Grand Isle State Park

Grand Isle State Park is located on the Gulf of Mexico.  The trip down from New Orleans was an interesting trip with many new sights for us.  We traveled down U.S. 90 to State Hwy 1.  Hwy 1 followed along Bayou Lafourche nearly its full length.  This bayou is one of the main waterways for the shrimp boats with fishing village all along the route.  It is not shrimping season so many of the shrimp boats are tied up along the bayou in various states of maintenance or just "resting".

When we got to the park, we found a nice park, but a beach in shambles.

Behind Joyce is a huge tube of heavy black plastic filled with sand.  Off-shore, sand is being pumped onto barges to be brought to shore to continue filling the big tube.  Here it is, 2009 and the destroyed beaches are still being repaired after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.  The sand filled tube is intended to present a barrier that will not be washed away in storms and will help reduce beach erosion.  Keep your fingers crossed...

And then winter reached all the way down here.

Fontainebleau State Park

Fontainebleau State Park is located on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain near Mandeville, La.

Here, we're parked at the visitors center closer to the lake.

Joyce and Ditto in the "shade" of a dead live oak tree.

If you look closely, you'll see the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Bridge.

Then we crossed it into New Orleans.

We didn't hang around New Orleans.  The streets of the French Quarter are not very motor home friendly and Ditto couldn't visit the restaurants and tourist traps, anyway.  Instead, we headed on across the Huey P. Long Bridge which was an experience all its own.

I stayed in the outside lane as far over as I dared to allow the much faster traffic to pass.  I was so close the tailpipe dragged along the curb.  Looking up in this photo you see the railroad trestle.  The bridge is an auto and railroad bridge built as one.  As you get up above the Mississippi River, the auto lanes are suspended on either side of the railroad tracks.  When a train passes, the bridge bounces.  Kind of scary!

Lefleurs Bluff State Park

Lefleurs Bluff State Park is located on Mayes Lake in urban Jackson, Ms.  Once past the industrial complexes of downtown Jackson and into the park, it is difficult to believe you are not out in the wild somewhere.

Hugh White State Park

Hugh White State Park is located on Grenada Lake near Grenada, Ms.  We camped at the Outlet Channel Campground just below the dam.

Jacksonport State Park

First stop on our winter trip to the Gulf is Jacksonport State Park in Arkansas.  It sits alongside the White River which was up and roaring this day.

Cape Fair Camping

Sitting at Cape Fair Corp Of Eng. campground, just relaxing by the fire.

Berry Bend (COE)

Berry Bend Campground is located on Truman Lake.  It was chosen as a central meeting place with Dusty and Traci.  Since we were there with Dusty, it rained, of course.

Rocko's debut (Dusty's new trailer) - at least with us.  Dusty had to set up in the rain.  It wasn't pretty. We did not get out much.  Site backed up to the lake about 200 ft. away.  Sarah, Roger & boys came.  Had birthday cake for Laurna.