Abita Springs / New Orleans

After a 6-hour drive and about 50 miles of it being bridge over Louisiana swamp land, we ended up at a very nice Coast to Coast resort, Abita Springs. It is nestled amongst very tall pines, has a swimming pool, 3 ponds and a hiking trail.

I am finding out that when we request 50 amp sites when booking a camping reservation, it usually lands us smack in the middle of huge rigs and motorhomes, not the remote and quiet sites we prefer. So, we asked to downgrade to a 30 amp site and they reluctantly honored that request. When we returned from our excursion to New Orleans, we packed up from our sardine location and hastily moved to our new pond-side site with fewer rigs and more wildlife.  It was darker, much quieter, had a beautiful picnic area in the pines and even occasional visiting ducks and geese!

Highlights of the visit to New Orleans:  There were only a few things we wanted to see in New Orleans, so we planned for a quick visit.
- Lake Pontchartrain Bridge is the world's longest single bridge over one body of water. We think it was pretty awesome, except it was so foggy we couldn't see anything until our return trip back over the straight-long span.
- Venice: Located at the southern most end of the Mississippi River, the trip down to the end of this peninsula was nothing short of spectacular. We learned that levees built on either side of the road were meant to keep out the storm surges and protect homes and businesses. During hurricane Katrina, these levees were breached and the locals suffered from a 29' storm surge. Even 15 years later, there is still plenty of evidence from the Katrina's devestation. The 400-year storm left such an impression on New Orleans, you can take a tour of it from the French Quarter.
- Eagle: Stopping at the Plaquemines Parish Museum, Mark spotted an eagle sitting in the tree watching us. It was protecting its nearby nest and I was able to get a few photos!
- South Plaquemines High School: Most of the homes and business south of the levee gate was built on pylons to raise it beyond probable storm surges. Check out this high school that has been built above ground! The name of the HS football team? The Hurricanes!
- Venice: At the end of the peninsula, we stopped to walk around the marsh. The Pass A Loutre State Wildlife Management Area was nearby, so this area is rich with wildlife! We saw Pelicans, Osprey, Loons, Egrets, Herons, and even Alligators!
- French Quarter: We walked the markets in the French Quarter, and even though neither of us are the 'shopping' type, we enjoyed the experience of the area. We even had a Biegnet at the Cafe Du Monde!

The ornate iron railings around town and seeing Bourbon street was one of the more interesting points of the visit. There were young men scattered around town making money by shining shoes, playing music and telling jokes. We can now consider this visit checked off our list, and have little desire to return.  It was definitely a learning experience, and now we understand why so many people were affected by the hurricanes here.

Stay details: Abita Springs RV Resort:  Abita Springs, LA.
* Site # 223 changed to site # 25. The sites in the smaller pond loop have water and electric only, with 30-amp electric. The park does have a dump station near the entrance. We chose site 25 because it was an easier angle to back into, and our large windows would face the pond.  
During our time at site 25, we had the peninsula to ourselves and the local ducks seemed to love spending their day with us; even laying down next to us as we sat and worked.  :-)