Livingston, TX to Slidell, LA., New Orleans, Ft. Jackson

After a week in Livingston, I left for Slidell, LA., which was a drive of 335 miles. This ride ran down East Texas through some heavily wooded forests of mainly tall straight pine with some hard wood as well. Logging is a main industry here and I saw many logging trucks on the road.  As I got closer to Louisiana, road kills became more frequent with many armadillos and possums squashed on the road.

I 10 going east in LA has miles of bridges and causeways over bayous and swamps and is one of the worst roads I have seen so far. Bumpy and rough and it really shakes you up.

Thanks to my GPS, I found the Elks Lodge in Slidell with minimal problems and got set up in their beautiful grounds. Slidell  is on the north side of Lake Pontchartrain with New Orleans on the south about 35 miles away.

The Lodge is located on 14 acres and is beautiful with a swimming pool behind it. There is a small pond right behind my rig and has 3 familys of ducks living there. They are constantly fighting over territorial rights and it is fun to watch them squabble. The trees are over 300 years old , huge and loaded with Spanish moss. At the back of the property is a bayou winding it's way along. I did not see and alligators or snakes thank God.

Next door to the Lodge, well hidden is a huge plantation that looks right out of Gone With the Wind. A main house that is very large with many columns and several out buildings. All of this at the Lodge for a rent of $8.00 per night. The folks here made me feel very welcome and I sure will add this to my list of places I want to return to.

Visited New Orleans and took a 2 hour ride on a steam powered stern wheel paddle boat, the Nachez. A very nice trip up and down the Mississippi. All along the river front, they have a beautiful park where you can sit and watch the ships traveling up and down the river. As long as you stay near the French Quarter I found the city safe but if you stray much away from there, be careful. I visited the city on 3 different times and really enjoyed it. Bourbon Street was a blast with wall to wall bars all pounding out a mix of Blues, Rock and Roll and Dixiland music. Street musicians all over the place with a great Dixiland band set up in front of the church. Outstanding clarinet and trumbone players just rocking the place down.

Made a run over to Biloxi Mississippi on a road that runs for 23 miles right along the beach.

beautiful homes and casino's all along the beachfront. While in Biloxi, I visited a Maritime and Seafood Museum which featured the shrimp and oyster industry on the Gulf.

Another day, I took a ride down the Mississippi thinking the sites would be interesting. Wrong! The river is protected by levees and for the whole ride, I never saw the river. Don't take the drive to Venice. On the way back, I stopped at Fort Jackson which was origionally built to protect New Orleans from the British and Spanish. A nice restoration right on the river.

Summary:

Elks Lodges - 5

Escapee Parks - 3

Public RV Parks - 4

National Parks - 4

Forts -1