| Please click on pictures to enlarge them |
| Each comments entry box in the guest book is limited to approx. 250 characters including spaces. For longer messages please e-mail us at morton@rmortonc.com |
| Each comments entry box in the guest book is limited to approx. 250 characters including spaces. For longer messages please e-mail us at morton@rmortonc.com |
To view the photos click on “Photos January 2007” above.
We spent the first week of January getting ready for our future travels. On January 7th, Eva came to visit us and to share in a meal of barbequed ribs with the necessary trimmings. Her visit was quite short though since she had to pick up a colleague arriving at the airport. On the 11th we left San Antonio at 10:45 AM (mileage: 59208, temperature 61°) heading east on I-10 and US 90 (Alt) via Seguin and Gonzales and through a hilly landscape with agriculture and cattle ranches. After Gonzales, the countryside became much flatter. We stopped in Sugar Land (shortly before Houston) at around 4 PM and spent the night at Wal-Mart. The following morning the sky was cloudy with a temperature of 73° and very high humidity. We had already decided to visit the Johnson Space Center (< - - please click) and spent the majority of the day there (see photos). The visitor’s center at NASA is a combination theme park and science museum, with interactive displays and an IMAX theater. A tour is also offered that goes through NASA with a behind the scenes view of space flight and the shuttle missions. Before the tour leaves the visitor’s center for the NASA buildings, new security regulations require that everyone be numbered and photographed. Interestingly, this security process has been turned into a commercial venture. At the end of the tour, |
open trolley and as we visited various buildings in the NASA complex, we were required to sit in the same seat so we could be accounted for before leaving to the next stop. At Mission Control, we were escorted into the spectator’s room that has a large, clear glass front where the dignitaries could view the engineers in the control room (see photos). The front row was normally reserved for VIPs such as the President, the Queen, etc. Of course we chose to sit there also. After leaving the Space Center, we drove to the Gulf coast to Kemah, Texas (< - - - please click). Finding a parking spot became quite a problem. There were large empty parking lots with warning signs that we would be towed. Other lots had signs that required a $3.00 parking fee but with no one to collect that fee! They also had warning signs that we would be towed if we didn’t pay the fee. After driving around a bit, we found a large empty lot across from the marina that had no posted restrictions. It was a good walk to the boardwalk around the marina (see photos) but at least we wouldn’t have to worry about being towed. After a long walk up and down the boardwalk, we had a wonderful seafood meal at Babin’s Seafood Restaurant. We didn’t feel much like driving further that evening and as we walked back to the RV, we had a fantastic idea! We called the local Kemah police station and asked if the city had any objection to our spending the night in their empty parking lot where we had parked. The dispatcher was extremely friendly and immediately contacted his sergeant who gave us permission to stay there overnight. They were also going to send their patrol car by during the night to ensure our safety. Kemah, TX is a very RV-friendly community! The following morning was Saturday, the 13th and we left about 10:30, traveling north on Highway 146 to I-10 and then east until we reached Lake Charles, Louisiana where we took US 90. The rest of that day was through the swamps and rice fields until we stopped near Broussard at a truck stop and spent the night. The weather was like a summer evening without a cloud in the sky, but the following morning the sky was gray and temperature was 70° and the humidity was high. As we continued eastward, US 90 became so bumpy that we decided to follow the parallel Louisiana 182. This took us through the middle of the small towns along the way and was a much more comfortable road. In Patterson the roads joined and again became US 90. We arrived at the Magnolia Shade RV Park in New Orleans, finding that they were quite full and we were only able to get a spot for two days then would be switching between the overflow lot and wherever a spot might be open for the evening. For this reason, we left the truck hooked up the entire time in New Orleans. It would have been difficult to have driven and parked on the narrow streets anyway. On Monday, January 15th (MLK day) we stayed at home. It was so hot and sticky that we had to turn on the air conditioners! That night it rained quite hard and the temperature dropped significantly. The following morning we had to move to another spot and then hook up the electric, water and sewer. We then took the bus to downtown New Orleans. After making reservations for a city tour on the following day, we made our own walking tour of the French Quarter (see photos). The damage from Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 will continue to be seen there for many years to come. Canal street (nearby) is a continuous construction zone with the majority of business still closed. On Bourbon Street we stopped for lunch and had a Shrimp Gumbo and a PoBoy. Renée wasn’t too enthused about the Filé in the Gumbo. Afterwards, we had to wait for a half hour in the rain at the bus stop. When we finally arrived back at the side gate, we discovered that the gate had closed at 4 PM, which meant we would have to walk over a mile to the main gate. At that precise moment, an RV pulled up beside us. The driver had just contacted