shops (mostly tourist goods, “gringo curios” as Jean called them) and checked out the 2-Sisters restaurant which had been recommended. At $32 a pop for the buffet, we decided to pass. Instead, we headed toward Jackson Square, the most famous spot in the Quarter.

 Our goal was the Café de Mond. This place is supposed to have the best beignets (which they call “French donuts”). There was a line almost a block long, but what the hell? we joined it. The line actually moved pretty fast, so the wait wasn’t as bad as it looked. While we were waiting in line, two motorcycle cops came down the street with their blue lights flashing. They were leading a protest march against guns related to the Florida school shooting. It was a big protest, with lots of interesting signs. And they just kept coming and coming. The line had to be at least a mile long. We were in the crowded restaurant and eating before the end went by. Impressive.

There are a few benches on the streets around Jackson Square; that is the only place you can sit down and rest. We were lucky to find an empty one a couple of times when we needed them. The fence around the Square is covered with paintings for sale.

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There are also people advertising other things.

Up the street a ways, you can get a personal poem.

No pictures of the French Quarter would be complete without some balconies.

 

We wanted to go to Preservation Hall and hear some live jazz. We asked a local, who gave us wrong directions. After determining that she sent us wrong, we asked some hotel employees, who had never heard of it. So much for tapping into local knowledge. Our extensive wandering showed us that much of the Quarter is residential and not busy at all. All the commerce (and tourist interest) is in the area from Bourbon St. to Jackson Square. With all the traipsing around, we were tired and a little disgusted, so we found our way back to Canal St. and the streetcar, and headed back to the ranch.

The next morning (Sunday), we slept in. We decided we only wanted to find Preservation Hall. Jean looked it up on the internet and found an address (we had a street map of the Quarter). It also said it was active from noon on Sundays. So a little after 11:00, we headed back to the bus stop. When we got to the streetcar, we were told our passes had expired. We needed to buy another trip. The problem was that none of the public transportation gives change, you have to have the exact amount, which we didn’t have. One of the passengers bailed us out with 70 cents and we were able to complete our trip.

Plunging back again into the French Quarter (not on Bourbon St.), we passed several buskers in our search for our goal. One was a woman playing a heavily amplified violin.

There was also a guy dancing in the street to the music, but he moved too fast for me Shortly after that, there was a whole jazz band set up in the middle of the street. (By the way, the streets are open to traffic.) They put on a good show, and we stayed to listen for a while.

We moved on and were able to find Preservation Hall. It was built in 1826, and looks like it.

When we got there, we found out that the music didn’t start until 5:00 o’clock. So we had to make do with a couple of CDs. We also found out later that, being a small venue, there were usually long lines by 5:00. We had tasks we had to do back at the rig, so we bid a not too sad adieu to the French Quarter. Tomorrow, we head out for the last little bit of the Great River Road, and maybe look around Cajun Country a little.

Mississippi and Louisiana

We’ve been gone a week and it is time to do laundry (you can’t go on vacation from everything). Back in Mississippi, we found a state park campground that has a “Washeteria.” We arrived just after 5:00 o’clock, so the office was closed. We picked an empty site near the bathroom and settled in for the night. Shortly later, a truck camper came in and took the only other empty site.

Next morning, we found that our site was reserved starting that day; however, the truck camper left and we were able to move into that space. Later in the day the person who reserved our space showed up with a pickup towing a large fifth-wheel, towing a bass boat.  It looked like a train. It was interesting watching him back in and set up. Actually, he and his wife were a well-oiled team. They obviously had done this before.

This is a lay-day for us, we spent much of it doing laundry (one washer, one dryer) and just relaxing. Gene even took a nap. He just tossed his glasses on the bed. When Jean came to join him she laid on the glasses (they are hard to see). One lens popped out and the frame was twisted. We had not had to put a lens back in these glasses before. It was difficult, but we managed to accomplish it. However, the frame was still skewed. We are about out of supplies, and haven’t been in a campground with cell service for several days. So tomorrow we need to get back to civilization.

