Outrunning the Storm... or so we thought, Laurel MS to New Orleans LA

The drive from Laurel to New Orleans doesn't have a lot to talk about. We took a scenic route to pass through the De Soto National Forest hoping to see something spectacular. I may have a skewed point of view being from the timber capitol of the US and growing up Redwood adjacent (only 3 or so hours from our house live the largest trees on earth), but the De Soto National Forest while special in its own rite has to be appreciated for what it is rather than what it isn't. There is a very diverse population of vegetation that goes along with the varied terrain. While we didn't see any of this from the scenic byway, a quick google image will show you what you might think you are missing.

Coming across the border from Mississippi the first landmark you will see is the I-10 crossing Lake Pontchartrain. It felt like a massive bridge, coming in at almost 6 miles in length, but I later came to find out that I missed the opportunity to go across the longest continuous bridge in the world known as the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway which comes in at nearly 24 miles. The size of the lake and the scenery was still awesome to see and the area was such a change from the last 9+ weeks of travel. It was a welcome change.

We stayed in the Navarre Ward of New Orleans, it was near all of the above ground cemeteries you hear about when you read about the history of the area. The ones we were closest too were not the really old ones, those are closer to downtown, but the rows of crypts and mausoleums really make you consider life after death, or the lack thereof. All those dead people are using up so much space and I bet half of them are probably still complaining, wishing they at least had a window. It made for some interesting conversations in the car. Ive officially decided I want to be cremated. It doesn't feel right to take a piece of the earth forever from future generations because I was worried about what happened to the used up body I leave behind.

We attempted to eat the french quarter out of beignets, but they were well prepared. We did make a dent however. I can understand the hype. Id take a beignet over a Voodoo Donut or a Krispy Kreme any day of the week. The other thing that people should be leading with when they suggest visiting New Orleans is the drive thru daiquiri stands. Its like getting Dutch Bros Coffee in Oregon but instead you get a 44oz daiquiri for $8 and clear your schedule for the rest of the day. We were also there during crawdad season. We bought 3 lbs of the little mud bugs and chowed down. While its not something Ill likely do again soon, it was a good experience to try another local food.

This is a hard entry to write because it was so full of events. In addition to the food, visiting the french quarter, and seeing the local sites, we also did a fan boat tour in the swamps and experienced an eventful electrical storm. All of these things in one week! The fan boat tour was nice, but a word of advice. Make sure you check the weather. Aligators and other wildlife really like warmer weather. We only saw a couple little crocs, but the educational part of the tour was good. We learned about who the Cajun people were and where they came from in addition to the history that made them. The abbreviated version, they are french-canadian settlers that were forced into a existence of anonymity in the swamps of Louisiana living on the water when the area they occupied fell into British rule. The way I would put it, they were treated almost as poorly as the native americans in the area.

To get to wrapping this up, the electrical storm was cool. The whole sky was lit up from one direction or another for a couple hours accompanied by massive downpours that came in sheets. I have never seen such a storm in my life. Unbeknownst to me the area we just came from in Laurel MS was having a good old time as well except their weather was Thunder, Lightning, Rain, and Tornados. They had 40+ tornados touchdown over 24 hours. It seems we are staying one step ahead of mother nature on this trip so far. We are so thankful to be able to only write about it second hand. Our week in New Orleans ended with a trip back out through Bayou Savauge National Wildlife Refuge where we saw some more wild alligators and I stood in an ant hill will also managing to lose my sunglasses in the water. It could have been worse though, I had a backup pair of sunglasses and I only got bit twice.

Theodore Alabama is the next stop and we stayed in an old farmhouse on 50 acres....