the security guards and they were on the way to open the gate for him to drive in. This is the only gate for larger vehicles and is opened after hours only for them, but of course we were allowed through. The following morning we had to move to the overflow lot, then took the noon bus to downtown. We had lunch at the Jax Brewery (see photos) and at 2 PM began the Super City Tour, past the French Quarter, Jackson Square, French Market and then to the “Cities of the Dead” (above ground cemeteries). We saw a lot of the Katrina destruction but also a lot of new construction and restoration. At Lake Pontchartrain we saw the world’ s longest over-the-water bridge and in the Garden district, the Villas of the rich. After the city tour, we had supper at Bubba Gump’s, a restaurant inspired by the film Forrest Gump. We then took the Canal Street trolley back to the bus stop where we took the bus that went to the main gate since the side gate was already closed. Although we were parked for the night in the overflow area, we were able to run a long electric cord to a nearby socket so we could have electricity without running the generator. The following morning we were able to move to a space with full hookups for the rest of the time there. It was still raining so we spent the day at home. The following day, Friday, January 19th we walked to the Algiers Point ferry station and took the ferry across the Mississippi to Canal Street, went to the IMAX Theater and saw the film “Hurricane on the Bayou”, which gave us a better understanding of what we had just seen in the past week. Afterwards, we took the ferry back and packed up to leave the following morning. On Saturday, the 20th we left New Orleans, driving over the Mississippi bridge, through the city to US 90 via Louisiana 39 and 47. This slight detour took us through areas that received the major destruction from Katrina, and was both impressive and depressing! Along the way, there were destroyed boats sitting on the edge of the road where they had landed after the hurricane. Houses were destroyed and foundations could be seen where houses had been located. So much damage was caused by flooding, not the hurricane. Most people cannot re-build until they receive a settlement from the insurance. It was explained to us that insurance companies refused to pay under the hurricane provisions since the actual damage was from subsequent flooding caused by levees breaking, not the hurricane itself. As we reached the state of Mississippi, the welcome sign was still trhe way Katrina had left it (see photos). The bridge was still out between Waveland and Pass Christian and we had to again get on I-10. In Biloxi, we stayed for two nights at Keesler AFB. Like other campgrounds in the entire area, this campground was also full and the only place we could park was in the overflow. Many families are living in the campgrounds since they have no other place to live. Those who owned property are living in RVs near their destroyed homes. Sunday was cloudy but dry. We toured Biloxi and Gulfport where the eye of the storm had passed. The area along the beach was quite depressing (see photos). Only the large casinos are open. It will be many years before a normal life style will be possible. On Monday, the 22nd, it was raining at 57° as we left the Gulf Coast and headed north on MS Highway 15 through De Soto National Forest. We spent two nights at Cypress Creek Landing, several miles from the highway without another human being in sight. There was no electricity or water hookup but there was a small building with toilets and hot showers. Two days later we left, taking MS 29 and US 98 to Hattiesburg where we filled up the propane tanks. From there, north on US 49 to Magee and then west to Georgetown on MS 28 and northwest on MS 27 to Natchez Trace Parkway (< - - -please click) which was our destination. The two-lane parkway (see photos) is restricted to non-commercial traffic and has a maximum speed limit of 50 mph. Many people regard it as the most beautiful highway in the USA. Shortly after we entered the Parkway at Port Gibson, we discovered the Rocky Springs Campground. The camping was free and we were the only guests for the night. The following morning, the sun was shining and we observed countless varieties of birds as we sat looking out the windows while eating breakfast. At 10 AM we continued our journey westward to Natchez, stopping along the parkway at each point of interest. In Natchez we crossed the Mississippi and were again in Louisiana. Driving along US 84 to Alexandria, then LA 28 to Leesville, US 171 to Hornbeck, LA 392 to LA 473 to LA 191 where we stopped at Toledo Bend (see photos). We arrived at around 4 PM and since it appealed to us, we decided to spend a few weeks. During the week, we had the campground to ourselves. On the weekends a few fishermen would show up. A man who has his RV permanently parked, also showed up on weekends. On Sunday evenings it became empty again. Lobo loved it since he owned the peninsula and spent the time protecting us from the cats, squirrels, geese and ducks. The alligators and snakes appeared to have been on vacation although the warning signs are there. We took a sightseeing trip to Fort Jesup on the 29th (see photos). On several occasions, we took shopping trips to Leesville and we also went on one shopping trip to Alexandria. Otherwise, we spent the time on chores and enjoying the beautiful surroundings. To be continued in February 2007. |
Travel Journal January 2007
Our Motto: Home is, where our RV is.
 |  |  |  |
| A visit to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX |
| Louis Armstrong statue at the Canal Street Ferry station at Algier's Point (West Bank of the Mississippi River) |