Next morning we got up early (for us) and went to the office to settle up. Then we hit the road, heading for Vicksburg. The Great River Road through here follows US-61, which we were on all day. The land is still flat, with large, bare fields spreading on both sides. The road is not close to the river, and when it is all you can see is the levee. Occasionally there are extensive flooded fields visible from the road (which is raised a few feet). The farther south we got, the more flooding we saw.

At one point, it looked like there was some thin smoke across the road. When we got to that point we were treated to a close-up view of a crop duster just clearing the utility wires as he crossed the road. The “smoke” was whatever he was laying down on the fields. What does a crop duster dust when there are no crops? There was some standing water so we guess he might have been spraying for mosquitos.

We got to Vicksburg about 11:00 and went into a bakery in the old downtown area for some breakfast.

Walking around afterwards, we spotted what looked like an old courthouse, so we went to investigate. The problem was that it was two blocks up a steep hill. It showed us how out of shape we have gotten. It was indeed, the old (no longer used) courthouse, so Gene took some pictures.

Old Vicksburg Courthouse

After walking around a little more, we needed to get some errands done. The GPS guided us to the Vicksburg Mall, where there was a 20/20 Eyeware store. “Was” being the operative word; the store was closed, as were many other stores in the mall. It looks like the mall’s days are numbered. We passed a Kroger on the way there, but Jean thought we could get more done at a Walmart. The GPS led us to a Super Walmart, where Gene got his glasses fixed and we picked up a lot of groceries, and Jean found a birthday card for her great nephew. We wrapped everything up in one place.

Back on 61, we headed for Baton Rouge. Vicksburg seemed to mark a transition. Gone were the bare fields. Instead we were in rolling country, with green grass all around, the trees leafing out, and lots of red azaleas. Suddenly, it was really spring. We even saw some Spanish moss to convince us we were finally in the South.

Baton Rouge was not as charming. There were refineries on the approach, and we endured miles of rough, crowded streets lined with second-tier commercial establishments. We eventually reached our goal, which was a Cracker Barrel restaurant, where we could get a meal and a night’s sleep.

Next morning we found ourselves surrounded by big fire trucks. We never felt so safe. We jumped on the nearby interstate for a quick trip across the Mississippi, and turned off on the GRR on that side (there is a River Road on both sides of the river). This took us through small towns close to the river. The town of Onward seemed to consist of one country store. It’s main claim to fame was that the teddy bear was invented here. There a couple versions to the story, involving Teddy Roosevelt but both seem to be inventions.

 We spent much of the day driving next to the levee. The Mississippi was just yards away, but we couldn’t see it, only an occasional ship’s bridge or the upper works of a big towboat peeking over the top. This area of Louisiana is “plantation row.” There are old, and not so old, plantation houses along the road. This is sugar cane country, and the plants were just starting to come up in the fields. It could be a very profitable crop, as attested by some of the big, impressive plantation houses. We drove in to a couple of them, but you could only get a glimpse of the glory. The best ones are open to the public, and things are arranged so that if you don’t pay to go in, you don’t get to see much. Admission is $20 and up, which was a little rich for us. We aren’t that eager see old buildings, since we both had worked for Colonial Williamsburg and had “been there and done that.”

Near one of the plantations, the top of the levee was set up as a walking and bike trail, with parking and access at the road. We went up, mainly to get a close look at the river. We could see that the river was well over its banks, with a tug and big tow parked just beyond the trees.

 We walked down the levee to get a clear look at the river, and discovered a big, modern five-deck Mississippi cruise boat, the kind that looks sort of like an old steamer (without the paddle wheel) and takes passengers on long, expensive trips down the river. Basically a Mississippi cruise boat. They were maneuvering to put the bow against the side of the river, running up on the underwater bank.

 Eventually, they were happy with their position, and lowered the big gangway at the bow.

