From Joy to Joy

Skipping across the south.  We left Joe and the Audubon RV Park following US 90 to the east.  Our next stop was New Orleans.  We stayed at French Quarter RV Park, one block north of Rampart, leaving a two block walk to the French Quarter.  For entertainment we walked the French Quarter, again with a stop at Cafe du Monde

Begnet and Coffee
and then back to the coach to change for dinner eventually at Vacherie Restaurant in the hotel of the same name.  No food pics but we both enjoyed our meals and were satisfied to return to the coach and get some sleep.
Continuing on US 90, once we got out of the Louisiana, we retraced a route we took the year after Katrina along the Mississippi coast through Gulfport and Biloxi.  Although much has been cleaned up and there is new construction along the coast, it is clear that much remains to be rebuilt in the future.  There are still many empty foundations visible along the route.  Just before leaving Mississippi we stopped at Gulf Coast Gator Ranch, a very unusual Harvest Host member with plans to stay the night in their parking lot.  We took the airboat ride along with ten others and got thoroughly soaked and saw plenty of alligators.  
and we did indeed stay the night
Taken from the berm by US 90
It wasn’t the quietest night between the ‘gators calling, the cars whizzing by on 90 and the train not more than 200 yards beyond the house you see in the picture, but we slept nonetheless.
As to Joy: we decided to stay a few nights at Summerdale AL, Escapee Rainbow Plantations, to catch up on some cleaning, the outside, and other stuff, like getting some mail.  Of course we made connection with our cousin Joy and Shaul Antar who live in Fairhope and had a lovely, what might say joyful, dinner at a local Thai restaurant.  The pleasure was dampened by our memories of Joy’s dad, Ed Holtzman, who died after a long struggle with pancreatic cancer in March.   We are thinking of you Ellie.
Other news has also been troubling our friend and fellow RVer and RPO concert goer, Larry Humm took a terrible fall skiing in Vermont and will be spending the rest of April at Strong Memorial Hospital recovering from his injuries.  Be strong Dottie, we are thinking of both of you.
We hope to pick up our mail tomorrow morning and move on by noon, headed, the long way as usual, to Tampa and Lazy Days service bays.