Before leaving the New Orleans area we had a day of sun so decided to check out Lake Ponchartrain. That's one huge lake; I wouldn't want it draining into my back yard.
After enjoying the Mardi Gras traffic for a couple of hours we stopped at a quaint (read rustic) roadside crawfish restaurant. They're about the size of shrimp but are boiled in spices then you rip the head and body off and suck out the tail.
It took awhile to eat 2 pounds of it but I managed. As you can see I wasn't really enjoying them. I got a funny look when I asked for pliers to crack the claws though. Best part of the stay so far.
Time to head east to Florida. I know its not Louisiannas fault but we'll be glad to get away from this weather. Got up to pouring rain, thunder, lightening and tornado warnings on the radio. Fortunately I had done most of my prep work yesterday so I only got very wet hooking up the car.
The drive was like this all day. Its the first time I've had the wipers on for a full days driving. Not as much fun as it sounds. If you'll notice in the centre of the picture, even the UFO's are getting out.
This is a huge bridge over a beautiful bay as you enter Florida. Impressive isn't it. We managed to stay just behind a narrow band of really nasty weather all day. We stopped a couple of times to let it get farther ahead. One side road was closed with lots of cop cars because a tornado had hit a gas bar and some buildings about an hour before we got there. Fortunately all we saw was buckets of rain.
We arrived at our destination campground just as the rain was petering out with a promise of nicer weather ahead. This is the sunrise the next day. What a welcome site. This campground had been hit hard by the storm and people there couldn't believe we drove in it. You do what you gotta do.
After a day of recovering our sanity we decided to see the sights in the beautiful sunshine. This is on the main street of Panama city Florida which is on the gulf coast. What a lovely area and lots of money.
Next we went to Pensacola. As you may have seen in previous blogs, Ive developed a keen interest in birds. Wish I still had my neighbours birding book so I could figure this one out.
This part of Florida is famous for its white sand and I can see why. Hurts the eyes in the sun and feels like flour to the touch. As with most gulf beaches the ones along here are dominated by condos.
Look how wide the beaches are and how far off in the distance. Miles and miles. This sand can't be driven on like Daytona because its so soft and doesn't pack down. Other than the beach patrols dune buggies. I think those are turtle tracks beside me. What a pleasure Florida has been after the bad weather we've been through.
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