We talked with a uniformed chauffer from a limo parked alongside the levee. It turns out he was carrying some supplies for the ship’s galley. Eventually, they got the gangway set, and drove a golf cart down it, and down to the limo. They brought up a large quantity of cardboard boxes and nonchalantly tossed them aboard. After that some of the passengers came off and went down the levee to the plantation house across the road.

We came to a very big, very old (1770) Catholic church, set in an old graveyard. Cemeteries in this part of Louisiana are more above ground than in it. This is due to a very high water table. Go down a short ways and you hit water.

St. John Roman Catholic Church

 By now we were getting hungry, so when we came to a country shack that said “Food,” we stopped. It was a very small place with a limited menu. We had the daily special, which was fried fish, shrimp pasta, peas, and salad. The fish was good, the pasta delicious and a little spicy, the peas were canned, and there was thankfully very little salad. We each got a lot of food for $10, and we have enough in the refrigerator for another meal. This was our first exposure to Cajun cuisine and we liked it. Our conversation with the gentleman at the next table was also a first exposure to a Cajun accent. He was hard to understand, but we did well enough to be able to find our way to New Orleans.

Going further down the back road, we spotted the road he recommended, and shortly found ourselves in heavy, interstate traffic. Jean had called ahead and contacted an RV park in the outer bands of New Orleans. After some effort and driving back and forth, we found it. It is pretty well hidden. It is basically a gravel parking lot tucked in next to a motel (and not too far from a major rail switching yard). But the site is level and the owner friendly and helpful. We took three nights. We plan to set up more permanently than usual, and take the bus into the French Quarter. We hope the good weather holds for the weekend.

Arkansas

The campground in the Mississippi River State Park was excellent. We had a pull-through site right on the lake; it was perfectly level, and close to the best bath rooms we have ever seen (and believe me, we have seen a wide range). Over-night, and especially in the morning, there was intermittent heavy rain and thunder. But by the time we got up, the rain had stopped and the day gradually cleared. However, it made us aware of the high stage of the river.

When we left, we went back to the Visitor Center for Jean to do some shopping in the gift store. I asked if the road through the park was part of the Great River Road. I was told that, as I suspected, it was. Then they mentioned that it eventually turns to gravel, and parts of it were currently under water; which made me glad I didn’t go the other way when we left the campground. So we retraced our steps to the original Visitor Center that had sent us to the campground and rejoined the River Road below Helena.

The trip south in Arkansas is on two-lane country roads, some badly pot-holed, and running between huge, flat fields that hadn’t been planted yet due to the wet conditions. In other words, pretty much like Mississippi on the other side of the river. The Delta is the Delta, on either side. It is basically river-bottom; flat and rich (though not with the very dark soil you associate with that word). About the only difference we noted is that Arkansas had more grain bins and as far as we could tell, no cotton gins (and no casinos). I became glad that I had topped up the fuel tank, because we didn’t see many gas stations.

One of the places we were interested in was the Dale Bumpers White River National Wildlife Refuge (they don’t believe in short names here). We missed a turn due to a small sign, and worried that we had missed the Visitor Center. However, the woods on both sides of the road were flooded, so we suspected that the NWR was probably closed. Eventually, we did come to the Visitor Center — much better signed. It was not flooded out, so we went in. We were the only visitors, and it was a while before someone from the staff showed up and told us what was still available. The Center has a small but nice museum. We also walked out on a deck and looked down into the flooded woods. There was a short hiking trail open, but we decided to give it a pass (for some reason, we were rather tired). So after about an hour we pressed on.

By now it was late afternoon and we were getting hungry, so when we got to a small town, called DeWitt, we headed downtown to get something to eat. At least it wasn’t Sunday, so we had good expectations. Downtown was just as deserted as Clarksburg on Sunday; the only place we spotted was a dodgy-looking Chinese restaurant. After driving around for a while, we ended up eating at the grille of a Piggly Wiggly store. The food was reasonably good and not expensive, so I guess we did okay.

