THREE STATE DAY

Tuesday, March 25 – With it getting light by 7:00 a.m., we were able to get an early start this morning. We pulled out of Hammond, LA, at 7:15 a.m. and were on our way east on I-12. At Slidell, LA,  we picked up I-59 and began our trek northward.

 

We put in another long day, driving six hours to reach Tuscaloosa, AL.

Spring is beginning to show it colors.

We pulled into the Tuscaloosa Elks Lodge and pulled around back to find seven campsites with 50 amp electric and water. The girl we talked to about the campground forgot to tell us that the Lodge is not open on Tuesdays, so we picked a site and began setting up. We found the electric was off in our original spot. Luckily, we hadn't set much up yet.

Paul got out his tester and luckily found ONE SITE (Site #4) had the electric activated. We moved over and with a little fussing was able to get pretty level without unhooking the truck. They must still be in “winter mode” here at the Tuscaloosa Elks. The water is turned OFF. Fortunately, we have some water in our holding tanks.

 

The campground is up on top of the hill from the Lodge.

We planned on doing a little sightseeing in Tuscaloosa (home of the University of Alabama) but called it off. We're tired, it's windy, and getting cold. Instead, we chose to take Bella for a short walk and relax at home. We'll check Tuscaloosa out the next time we pass this way.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day!

ON THE WAY!

Monday, March 24 – We pulled out of the Houston Elks Lodge campground this morning soon after rush hour. We intended to leave on Sunday to miss the Houston traffic, but rain was in the forecast so we chose to wait another day. You guessed it, the rain didn't materialize until late in the day. We would have been fine, but we're not in a hurry so no big deal.

We slid through Houston without a problem. The traffic by 9 a.m. wasn't too bad. Of course we're pretty familiar with Houston traffic patterns after five months and knew what lane to be in and when to get ready to exit.

Goodbye all you bridges.

It is all about football in Texas.

Once again the road going into Louisiana was AWFUL!!!

Especially the part of I-10 just west of the elevated Atchafalaya Swamp Freeway in Iberville Parish. I don't think this road has been resurfaced since it was built. We haven't found a way to cross Louisiana without experiencing terrible roads. Paul had to reduce speed to about 45 MPH and turn on his emergency flashers to prevent shaking the truck and 5^th wheel apart. OK....rant over!

It is crawfish season. Mile after mile of crawfish traps.

Lots of swamp land on this drive.

And Marsha’s least favorite part of the travel…bridges.

We arrived had the Hidden Oaks Family Campground in Hammond, LA, in one piece. This is a pretty nice stop for a day or two. Located about two miles north of I-12 on LA-190, it is a Passport America Park with full-hookup sites for $20. There is a section populated by long term or full-time residents and another section for short term guests. We were one of the few over-nighters here tonight.

The sites are on grass, so could be a problem if wet! The roads are gravel and there are 30 and 50 amp sites. The manager instructed us to “just pick any site you want.” We chose Site #19, a pull-through with easy in and out. We did not even have to unhook the truck.

Looking right.

Looking left.

Marsha took Bella for a nice walk in the wooded area. She loves to check out all the smells. Bella would enjoy a few days in this campground.

  

Paul sure wished he had a chainsaw with him. There were hundreds of Cypress knees which he loves for carving. He even went up and asked the maintenance man if anyone sold Cypress for carving. No luck!

For you fisherman, there is a nice fishing stream flowing next to the property. Paul talked to one of the guys fishing, but he had just arrived so couldn't vouch for how good the fishing was in the stream.

Now how did this get here?

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day!

WE GOT TO MEET UP WITH JANE AND JOE…YEA!

Wednesday, March 19 - Paul's begun packing up and getting ready to roll. We have a tentative departure date set for Sunday morning, March 23. We like to pull out early, and Sunday morning is definitely the best morning for driving through Houston.

Having sat here for five months makes preparation for leaving a little interesting. Repacking many of the storage areas is the first priority. Now where did I store these things before??? :-)

This little guy visits us often. We think it is a Texas Mockingbird.

Paul did get up on the roof and gave it a good scrubbing the other day and caulked a couple areas that looked a little suspicious. Of course, if he washes the roof he must wash the sides. All that yuck runs down over the sides and makes quite a mess. It's nice and clean now and should be good until some day this summer!

We think this guy was ready to take a dip in the pool.

We took time this morning to meet up with good friends, Jane and Joe. They are fellow RVers we've spent the past several winters with down in Mission, TX. We received a call on Monday saying that they would be passing through Houston Tuesday morning and wanted to meet up for breakfast. Yep, they're driving through Houston during rush hour...YEEK!  We decided to meet on the west side of town. They'll need a break after that drive! We're a little more familiar with town and can bypass much of the traffic and of course, we won't be driving an RV. The good thing is that Jane and Joe are from the Chicago area, so they are use to driving in heavy traffic.

We met at Denny's restaurant in Katy. Located on the I-10 “feeder road,” it was an easy on and off for our friends. Since they are heading west, this location means they've finished the drive through Houston traffic.

They arrived right on time, and reported the drive through Houston was interesting but uneventful. We enjoyed sharing stories of our winters…They were in Florida, and we were in Texas. Florida beat Texas for better weather but was much more expensive. We'll have to give Florida a try in the future.

After enjoying breakfast and visiting for over an hour, it was time for our friends to move on down the road. They have reservations in the Fredericksburg area tonight. It was great to see Jane and Joe again. It's been over a year since we last saw them, but it seems like only yesterday. See you down the road good friends. Be safe and have a good trip.

Spring training has begun, and Marsha is in all her glory.
 

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day!