Day 4-2 Jan 08-Chattanooga, Tenn to New Orleans, Louisiana

Odometer: 122,084 Weather: Sunny and cool



We were on the road at 7:45 am...partially because E-Wayne was up roaming at the crack of dawn...and partially because we were determined to reach New Orleans today. It was a long drive but it was pleasant and not a hard drive. For most of it, the trip was like driving through a forest as there were trees close to the road on the median and shoulder sides of the road.

OMG what an awful photo....tomorrow I'm going to treat my face to a bit of makeup!!

It was quite a sight as we drove in to Chattanooga. It's built in the middle of a huge bowl...the city is in the bottom of the bowl and houses all around the rim, and literally on the edge of the rim. Can you spell 'EROSION'?


It was another day of passing from state to state. We started in Tennessee, to Georgia, down the middle of Alabama, in to the tip of Mississippi and then in to Louisiana.


Along the way we passed another camper from Ontario and after passing each other a couple of times, ended up meeting at the welcome center at the Louisiana border. Turns out they are from Georgetown and we decided to drive in to New Orleans together. After trying to get a hotel and some discussion about the lack of parking, they ended up paying $10 to park overnight in a lot and are staying in their camper. Too damn cold for us to rough it so we parked, walked down the street and got a beautiful hotel 2 blocks from the french quarter for $69 (yep, plus breakfast)...and don't have to worry about freezing OR being kicked out of the parking lot. They are a very nice couple, originally from Holland. If they are still there in the morning, we'll do some walking together(and photographing finally) before heading for the local KOA as the temperature is supposed to start rising.


I'm so anxious to see New Orleans in the daytime. On the way over the enormous causeway and in to the city, there was mile after mile of hurricane destruction-still-and huge housing developments in various stages of rebuilding, falling down, boarded up or other obvious damage. There were complete industrial areas that are boarded up and deserted. It was very sobering to see and as we drove across the last bridge into the city I could picture all those thousands of people on the bridge after the hurricane on their way to the stadium. On the way in to the city, we passed acres of those famous trailers...unused because of the formaldehyde used in the manufacture...and it was a sorry sight.


Wayne and I went into the french quarter for dinner and walked down Bourbon St for a short way. We had a fabulous shrimp/jambalaya pasta dinner with wine and then came home as we are exhausted and I'm anxious to get back tomorrow with my camera.