Pensacola Florida

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.

On to Louisiana

Time to get going on our next leg to north of lake Ponchartrain in Louisiana. Away bright and early because its a long drive of about 7 hours. The day started off foggy but I still stopped to take a picture of Harvey beside the Galveston sea wall.

 We decided to take the ferry off the island just for something different. About a half hour wait and we started boarding. It was Harveys first boat trip and I thought he kept his cool very well.

It was a relaxing way to travel. Wish we could have made the whole trip by ferry.

And this is why. Here we are creeping up to the bridge across the Mississippi in Baton Rouge Louisiana. By this time we had been in stop and go traffic for 2 hours and would be in it for another hour. It took us 3 hours to go 25 miles. Just about the time traffic finally started moving, it was getting dark and then the rain just poured. I was going down the interstate at 35 mph and not sure what lane I was in. Drove past our campground because we couldn't see the sign and had to unhook in the driving rain to turn around on a side road. We finally pulled into our site 12 hours after starting, parked in the pouring rain ate a sandwich and went to bed. Oh yeah, I had a drink to stop the shaking.

The next morning the rain had stopped and I went out and hooked up our services. The ground was so soggy I was sinking in my crocs and my feet were getting all muddy. So I put grocery bags on my feet to keep my feet clean. Pretty smart, eh.

The park had a mardi gras parade so we went out and caught some beads. We didn't have to show anything except up. Its a kids park after all.

We did pretty good in the loot department. 

Even found a place of honour to hang them. Now we look positively N'Orlans.

Thank goodness they had the parade in the morning because by 1 PM the rain had returned with a vengeance. The ground was so covered by water last night that you couldn't tell where the roads were. I had to keep stopping to check the road in front of me. Our neighbour drove his truck into a ditch and only the box was showing. The road was covered with water and he wandered a bit a slid in. Makes me feel pretty smart about my caution last night. 

Museums in Galveston

 Galveston sits on a narrow sliver of land in the Gulf of Mexico and its total existence both good and bad revolves around the sea. To get an idea about offshore oil drilling an operational rig was retired and turned into a museum. Compared to the modern rigs, this one is pretty small.

 On the rig there were a lot of displays and it was very interesting. That big round pipe behind Grammie is one of the 3 legs which are forced downward onto the sea floor and used to lift up the rig out of the water.

It didn't take me long to realize I wasn't cut out for this, although my head was. Not to mention my headless partner was kind of unsettling.

 I thought I'd lend this ROV a hand and it tried to take my whole arm.

 After visiting the oil rig we went across the bay to Pelican Island to check out the museum for war vessels. This was an actual sub used during WW2. Its the only sub left that actually sank a Japanese aircraft carrier.

 This is the torpedo room. Its kind of eerie to think that torpedoes were sent out of these tubes and sank ships. This is not a mock up but an actual war machine. 

These are the diving wheels. Turning these raises or lowers the diving planes causing the sub to dive or rise.

 The other ship at the museum is USS Stewart, a Destroyer Escort. It served in the North Atlantic escorting convoys and as a sub hunter during WW2. The round display in front of the ship is a memorial for all the American subs which sank during the war. There are 52 markers, one for each sunken sub.

 Although its a lot smaller than some of the battleships we toured, its still something to see how it functioned and how the sailors lived aboard it. 

 Take the toilets for example. 6 stalls for 150 sailors. Imagine what it would have been like if dysentery hit. I never noticed there wasn't any paper until too late.

Just off shore lies this ship wreck. During the war, because of a steel shortage, a number of concrete ships were made. This one ran aground near Florida and was sent to Galveston for repair. No one could figure out how to repair a concrete ship so a channel was dug and it was beached there where it still sits. Lots to see in Galveston; the only thing better would have been a few planes thrown in.

Galveston, Oh Galveston

 Our first stop is a lovely park just out of Galveston Texas. Galveston is a large city built on one of the barrier islands just south of Houston.

 The maximum height on the island was 6 feet and in 1900 a huge hurricane went through and nearly destroyed the whole city. It was and still is the worst natural disaster in North America with a death toll of over 6000 people. To prevent another disaster like that a sea wall 18 feet high was built across the whole east side of Galveston. Then sand was hauled in the city and all its buildings were raised to the height of the sea wall. This is part of the wall that was built after 1900. The statue in front of grammie is dedicated to the dead of that hurricane.

 Its obvious when walking around Galveston that water is a major issue. Look at how high some of the curbs are. Thats to help drain storm water faster with less damage to the buildings.

 In 2008 Hurricane Ike came through Galveston and did a lot of damage. This was a 3 story pavilion at a seaside park that has been abandoned due to storm damage.

 This hotel was so damaged that its being stripped to its skeleton and rebuilt. Hopefully it will be stronger for the next storm. There have been about a dozen storms since the big one of 1900. 

We took a tour of the harbour and this is part of the dock we sailed from. This was under 13 feet of water during Hurricane Ike in 2008. I can't imagine why people would keep living here.

 The gulf of Mexico has over 600 oil rigs drilling and producing oil. These are older rigs which are being scrapped. The one with the tall legs is used in shallow water down to 150 feet. The legs are geared down until they hit the bottom and then the rig is lifted up out of the water. The rig on the right is a floating rig and can drill in water thousands of feet deep. A lot of Galveston's riches come from the sea. As well as its trials.

 There are a number of beautiful buildings which survived the hurricanes, some with major repairs. Its a beautiful city and seems to come back better than before after each disaster.

 There were very rich people here and they built some spectacular homes. Most of them are museums or public buildings now. 

This is one of the original hotels. It looks out to the sea. It must be something to be staying there during a huge storm, sipping cognac and smoking cigars. Its probably one of the safest places to be after surviving so many storms. Imagine that it had to be raised 18 feet when the city was raised. We haven't seen a city with such a history of success over adversity before. Its inspiring but I'm still not sure I'd want to live here.

Time to Start Heading Home

 After 3 months of sunshine and bliss, its time for us to start moseying along, hopefully to arrive at home after a fun time along the way. To do that a lot of preparation is necessary to ensure an uneventful trip. Being able to see is the first step.

 Of course, once you get started, you might as well wash and polish the rest of the RV and the car. Hey, it only takes a few hours.

 Of course, if we want the car to arrive at our destination with us, I need to put the hitch on the car and the RV. And connect them together, of course.

To stack the cards in my favour as much as possible, I put tire pressure sensors on all the wheels of the RV and the car. That way, if tire pressures drop an alarm goes off. Saves dragging a car with a flat down the road for miles. Pretty sensible, huh?

 Hydraulic levels keep the motor home level and stable but kind of get in the way when we try to drive off. So, they need to be raised.

 On a mobile vehicle, water lines are temporary and therefore need to be disconnected and stored for the next time they are needed. As well as the myriad fittings and filters which we employ to ensure the quality of our water is beyond reproach.

 I know, you're going to laugh, but I bought a water softener and that needs to be stored away while travelling. Really, its a good idea, really.

One of my last chores before heading toward our next adventure is to make sure there's oil in the engine. Pretty basic, but still valid.

 Disconnecting the power and storing the cable ensures that connection at the next stop goes smoothly. Plus, the darn cable costs a lot so do it right and save money. Makes sense to me.

Last but not least.... Shitters Full!

Whats he doing Todd?

I don't Know Margo!