The Big Easy

October 31, 2012
After a lengthy drive we arrived in the New Orleans area at a KOA campground yesterday.  Wow, what a difference.  This campground, as with most KOAs, is very nice and clean, but costs about 2 1/2 times what we paid in League City.  The drive included a 25 mile long "swamp bridge" over Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge.  There was a shorter bridge over the Maurepas Swamp WMA.  Building these things must have been a huge feat.  The Atchafalaya is the location for Swamp People, shown on the History Channel.

Today we went to the French Quarter in New Orleans.  This place is normally a little strange, but today being Halloween many people were in costume adding to the aura.  We now understand that Halloween rivals the Mardi Gras as the most popular "holiday", however, we left before things got too crazy.  Dan's favorite things there include beignet, gumbo, and pralines; all of which were sampled during our visit today.  Besides great food, the place is known for jazz and its buildings which pretty much all date back to the early 1800s. 

St Louis Cathedral, Andrew Jackson Statue in foreground

This guy remained statue-like and motionless

Halloween decorations

Another oddity, since N.O. is below sea level, bodies are placed in above ground crypts.  The St. Louis Cemetery can be visited.  There were several people hanging out to gather a group and offer a tour.  We thought this was a bit sacrilegious, but it is New Orleans.  Following are some pictures.

Crypts in St Louis Cemetery

October 29, 2012
Today was an extra day, as Dan made a mistake in the trip planner. So we decided to head toward Galveston Island.  Originally we thought the Island was only a resort for the rich.  We were wrong. Yes, it was inhabited by wealthy people, but it was a significant Texas city and port.  We visited one of the mansions, the Moody Mansion.  This place was built in the 1890s and had indoor plumbing and electricity.  Photography was restricted so only outside shots are provided. 

We also went to the Ocean Star off shore oil rig museum.  This museum tells the story of off shore oil drilling and the transfer of oil to the shore stations.  It explains the process well and was very interesting.  Working on one of these things appears to be very dangerous.

October 28, 2012
We spent the day visiting some friends in the Houston area.  Actually two stops.  The first was with Bob, a work associate of Dan's, who lives amongst several golf clubs.  What better way to see the sights than by cruising around in Bob's hopped up golf cart, very cool!  Our second stop was to visit Lynn's friends, Debbie and Hugh, topped off with a tasty Texas BBQ dinner.  Another great day!