We were at the Port Aransas ferry by 9:30 but had to wait for half hour to cross. Drove down the coast to Galveston. This part of the Texas birding trail offers a large variety of hawks and egrets and we also saw some sand hill cranes along the road. We had wanted to stay in the Galveston S.P. again but what a disappointment. The park had been devastated by hurricane Ike three years ago. Only a small portion of the campsites remain. Two of the three shower buildings have been destroyed or damaged and still not repaired. The gatehouse is totally gone, replaced by just a small trailer. The visitor’s centre and walkways have also disappeared. We walked the beach and settled in for the night.
There was still devastation all along the coast through Galveston. A fishing pier had partially collapsed and a truck was hanging above the water by cross beams only. A hotel on a pier was also badly damaged. The ramp which connected the pier to the gulf side road was gone and the building stranded. Walls are missing and there are still some plastic chairs on a balcony or two. It would have been a horror to have been an occupant of that building at the time of the hurricane. We saw absolutely nothing of where we had stayed on the beach four years ago.
We missed another ferry due to stopping for pictures. We had a huge tanker truck pull in behind us on the ferry. He went through several back ups and pull forwards before he was able to confine himself to one lane and allow other vehicles onto the ferry. He stopped behind us with 2” to spare. We had an uneventful ride over but there were problems with the off load ramp and we were stuck on the boat for an additional 10 minutes or so. The rest of the Texas coastline had severe damage. Many homes had been rebuilt. Houses on the coast are built on stilts. Some houses were standing on the stilts with no stairs or balconies and some balconies were standing with no houses. Some of the rebuilt “cottages” are huge homes. Huston is within easy commuting distance.
Put in a long day of driving across Texas into Louisiana. The road goes over a number of bayous and Henderson swamp where the road is elevated for about 30 miles between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Both directions are elevated double lanes over the swamp. In spite of speeds being reduced, drivers weren’t intimidated by the water on both sides and continued to speed. Saw a few derelict boat houses in the bayous. Hope these aren’t the search and rescue teams when vehicles go over the edge. There was an additional 10 miles of elevated road along the edge of Lake Pontchartrain at the west entry to New Orleans.
The H P Long Bridge over the Mississippi River was under repair and barely two lanes wide. We were forced over an inch by another driver coming into our lane and we scraped the paint off the edge of the running board. Thankfully, we were coming down the ramp and were no longer over the water. This was extremely scary, the workers were no more than inches from us and I was afraid they would be knocked off by the canoe. No one passed us over the bridge though and signs advised not to pass any trucks. What a fright, I was a nervous wreck and Marty was upset over his spoiled paint job.
After we got to the park, we checked and saw the damage was not too bad.
The Bayou Segnette S.P. is a real treat—reasonable rates, clean grounds and washrooms and free laundry. It is a large wooded area with lots of birds and wildlife right in the middle of the developed area of New Orleans. It is the focal point of drainage canals that radiate out throughout the city. It contains large pumps which pump water from the drainage canals to a higher canal that takes the water back to Lake Pontchartrain.
The French Quarter is close and easy to get to by a short ferry ride across the Mississippi so we don’t have to take that bridge again. Ferry docks are further than anticipated and the GPS wants to take us to a different set of docks than the ranger had advised. After getting lost we finally made it to the right dock, parked and walked onto the 10:00 a.m. ferry. This was a good plan as nothing opened in town prior to then anyway as New Orleans is well noted for its night life. We had just missed Mardi Gras two nights prior. Walked all through the French Quarter and took the trolley up Canal Street.
Marty, now famous for his truck stop gourmet, has come through again with a hole in the wall eatery. We answered the call of a monstrous black man out on the sidewalk booming out the menu and excellence of the fare. Entry was via a side door in an old building, through a stair well and through a door next to an old refrigerator and a pile of cardboard boxes. The décor left a lot to be desired, however, the excellent meal was prepared by two big mamas who start cooking at three each morning, creating traditional southern cooking. Marty, not liking sea food, had lasagne (southern Italy?). Mama asked if he wanted salad then reached into a huge bowl, grabbed a bare hand full of greens and dropped it onto his plate. After asking if he wanted bread, she tore off a huge chunk from a French stick and plopped it on top. I had a fabulous shrimp Po’Boy and Gumbo from which I had to pick out the crab shells. Great authentic southern cuisine! The place looked like a dump but the clientele were obvious locals, many in business attire. Good food combined with a memorable experience.
