Although, instead of being impacted by the weather, we did manage to find ourselves some other trouble. As we were heading down the freeway, we spotted a 6' aluminum ladder laying across our lane. Saw it too late to do anything about it except run over it. Heard a loud crunch, and we knew we were dragging it along under the rig. Deane carefully pulled off the road and after peering under, saw the ladder had gotten itself hooked on one of the jacks that levels us when we park.
As Deane was crawling under to try and release it, the two guys who had lost the ladder pulled up and helped get it unhooked. The young man gave us his contact information in case we had any damage, but everything seems to be working just fine.
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| Road 580 in Louisiana |
We did make it and were glad we did. The name Poverty Point has nothing to do with the archaeological finds. We learned it was named by a farmer who owned the property when he realized the soil was not fertile enough to sustain crops.
Poverty Point is an archaeological site where the findings predate the Egyptian pyramids and Stonehenge. The museum displays of archaeologists finds from the area were amazing considering this area does not have stones/rocks strong enough to create weapons which meant they had to rely on an extensive barter and trading system with others from as far away as Ozark mountains and Tennessee Valley.
We crossed the Mississippi River for the first time when we entered Mississippi and parked for the night in the parking lot of a casino on the river.
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| Art work on the Mississippi |
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| Sunset on the Mississippi |
Arrived in New Orleans early afternoon, and the RV park I selected from our TrailerLife book, was less than what we expected, but the owners were nice, we were here, so we decided to stay. After getting some laundry done, we headed into town and wandered around the French Quarter. We actually found a place to park on a side street and found a little place called Huck Finns to have dinner. Had a great oyster po'boy.
We walked up and down the streets just marveling at the number of people there on a Sunday night, and the type of places. Everything from nice restaurants to establishments owned by Larry Flint of Hustler fame. Walking around with a drink in your hands is acceptable and they have walk up Hurricane Bars. Hurricanes are like grown up slushies.
When walking around Jackson Square, Deane struck up a conversation with one of the artists and discovered she graduated from Portland State and was in New Orleans trying to pay off her student loans. Said she made more money selling her art on the street than she did working for Intel.Jackson Square was named after Andrew Jackson who was the victorious general in the Battle of New Orleans in 1815 and a statue on a horse was erected in his honor. Behind Jackson Square, is St. Louis Cathedral which is the oldest cathedral in continuous use in the United States.
Monday we had reservations for a tour of the city/cemeteries/garden district as well as the 9th Ward that was so devastated by hurricane Katrina in 2005. We had a couple of hours before our tour, so we walked along the Riverwalk on the Mississippi River, then to Decatur Street and To Cafe DuMonde for beignets. We sat in front of a street performer playing the trumpet and selling his CD's. Found out he spent a good deal of time in Washington and Oregon when he was at McCord Air Force base up by Seattle. Our tour was great...especially since we were in an air conditioned bus. We got some great history of the city and learned some interesting facts.
New Orleans trivia:
1. New Orleans' elevation is anywhere from -6 feet to +20 feet above sea level.
2. Do you know how the New Orleans NFL football team came to be named The Saints? The final signing of the deal for the creation of the football team was done on November 1st, and it was All Saints Day. The suggestion was made to call them The Saints and the Bishop of St. Louis Cathedral gave his blessing.
3. Gambling is illegal in Louisiana, but there is a large Harrahs Casino in the French Quarter. To allow Harrah's to build there, the wording in the request to build was changed from Gambling to Gaming. So when you are in Harrahs in New Orleans, you are not gambling.....you are gaming.
Our tour also included the Ninth Ward, the area devastated by hurricane Katrina in 2005. We saw how some of the homes have been rebuilt and right next door, a house is collapsing because the owners did not have the funds to rebuild. The area is one of the oldest and before Katrina happened, many of the families living there had paid off their homes. But when you do not have a mortgage, you are not required to have insurance. A number of groups have donated time and money to help rebuild. One area was rebuilt for musicians and called Musician Project. Number of homes have used old instruments to decorate their yards and homes.
Second day we headed back into NO to revisit the Garden District on our own and get pictures of the beads hanging from the trees down St. Charles Street. This is the street the Mardi Gras parade comes down. Saw some beautiful homes in the Garden District, which by the way were not as grossly impacted by hurricane Katrina as other areas. Reason is, they are 3 feet above sea level. 
Visited the Lafayette Cemetery that is in the middle of the Garden District, marveling at their system of above ground graves. We were told when a person passes away, their coffin is put in the tomb, on a shelf that is about 1/2 way up from the bottom. There is a rule, that the tomb cannot be opened for 1year, plus 1 day. Two reasons... one out of respect for the deceased and two, enough time for the remains to become 'dry'. On that day, they open the tomb, remove the casket (and destroy it) then 'sweep' the remains into the bottom of the tomb. This then allows room for someone else to be placed on the shelf for their year plus 1 day. We saw tombs where whole families dating back to 1840's were buried in one tomb. If someone in the family dies before the 1 plus 1 time frame.... their coffin is placed in the 'back wall' until they can be moved into the family tomb.
Took a paddle boat cruise on the Mississippi, learning alot about NO's history. NO's port is the largest in the world, measured by tonnage. It's biggest import that come through here is steel and biggest export is grain. We passed a Mobile/Exxon refinery biggest one in the US... a hugh facility, which might explain why gas and diesel is so cheap here. We see diesel at $3.65. We also passed the largest sugar refinery in the world on the Mississippi, and watched the removal of brown sugar from a barge to the refinery. The smell in the air was quite sweet.After our cruise we headed down to the French Market to shop in their open air market and had a muffaletta sandwich. If you have never had one... check out this link. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muffuletta They are great!
The architecture in New Orleans is wonderful to look at, especially in the French Quarter and the Garden District. The European influences as well as the island influences in colors makes New Orleans fun to visit. Couple more observations about New Orleans from our perspective is the the French Quarter and most of what we saw in and around town is dirty. There is an abundance of garbage and litter. We question why a city with this much history would allow itself to be this way. People are friendly enough, they have their hustlers in town just like any city, but we both agree the drivers are CRAZY! On the freeways, the speed limit is 70, and we found ourselves being pushed to 80 with someone on our behinds wanting us to go faster. They swerve and cut in front of you at breakneck speeds. If you're coming to or through this area.... be prepared.
Lastly, a good part of New Orleans tourist area is under construction due to the Super Bowl being played in the Super Dome next February.
Leaving New Orleans a day early and heading to Tampa..... 3 more days and we will be 'home'.