It was getting late, so we started looking for a place to put our heads down for the night. Working the phone (apps and using it to actually call places) we found a Corps of Engineers campground about 21 miles away that would be open ‘til 6:00, so we continued on our way.

The River Road in Arkansas is well away from the Mississippi. With all the flooding we saw, it is easy to imagine why they don’t build roads close to the river. So it was a pleasure to arrive at the campground, which is right on the Arkansas River. As with most of the Corps campgrounds we have seen, the sites are well separated, with lots of grass between them. We weren’t within view of the river, but it was a very pleasant spot.

It was pretty cold the next morning, so we stayed in our nice, warm bed a little longer than usual. The day was overcast, as they have been for a while. We were rigged for the road and ready to leave when an alarm went off. It was not one we were familiar with; it sounded like the alarm on the refrigerator but beeping much faster. We checked everything we could think of, but couldn’t find the source. Eventually, about a half an hour later, we determined that it was coming from the microwave, which we never use. I tried turning off the breaker, but that didn’t stop it. Looking for the outlet where the microwave was plugged in, Jean opened a galley drawer and discovered that it was the kitchen timer going off. We have no idea why it started, we haven’t used that timer in months.

Jean silenced the timer, we shook our heads, and drove off. After pausing for a look at the Arkansas River, we got back on the road, next stop Arkansas City. That was described as the last remaining old steamboat stop. When we got there, we found a town that was small, but not deserted. There are three old, abandoned stores along what had been the waterfront. Now, they just face a 60-foot levee.

Arkansas City old waterfront

After taking some pictures, we drove around a little and discovered the county courthouse. That is probably the main business of the town today.

 After taking some courthouse pictures, I had a conversation with an old gentleman who is the judge. He told me some of the history of the town. He mentioned that the courthouse was built in 1900 and still has its original bell (for the clock, apparently). The town was flooded in 1927 (the levee break was farther upstream) and the river moved away from the town; but they ended up raising the levee another 20 feet. He also said that the high water crested yesterday. I didn’t think to go up on the levee (admittedly it was closed) to see where the river is today.

After Arkansas City, we continued on to Lake Village, which is located on the shores of Lake Chicot, the biggest oxbow lake in the country. It looks like a pleasant-enough town but we only stopped to fuel up. I try not to let the gauge get below ½ since it is so far between gas stations out here in the boonies.

We crossed back into Mississippi near a town called Clarksburg, where we rejoined the Mississippi portion of the Great River Road. Of course, the first thing we saw in Mississippi was a casino. We ended the day in a state park campground which, luckily for us, has laundry facilities. We expect to lay over a day and catch up with our laundry.

The Trip Resumes

Our big trip last summer was to follow the Great River Road from the source of the Mississippi in Lake Itasca, Minnesota, to as close as we could get to the mouth in the Gulf. Those who followed our adventures last year know that we were cut off by Hurricane Harvey as we approached Memphis. Since the road between where we left it last year and Memphis was described as “forgettable,” we decided to pick it up again this year just south of Memphis (neither one of us is interested in Graceland).

Jean’s granddaughter is getting married in mid-April in SE Florida, so we set Sunday, 11 March as our departure date. Of course, the Weather Channel forecast heavy snow in Forest for that date, so we put it off until the following Tuesday. And, of course, Sunday was sunny and dry, and the heavy snow came on Monday, so we could have left as planned. However, Tuesday was sunny and the roads were clear, so off we went after too long a pause between trips.

Our first stop was to visit Gene’s brother Mike in Harriman, TN. Typically for us, Gene estimated five hours travel time, Jean guessed seven; in the event it turned out to be six. Unfortunately, it was all on interstates. We got a late start, but we still made it before sundown, which is good, because backing into Mike’s driveway can be tricky.

