Monday, April 2, 2018

Gotta Watch Those Pine Cones

...and yes, another catch up post. Yup, we know we are supposed to spend hundreds on wifi boosters and internet service so we can keep Facebook, Twitter, and blog updated. Problem is we're doing this on the early retirement plan, which means the budget has to cover stuff like gas and animal chow first. I know, I know. Us, and our weird priorities.

I'm actually writing this from the restaurant at Pontchartrain Landing because there's both coffee and internet here. For a resort that advertises free wifi, it's a bit aggravating to have to sit in the back of their bar to get any sort of internet. Grrrr.
 Enough whining! Let's back up a bit and do some catching up on our travels! 

Two weeks ago, we pull out of Big Creek on a glorious Friday afternoon. It's a warm and sunny spring day, and we make good time cruising down 59 to Picayune. We make a pit stop at the Walmart there, so we can cook a meal and grab some groceries. 
As we are cooking, we hear a horrible racket on the roof; ka-ka-ka-chunk, ka-ka-ka-chunk! We look at each other in alarm, and The Biker then heads to the rear ladder to see why it sounds like we have a bunch of teamsters  dancing on the roof.

Turns out we had a pine cone rolling around up there, trapped between the bathroom fan hood and a solar panel! We have a good laugh, load up on groceries, and pull out.
Quick digression. If you are like us, you're probably wondering why on earth anyone would call their town Picayune, a word which generally means 'worthless' these days. Well, the story goes that the town's founder named the town after the Picayune newspaper, which was named after the Spanish coin, the picayune. Meanwhile, Americans began to use the name of the Spanish coin as a term for something small or worthless. Now you know.

 We take 59 a few miles, then turn west on 12 instead of continuing on to New Orleans. Yes, its a bit more driving but we have no burning desire to take an RV and trailer over the 27 mile long causeway across the Pontchartrain. Instead, we pull off at Fountainbleau State Park for two nights. Fountainbleau's internet is non-existent, so we give up trying to update anything and take long walks along the beach instead. Yes, it's a hard life we're living.
Sunday morning, we pull out early and take 12 west to 55, which takes us around the western edge of the Pontchartrain.  We still spend a lot of time on bridges, but there are enough trees that we don't encounter much wind. 

Another quick digression: Pontchartrain Lake is named after Louis II, who was Duke of Pontchartrain. Technically, it's not a lake. It's an estuary, which is a place where fresh water and salt water mix. We're guessing France decided Pontchartrain Lake sounded better than Louis Estuary.

We then grab 10 and turn back east, dropping Crockett off at a local kennel before we head on into New Orleans. The RV park is in the industrial area, so the last bit of the drive is strange and a bit creepy, as we ease the RV over potholes and ruts, past derelict-looking buildings.
That was eight days ago! We're now packed, and ready to pull out New Orleans tomorrow morning. We're hoping to have internet tomorrow night. If so, we'll finish our last post from Mobile and then do some blogging about New Orleans. If not, well - we'll just have to update everyone when we arrive in Livingston at the end of the week! Safe Travels!

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