The Great Escape: Go West
Go west, Young Professionals, Go West (part 2)
The next morning we were up early and on route to New Orleans (or NoLA as it is known locally), a city that neither Arie nor I had ever visited, but had wanted to experience for ages. Prior to our trip, we purchased the annual America the Beautiful national park pass. Since our pass gave us “free” admission, we made a quick stop at the Gulf Islands National Seashore. Why not check it out? We were naive to expect a pristine, secluded beach, and we’re a bit taken aback by the amount of sunbathers so early in the morning. I guess summer vacation had begun!
Our first night in New Orleans we did as any good tourists would do; we headed out to hear the jazz bands on Frenchmen Street. The street was crowded with tourists looking for the next best beat and with locals tooting their French horns and trumpets. It was really fun.
We were happily surprised that the weekend we were in NoLA was also the great Creole Tomato Festival (tomatoes just happen to be one of our favorite foods). The next day we did a little tomato-shop hopping, sipping on bloody Marys and snacking on a variety of tomato treats.
We then walk what seemed like the length of the city through the south 7th ward and St. Claude, admiring the architecture. Every new neighborhood had an entirely different look, and we were enjoying seeing the city on foot. We where headed to Bacchanal, an amazing wine and cheese shop with live music. The model of this spot (which is also how I imagine heaven to be) is that you first pick out a bottle of wine and a few blocks of cheese from their “store.” They then prepare a glorious spread with breads, jams, and vegetables sticks. We sat outside and enjoyed our cheese plate while listening to even more jazz.
As we headed back to our hotel through the most amazing neighborhood full of brightly colored, shotgun homes, we stumbled upon the Pride Parade. Decorative floats moved slowly behind fabulously dressed dance troops. Everyone was in a cheerful mood. I mean, how lucky were we to experience New Orleans on such an exciting weekend!
The next morning we woke up early to take a wander through the garden district, to see some old, southern mansions. We considered having brunch at Commander’s Palace, but we were severely underdressed! Anyway, it was time to get back on the road and head west.
One of my main requests for this road trip was a stop in the Bayou. I wanted to see some Spanish moss and gators! Since we had had a few days of stormy weather, we couldn’t quite make it to the areas I wanted to visit, but after scouring the Internet, we found a camp spot that we believed would get us close. We were following our GPS when we ended up on a muddy road through cornfields. We made it a few feet before we thought we suspected we’d get stuck in the mud, but it was too late. We tried to turn around, but our wheels were spinning in place! The sun was setting and the sky was gray, and I was feeling anxious at the idea of not getting out before dark. Since we did not have a shovel, we used the seat of our bicycle to scoop out sticky, gluey mud every few feet until we were finally free!
Our problem of where to stay, however, still loomed over us. After re-routing, we pulled into a boat dock which was the “campground” we thought we were heading to. There was no place to pitch a tent, it was pouring rain, and the accompanying thunder and lightning were intense. I really didn’t think camping was a safe or comfortable option, so we found a little motel to spend the night. It was dry, warm, and mosquito free – perfect!
It was still raining in the morning, but we finally got some sunshine while passing Chicot State Park, so, on the spur of the moment, we rented a canoe and were able to paddle around for an hour or two before the rain started again. We even saw a few alligators! Mission (sort-of) accomplished.
That night we found medium-to-high ground to set up camp in the Kisatchie National Forest. It stopped raining, but that meant the bugs were out, and they were hungry. We ate a quick campfire dinner and took refuge in our tent. At least we knew our next stop would be dry and sunny, we were headed to Dallas.
See how this road trip got started: The Great Escape: Here We Go
Wait – that isn’t it – our road trip story continues! Check out part three: The Great Escape: Landing in La La Land
We did a lot of eating in New Orleans. Here are a few of our favorite finds:
- For wine, cheese and live music: Bacchanal
- For a bit of history and sugar: Cafe du Monde
- For when you can’t decide what you are in the mood for: Stroch Market
- When you’re tired of Po Boys and you need some delicious Israeli food: Shaya
- The organizers of the Creole tomato festival: https://www.frenchmarket.org/
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