CALIFORNIA TO NEW ORLEANS

February 10/10 We stayed in Escondido, Ca. For three days. We spent some time at the local beaches that had just flooded the beachside streets and basements. In Newport we walked the dogs on the beach to the area where the surfers hung out. The waves weren’t as large as those at Lawrencetown beach. After we reached the street to walk back we noticed the No Dogs allowed signs. Mattie and Ruff enjoyed the forbidden dips in the cold Pacific Ocean. We took Highway 8 back to Yuma, Arizonia. It was quite a drive the level of evaluation changed more than 10% and it was down hill for 6 and 7 miles at a time. There were runaway lanes situated every few miles. It was in this area we needed gas and had to pay $3.46/gal. This is the most expense we have paid thus far. When we arrived at the border of Ca. And Az. we stopped to look at the beautiful sand dunes. We stayed a night in Yuma at a so-so KOA. We ended up in a little ghost town called Willcox, .(a great place for taking day trips to Tombstone and Bisbee) the next night. We stayed at the Lifestyle RV park. It was a jewel in the rough. It was a small park with an inside pool and spa and a great gym. We were told not to walk the dogs at night because there are javoline's in the area. These boar-like carnivores have no problem taking small animals under the cover of darkness. We drove to San Antonio, Tx. It is a beautiful city. We stayed in an rv park in a poorer section of the city. Poverty is rampant here. We enjoyed the River Walk...tour and Richard was impressed with the Almano. The site was very interesting. I was impressed with seeing Davey Crockett's gun and beaded vest. We met a german couple from New Caledonia, NS. We spent the next night in Sulphur, Louisiana. We were invited to a Superbowl party that night. Well as history would have it the New Orleans Saints, the underdogs won the game. It was quite a celebration. The next day we set out for new Orleans as we had previously planned. We arrived in New Orleans late Monday afternoon, Feb. 8. We booked into the French Quarter RV Park. We headed out to Bourbon Street. The street was still partying. There police and press everywhere. We really enjoyed the live music on many of the street corners. This is what I expected New Orleans to be. The jazz and blues bands were wonderful. We stopped for lunch at an outdoor cafe and enjoyed our jambalaya and Cajun beans and rice. Since then we enjoyed blacken chicken and other spicy Cajun delights. As luck would have it we attended the “Super Bowl Victory Parade.” We arrived at 4:45 and the first band arrived at 7:30pm. We were in the forth row from the front and there were probably twenty rows of people behind us. We got to see the Saints and be part of the Who Dat Nation. It was quite a night. I have never been that intimate with tens of thousands of people before. It was interesting to watch the police use horses to push back a section of the crowd that had pushed a barrier closer to the parade. Many of the floats carried the team players, ie. Drew Brees, the kicker Danny Hampton and others and also the Vince Lombardy Trophy. After the parade we ventured out to find a place for supper. We had a great sandwich in a greasy spoon on Bourbon Street. This Superbowl win has been such a boost to the people of New Orleans. One man said who would have believed that four years after Katrina, the 44th president would be black, and the New Orleans Saints would win the Superbowl after over 30 years of trying. Its the beginning of the revival of New Orleans. On the night of February 10 we went to the first parade of Mardi Gras, The Druid's Parade. After waiting for two hours we went in search of it. When we finally caught up with it it was well worth the wait. The floats were fantastic. Most of the floats were named after holes, ie. Holey Cow, Fire in the Hole, Bung Hole, the Dark Hole, etc. I'm not sure why they are named this way. I'll let my imagination handle that one. This parade is a minor one. Both Richard and I found it hard to image what a major parade would be like. After the parade we went out to eat and have one last drink , as we were ready to leave New Orleans. Tired but none the less for the wear. On Friday the rates in the RV go up to $199 a night. We actually met someone who had a good friend from NS and he offered to let us stay in his backyard but we had been in NO for long enough, but were invited to come back again and stay for the whole Mardi Gras. We hoped to take up that offer next year. We moved on to Biloix, Ms and booked in at the Cajon RV Park. After setting up we were treated to a sleet storm and a couple of inches of SNOW are forecast for tomorrow. :( Labels: California to New Orleans... draft 2/10/10 by Roadtrek Duo Delete