We left Mississippi on I-10 heading west into Louisiana. And I found out I absolutely freak out when going over bridges in the motor home. Most bridges don’t have a shoulder area so it appears one small inch to the right would dump us right into the brink! Sitting 10 ft up in the air over the road made it even worse! My stomach was turning & I kept my head buried between my knees the majority of the LONG drive.
Also, Louisiana roads are horrible! And … alligators! People! There were alligators on the blasted interstate! Some were just laying on the grass by the road, others were either dead & torn up from being run over, while still others were withering from injuries & would soon die. It was carnage – blood & guts everywhere! I would never have dreamed of gators on the road but knew I’d soon be having nightmares about it!
We made it around New Orleans & the CONTINUOUS bridges that are the interstate system in the southern part of the state. Our destination was about an hour past that but, because the land is low & swampy, the bridges continued until just a couple miles before our campground.
Our campsite was backed up to a lake with the beach nearby. During our stay that beach was used a LOT – constant happy squeals of children filled the air. But some folks continued to swim during the evenings when the water was inky black. I asked the camper next to us who was from the area if there were gators in the water. He said there sure were! And people were swimming in it?!? Lordy! Cajun folks are fearless!
Too many squirrels! I’m scared of squirrels – a result of being attacked by one when I was a little girl. But, thankfully we did not see any gators in the park during our stay.
We decided to spend some time knocking out a few things on our home improvement list while at the park. The craftsmanship in RVs (generally speaking) can be disappointing to put it lightly no matter how nice or expensive they are. The improvement we worked on while at this park was our two a/c units. We started off watching YouTube videos by a couple super experienced RV dwellers as they practically took their a/c units apart, insulated them as they should have been done coming out of the factory & putting them back together, increasing efficiency & making them much quieter. I had to spend lots of time standing on my mattress so I could reach the dang thing. My legs & ankles were screaming from the strain I put them under, trying to keep my balance. And my arms fell asleep more than once as I held the unit in place entirely too long while Perry screwed the unit & shroud back into place. We added insulation & the special tape & sealed holes that recycled cold air where hot air should have been going in. Got the whole mess cleaned up & looking good & it worked perfectly. Soooo much quieter! Then I figured out how to remove the ceiling vents, added little round pucks at the top of the ducts (they interrupt the air flow, forcing a little air down through the vent) washed the covers & reinstalled them. I took a digital temp reading of those ceiling vents before & after. A 4 degree difference! That may not sound like much but it’s fantastic in an RV. The bedroom unit was completed but the living room unit would have to wait for another day.
A trip to New Orleans was our goal on day three so off we went in the car. It wasn’t as scary going over the endless bridges as I couldn’t see over the sides.
We took a tour bus around the city to see the various areas better. Unfortunately, it moved fast & never stopped for any photographing to be done. The tour guide / speaker kept a constant dialog of the buildings & businesses as we passed. However, his focus was on bars & eateries almost entirely. The other people on the tour started off with hopes it would be an interesting ride but, by the time it was over, it was obvious most were equally bleary eyed over the commentary of where the speaker ate & how drunk he & others got at the multitude of bars. Just wow!
Someday, we will return to New Orleans & will likely stay a few days. And we will take a tour or two that will be more informative about the history of the city & it’s most colorful occupants!
We had left the pups at the RV for 9 hours – that’s the longest they had EVER been left without parental supervision or a potty break during our travels! I did leave the emergency potty pad out & they made good use of it. They were soooo excited to see us when we arrived home! And they were incredibly cuddly, too.
Note to self: Do NOT make reservations at an RV park that is over an hour away from the place you want to sightsee! And the tour operator we used put us WAY later than we had intended. Learning as we go!
The next day we tackled the air conditioner improvement in the living room of our RV. It went sooooo much faster because we learned from doing the one in the bedroom a couple days before. We insulated & sealed it with aluminum tape, cleaned it well & the shroud & cover were reattached. The improvement in the bedroom was significant & the noise level was down. But the one in the living room was even better! Much quieter! And the room cools off FAST! We appreciate the experienced & creative RVers who make YouTube videos!
On our final evening we went to Outback’s in a city some 30 minutes away. There was a table right across from us with 4 women, probably in their 60s – 70s, who were definitely having a good time. I’m not sure if they were imbibing but they got louder as time marched on. And one of the woman was nearly hacking up a lung. With COVID still a factor, this was of real concern. Two couples nearby actually asked to be moved – I don’t know if it was because of the volume, the colorful language or the subject matter (“relations” with canines). Even the heavy accents couldn’t disguise what they were talking about. The highlight of our time was when we left. Oh well, I still got to be out with my fella.
When we got back to camp, we decided to pack away most of the outside stuff (fence, rug, tire covers, satellite & such). Rain was predicted for the next day & no one wants to be splashing around in the mud as their prepare to leave. Let me just say we learned a valuable lesson – the bugs LOVE the dark & are drawn to lights – like the one at the door. And they bite! When we finally got inside, it took nearly an entire can of bug spray to extinguish the colony that had managed to come in with us! Ick!
The next morning we got out of the park in record time, on the road to northeast Texas! And then this happened as we got propane on our way out of town …
Sometimes things run amok when full-time RV living. We stopped at a hardware store in a small town in Louisiana to fill our onboard propane tank. Had to pull in the exit as the tank was on the driver’s side & then pull out the entrance. But as we were pulling out, our drive shaft literally fell apart! The middle section twisted & fell to the ground. The employees immediately got the hanging part tied up to the bottom of our motor coach & then pulled our RV back to some parking spaces with their forklift. Then we got on the phone & located a repair place that came from an hour away to fix it. They removed the front part of the drive shaft & took it back to their shop to put a new one together for us. The manager of the hardware store said we could just stay put overnight. I did call the RV park we were heading to & cancelled the reservations.
In the morning, Perry got a few dozen donuts & took them in to show our appreciation to the employees. We kept the manager informed of the repair progress which would stretch into the next day & he was good with that. Another night in the parking lot. We did rent a room at the Red Roof Inn across the street so we could take showers but we slept in the RV – it felt safer.
The new day came & the manager was getting antsy so we did contact a tow truck that could handle our 38 ft motor coach. But the manager of the hardware store said if the repair was done that day, all was well. However, the owner of the hardware store returned from a trip early & was not happy we were there. The employees were 100% sympathetic & kind for two days. But that Raging Cajun came out & banged on the door just after noon, screaming he wanted us out of his parking lot in 10 minutes. No drive train = No moving. Then he said we were Homesteading on his property & he called the police! So I called the tow service again & they came from an hour away to move us across the street to the hotel (we had already been told by the hotel owner that would be fine).
The tow truck operator did spend an hour hooking us up & blocking the entrance to the hardware store. The hardware store owner was pacing & ranting & raving the whole time. I may have enjoyed watching that just a little too much. The tow truck pulled us across the street to the hotel parking lot & the new drive shaft arrived 2 hours later. Installed in 30 minutes & we were on our way. We expected a very hefty bill but it was only $1200. The tow was $375 – worth every penny to see that Raging Cajun pacing about & having a tissy fit. (Side note: a couple weeks later & after some reflection on this episode I sent a card to the Hardware Store owner expressing our appreciation for the use of his parking lot & the kindness by his employees. I apologized for any problems we may have caused him & assured him our intention was not to “Homestead” on his property.) All’s well that ends well.
We drove back to the campground we were at previously just before nightfall. We did a fast set-up & fell asleep almost immediately. The next morning I went up to the office & paid for the additional night’s stay. Then it was off to Texas!
Not all who wander are lost! #whereswaldocamping