Saturday outside of Atlanta

This blog will have no pictures since I have to write it on my iPhone. There is no Wi-Fi here.

It was a day of driving through Alabama and finally Georgia. Driving through Atlanta was very difficult. I can't imagine doing it on a weekday. I wouldn't mind visiting Atlanta because it has the Jimmy Carter presidential library, underground Atlanta, the Atlanta zoo and a beautiful downtown area. But, it is no place to drive a camper or for that matter to drive at all. if they have good public transportation I would think of flying here and staying downtown. There were seven lanes going in one direction through Atlanta and if I hadn't had my GPS I would have never found my way around. But, I also have no sense of direction. I also have never seen so many University flags on peoples cars as I have seen here.

I didn't realize the time changed, so when I was ready to stop it was already past closing time for the state parks.

I drove to Fort Yargo State Park hoping for a place to stay. Luckily, there were two openings. It's a beautiful park and I will take pictures. I don't know the cost yet because I will need to sign in when I leave tomorrow.

Tomorrow I should finally make it to Asheville North Carolina. I hear it's a place where old hippies retire. It should be interesting and I might fit in.

I finally checked gas mileage and I got about 15.4 miles per gallon. Quite a difference from my Prius :)



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Fort Yargo State Park

Morning at La Quinta

It was nice to sleep in a large room and a large bed but the dogs still gently pushed me over until I was hanging onto the side of the King sized bed this morning. I don't know how that happens!

For some reason, they put us on the second floor at the hotel, which is great for exercise but a pain when you have to let the dogs out. The carpet on the stairs is dark so I have to carry Seymour up and down the stairs because his cataracts make it difficult for him to see. I am dreading the many trips I will need to make this morning to get all of us and our stuff back into the camper.

On a lighter note, here was my breakfast. Lots of protein to keep me energized for driving.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Saraland, Alabama

There's Still a Fly in the Camper

"We'll just stay here until you get rid of that fly!"




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Boudin Balls and Other Stuff

We left Coushatta at about 11 am. The first part of the day was spent on back roads. That is what I love best. First we were on 190 out of Kinder, Louisiana, then turned onto Hwy 26 in Elton. The road was so calming.



I saw "Busters Live Crawfish Capital" in Elton but it wasn't open.

We headed back onto I 10 for most of the rest of the day. The interesting part of the road was when we went on long bridges over swamps. This was around exit 119 for miles.



I love the green and lush landscape, the Cajun music and food, but I can do without the heat and humidity. Even the van was humid.

I passed a sign for Billie's Boudin Balls and I was intrigued. So we stopped in Scott, LA to check them out. The place was just a brick building in the middle of a construction area but inside there was a line of people ordering various fried things, including the boudin balls. Here is one of my balls - that sounds bad, doesn't it?


I got two. They were as big as golf balls. I mostly ate the middle out of them because I wasn't sure if there was casing on them. I usually give Seymour a taste, but these were too spicy for him. I also saw a menu by the frozen food locker.




I wasn't ready to taste turkey necks, rabbit, alligator tail or snapping turtle. The boudin balls were enough.

We stopped at the Mississippi Welcome Center. It had a great pet area. This is Seymour enjoying it.




We drove through periods of rain and I started to see dark clouds and heard on the weather report that thunderstorms were coming. So I made the decision to stop outside of Mobile in Saraland and camp at -



La Quinta. I spent a good part of my casino winnings to stay here and it was worth it. I can't wait to take a bath and watch some TV. In the morning they said they serve a HOT breakfast. A little pampering is just what we needed!

Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Leaving Coushatta Today - Really

We did our usual yesterday - walking, eating, reading and playing the slots - and repeat. The big problem we are having is fighting the with biting flies. I don't remember the flies biting like that at home. It is crazy hot and humid here but I started wearing a coat to keep myself from being bitten. Even Seymour didn't want to go outside. Between the loud noises and the flies, Seymour is becoming a recluse! I won't miss those flies but unfortunately one has taken up residence in our camper. BTW, I am leaving with more money than I started with!

When we arrived, there were very few RV's here. Most of the enormous campers were parked near the clubhouse and casino. Two of us are at the far end of the campground near the bathroom. Priorities! Here are the dogs resting in the vast open area beside our van. Off in the distance, you can see the chalets they rent. A few are even dog friendly.



On the table is one of my favorite camping tools, thanks to my daughter. I have never hooked up my water (maybe some day I will learn how to do it) so I do my dishes in this nifty foldable sink. Love it!



I am not sure where we are going today, but I think I will be driving toward Biloxi and Mobile, Alabama. I can't wait to start going north. Maybe it will be cooler. At this temperature, we would not be able to stay anywhere without electricity - need that A/C! Hopefully I will find a place with wifi again soon.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Day Three and Still in Louisiana

I didn't have access to wifi yesterday, so I will catch up now. We left Mary's house in Bastrop at 9:15 am Tuesday and expected to get to Caushatta by 2 pm. Unfortunately there was a serious accident on I 10 outside of Beaumont (my least favorite road) and we sat on the freeway for over 2 hours before we started to inch our way to Louisiana. There was a major accident with an 18 wheeler that caused the back up. We finally arrived at the campground at about 5:30. I found that my van A/C doesn't work well when the van is stopped. It was so warm in the van that the candy Mary gave me me turned into a blob of chocolate. Every time the dogs came near me, I sprinkled water on them to try to cool them down a little. When we finally got to the caground, I asked to stay another night. I am now considering staying one more night because I had trouble sleeping last night and am not ready take off.

Anyway, I am going to try to post pictures from day one at Mary's. You can see Mary's two sweet dogs in the background. It is so nice to see my dogs comfortable with bigger dogs.








We have camped in the driveway previously but this time we stayed in her guest room. The camper rested in the driveway.





Yesterday was relaxing; reading, walking the dogs, eating and spending time in the casino. I actually came out ahead financially for a change!

But last night, as often happens, I couldn't sleep. Maybe this is part of the reason.



There just doesn't seem to be enough room in our bed for all 3 of us!

I am now at the campground clubhouse doing laundry and writing my blog. I am really considering staying one more night. Then I plan to use my GPS to take me to various cities and not just to my destination. I really want to go to Ashville, NC, among other places.

Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

First Day on the Road - Monday

We left at about 1 pm today and drove a grueling hour and a half to mr friend Mary's house in Bastrop. We really weren't planning on driving far today. Seymour and Zooey were thrilled to see their old friends Cooper and Shelby. And I am happy to see Mary. She has a great neighborhood for walking the dogs but unfortunately dove season started so the sounds of gunshots scared Seymour too much to walk. I carried him most of the way. Unfortunately, I can't seem to get blogger to attach new photos but I will keep trying. We are sleeping in Mary's guest room while the camper is resting in the driveway. Our next stop is Coushatta Casino and Resort - and RV Park. What can I say, it's on the way!