We spent two nights in Harriman, which gave us lots of time to visit. Thursday noon saw us on our way to Tullahoma, and an old friend of Jean’s. That is a relatively short trip and our new GPS got us to Bud’s house in good time. Another night of visiting and good advice from Bud, including the best, non-interstate route to Memphis. He even highlighted it on our Tennessee map.

Next day, we made a short side trip to get gas and adjust tire pressures (a long story), and then got back on the road. We stopped at a Bojangles for drinks. The motorhome won’t go through drive-thrus, so we parked and Jean headed in for the drinks. On the way, she stepped off a curb she didn’t see and fell in the drive-thru lane. She suffered some bruises, but also shattered the crown on a tooth. The restaurant called an ambulance which arrived quickly. The EMTs determined that she had only minor damages except for the tooth. They don’t do dental in the ER, but it happened that there was a dentist right next to the restaurant. We got there just after 12:00, only to discover that they closed at noon. The receptionists were still there, and they gave us the address of a dental clinic in Murfreesboro that stayed open late.

An hour later, we were at a big clinic with several dentists. Two hours later Jean had a new, temporary crown and we were on our way. We were now an hour in the wrong direction and far away from Bud’s route. Once we found our way out of Murfreesboro, Jean studied the map and got us back on the highlighted line a short distance south and west of Tullahoma.

We spent the night in a funky old campground in the middle of nowhere. It is interesting to see the range of setups in a campground. Some people are serious about their television.

The plan was to dewinterize the next morning, though the forecast called for rain. At midnight a fierce rain squall came through. About 3:00 there was a lot of thunder and lightning. But when we got up in the morning it was overcast but not raining. Dewinterizing (summerizing?) went smoothly, and after a long conversation with our neighbors, we headed down the road for Memphis.

Tennessee is a long, narrow state, and the road to Memphis took most of the day. The end of a long day found us at last in Mississippi, on US-61. Finally back on the Great River Road. However, we were a long way from the river. Northern Mississippi seems to be casino central. Toward the end of the day we pulled into a parking area for RVs and trucks and picked a spot. The map indicated that the casinos (three of them) were located on the river, but when we took a walk to try to see it, we came up short. A casino worker told us that the river is only visible from the upper floors of the huge hotels.

The scene from our camping spot

Next day, Sunday, we headed out to see the sights. We were in an area called Tunica, which has a river park so we headed there. When we got there the gate was closed because the park was flooded. So our first view of the Mississippi on this trip was a lot of muddy water in the trees and covering the road several feet deep. There has been a lot of rain and the Mississippi is in flood stage.

We headed in to the little town of Tunica. This is a pleasant-looking place with an attractive downtown. There is a broad boulevard along one of the main streets, with a gazebo and a weeping willow along with lots of parking. The other main street has a wide connecting street that gives a view of the county courthouse, flanked by two huge magnolias. I have decided to make a project of shooting old county court houses, so I started with this one. It is a little more modern, and the old abandoned court house (presumably) is behind it. I shot pictures of both.

After Tunica, we headed to Clarksdale, which rates several mentions in one of our touring books. The road was string-straight and lined on both sides with huge fields (at this time bare). It reminded us of crossing South Dakota.

After Tunica, Clarksdale was a disappointment. It is crowded and dreary, and the downtown was deserted on a Sunday afternoon. We finally spotted some cars and we hailed a man coming out of a music store. He pointed us to a small café that was open on Sunday. We followed his advice and went to Grandma’s Pancake House. The lunch menu was very limited, but we both had patty melts and very good French fries. Then we fled back north to the road that led across the river to Arkansas.

Crossing the river, we finally saw the proper Mississippi. We also saw extensive flooding on both sides. The river is very high. We stopped at the Helena Visitor Center and got lots of information about the River Road in Arkansas, as well as a recommendation for a state park with camping. Having failed to make connections electronically, we drove the twenty miles to take our chances in person. We arrived two minutes before closing and learned that they had two sites available (it is spring break for Arkansas schools). We were shortly set up in a good campsite right next to a lake.