Mobile

Well…let me begin by saying that when we arrived at Meaher State Park on Mobile Bay we thought we had found the perfect place to stay. 

This is a beautiful, treed park right on Mobile Bay that has a number of full hook up RV spaces that are paved (think flat) and each has a nice paved patio & a BBQ. The park is even gated. The $29/night fee is one of the cheapest that we have paid thus far and the woman at the gate was a wonderful example of southern hospitality.

Once everything was set up we took a walk around the park and out onto the dock. It was a beautiful afternoon and a number of people were enjoying the sun and fishing for dinner. We didn’t see any alligators but had no intention of feeding them anyway. 

That seems like it might be on the stupid side of the intelligence curve. The park host said this time of year they are usually hiding out on the bottom anyway.  

As we walked back to the RV, the Park Host drove past on his golf cart holding a snake on a stick out to the side. He took it down by the water and let it go. I am very fearful of snakes so that did a pretty good job of freaking me out. My anxiety was only increased when I found out that it was a Water Moccasin. Yikes!

The next morning we left early to explore Mobile and, in particular, a Carnival Museum that was recommended by some folks from NY who we met in New Orleans. Unfortunately, the museum was closed on Tuesdays. Shoot! Still, we enjoyed walking around Mobile and had a wonderful lunch at a little corner café.

I was truly enchanted by Mobile. The city is older than New Orleans and much of the architecture is very similar to what you see in the French Quarter but is much better cared for. The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception dates back to 1705, is in beautiful condition and is lovely to look at. One of the things I liked best is the lack of crowds and being able to wander through the streets just enjoying the atmosphere. And…there isn’t one gift shop after another hawking junk from China.

Chris had plans to try out his new rod & reel on Wednesday and I was looking forward to some alone time with my book. Then the weather threw a pretty good glitch into our plans. A pretty good low came roaring in from Texas and we had two days of big wind and rain. There was a possibility of tornadoes predicted but, fortunately, the only one we heard about was in northern Mississippi.  

I really liked Mobile and would have liked to stay longer but we were on our way to warmer weather!

On To New Orleans

Wow! A lot has happened since my last post. We have been having so much fun that I haven’t had time to write.

Sunset in Lafayette, LA

After leaving Galveston, our first stop was a beautiful KOA right on a lake in Lafayette, LA. This was just an overnighter on the way to our real destination of New Orleans. As soon as we were set up we poured a glass of wine and went outside to enjoy the first sunset we have seen in a long time. 

One of the numerous unique and beautiful bridges on the causeways in the south.

Up until then the sun has been setting mostly behind buildings and other RV’s. I’d thought our stay in Galveston would remedy that since we were just across the road from the Gulf of Mexico but, alas, we were on the wrong side of the water! I sure miss those beautiful Mexican sunsets on the water. Dinner was next on our agenda and we decided to go to a crawfish place recommended by the KOA manager. Neither of us had the crawfish but the fish was delicious. We’d intended to stop at the Drive-through Daiquiri Shop (yes…really!) on the way but drove right past it. 

It turns out these places are all over this part of Louisiana, and in New Orleans, it is quite acceptable to get your drink “to go” and walk around with it. 

Arriving in New Orleans was like dropping onto a new planet. Everything was different: the weather, the topography, the foods, the language…everything. We had tried hard to plan our visit so we would miss both Mardi Gras and the Super Bowl but it didn’t quite work. The Super Bowl was two weeks away but preparations for it were well underway. 

Driving through town involved negotiating a constantly moving obstacle course and by the end of our stay, several of the main roads were blocked off making it extremely difficult for anyone who didn’t have local knowledge. Because of the big football game, the City decided to begin the Mardi Gras early.

Street Performers

"Yeah We Closed"

View through a walkway on Decatur St.

Our “plan” for exploring New Orleans was to drive into town early in the day, wander around checking things out and eating (because New Orleans is all about the food), return to the coach for a nap and then go back into town to watch a parade and/or find some good music to listen to. It did not work out as planned. The drivers in NOLA are even more aggressive (read: crazy) than those in Texas so every time Chris got behind the wheel his stress level ratcheted up a lot. Then, our olde hips & knees reminded us daily of exactly how long we could walk on them before incurring loud, uncomfortable consequences. It appears there is a reason why “older folks” walk with that distinctive side-to-side swinging motion.  Naps and drugs (aspirin) help within reason but can easily become a detriment. Upon arising from a 20 minute nap it is not unusual to discover that everything has now stiffened up considerably. Thus, the possibility of “doing it again” in the evening decreases exponentially.

Steamboat "Natchez"

I was pretty insistent about hearing some of the famous New Orleans jazz so we planned to spend our last night in town on a dinner & jazz cruise on a steam powered paddle wheeler. We spent the daytime hours resting up and getting the RV ready to leave the next morning. We took the shuttle from the RV Park down to the dock and were fresh and ready for fun by the time the boat pulled away from the dock. We had a great time on the Natchez. The food was delicious, the jazz band was quite good and the Captain gave a running commentary about the “sights” along the Mississippi. We weren’t actually able to see a lot because it was dark but the lights were pretty and we didn’t have to walk for hours on pavement…and…it was nice to be on a boat and feel that subtle swaying under our feet again. 

Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop

At the end of the boat ride, we jumped (?) into one of the Pedi-cabs that were waiting and had a nice ride to Lafitte’s on Bourbon Street. The young man who peddled us was entertaining, informative and cute. We had a drink at Lafitte’s and then walked the length of Bourbon Street before catching a cab back to the RV. I have to admit that it was a bit of a shock. Honestly, I was hoping to find a club or two with some really superior jazz where we could walk in and listen for a while. It turns out Bourbon Street was more about hard rock music (at full volume), drunks, strip clubs and hookers. Even a couple of the police officers (and there were a lot of them) were drinking beer as they watched the revelers. It was nothing at all like I expected.

I have to admit that New Orleans is an amazingly interesting place. We spent several days just perusing the French Quarter and trying out all the recommended eateries. We had a fantastic lunch at the Crescent City Brewery where we sampled their house beer and they had a Seafood Brie that was to die for.We had Debris sandwiches at Mother’s and Muffuletta’s from Central Grocery and Pralines at Aunt Sally’s. And a visit to New Orleans would be incomplete without beignets and café au lait at the Café Du Monde.

Chris has some relatives who live in New Orleans so we made it a point to get together with them. We had a great time and I really enjoyed meeting more of the clan. While I was bemoaning the difficulty of finding a truly quality mask to purchase as a souvenir (ie: not Made in China), Chris' cousin, Ann, said she has a friend who makes them. 

We made a trip to John Flemming’s studio and found just what we were looking for. John is an amazing artist and really enjoyed visiting with him. His masks are stunning and it was interesting to learn that he makes most (if not all) the masks for Cirque Du Soleil. 

So…after a fun filled week in New Orleans we were back on the road again and looking for more adventures.

NASA Houston

Want to re-live that feeling you had as a kid when everything was new and exciting? Take a trip to NASA Space Center in Houston. What a ton of fun!

Welcome to NASA!

As you turn into the entrance there are two fighter jets on display and just around the corner to the parking area you are face to face with an actual Space Shuttle. Wow! 

Chris & the Space Shuttle.

Getting a picture of your own self standing next to the Shuttle is exciting enough and then you enter the main building. There are so many cool exhibits to see and Chris & I kept saying, “I wish we had the grandkids with us, they would love this.”

Part of the cockpit.

Space toilet!

The first thing you see upon entering is the nosecone of a Space Shuttle. It is actually a mock up but it was great fun to be able to climb up inside and see firsthand how the astronauts lived in space. The console, walls and ceiling of the cockpit are covered with buttons and switches and dials and gauges and the windows seemed incredibly small. It must be a real project to see where they are going when the pilot is trying to land this vehicle.

Walking in Space.

There are several theaters. One presents a movie history of space travel and then you exit into a large area filled with all sorts of space memorabilia. There are space suits, capsules and a moon rover on display as well as a number of moon rock specimens. 

There is even one small moon rock that you can touch if you so desire. It is, naturally, glued securely in place so no one can walk off with it. 

Astronaut Brian Duffy

Friday is “Meet an Astronaut Day” and luck was with us as it was Friday. Astronaut Brian Duffy was in attendance that day and we were completely entranced as he talked about what it takes to become an astronaut and what life in space is like. He also showed his “home videos” of his last trip to the International Space Shuttle and back. 

We caught the last tour of the day to see some of the more interesting areas of the NASA facility. The first stop was the actual control room from the early days of the Space Program. When the “Houston, we have a problem” call went out from Apollo 13 this is where it was going. Oh…and reaching the control room involved climbing 86 steps! That will definitely get your heart rate up. 

Robotic Arm.

From here we were transported to a building where the astronauts receive training. Not the least of which is learning to use the robotic arm to complete tasks in space. 

Used to practice docking the Space Shuttle with the Space Station.

Next we were off to a building that holds mock ups of the vehicles currently in space as well as experimental craft. Whenever something goes wrong on the Space Station or one of the other things we have flying around in space the ground crew can be working on a fix at the same time the astronauts are which means more smart minds and less time to figure it out. 

Int'l. Space Station parts & pieces.

One of the interesting things about all the parts and pieces of the International Space Station is that different countries built different sections. There is a flag decal on each of the section to indicate which country did the work on that one. 

Future Capsule.

This building also has a mock-up of the spaceship that is being developed with the intent to send people to Mars! I had no idea that was in the works but it sounds pretty exciting. The new project is called Orion. 

Sandy with F-1 Engine.

At the end of the tour we were dropped off at “Rocket Ship Park” where there are some rocket ships and engines to explore. 

5 F-1 Engines on the Saturn V.

Next to the Park we entered a very long building where an actual Saturn V rocket, complete with space capsule, was resting on several (very large) trailers. Each of the three stages of the rocket had been separated and each was very different from the others. 

I was stunned to see how huge the rocket was when compared with how very small the capsule (where the astronaut rode) was.

Most (but not all) of the Saturn V. The capsule is just the brown section in front.

Last stop of the day was a trip to the gift shop for some mementos.  It is a requirement when you have grandchildren, you know.  

All in all, it was an amazing experience. 

We can hardly wait to get to Cape Kennedy in Florida!