We left Eglin Air Force Base and headed for Gretna, Louisiana for a delivery. We had some stackable cabinets/shelves that went to a law office in Gretna.
We had to stop and get two trailer tires fixed and they got us right in to get it done. So, no real delay there. Traffic was okay for the most part......it can get pretty heavy on Fridays, but it wasn't too bad today.
When we went through Mobile, Alabama, we took the Battleship Parkway to see the USS Alabama. We really didn't have time to stop as the law office closed at 5:00 and we weren't sure what to expect for afternoon traffic in New Orleans. But, we put Mobile on our 'to do' list as we would really love to stop there and spend a day or two just touring the city.
It was a good thing that we didn't stop at the Battleship. Traffic was fine in New Orleans, right up until we took the 234C exit to Business Route 90. Wow.....lots of traffic all of a sudden! It was around 4:00 pm, so we weren't sure if it was just rush hour traffic, normal traffic for that area, or if this is an alternate route due to Hurricane Katrina's damage.
There is still so much damage in New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina. We saw hundreds of homes that were still storm damaged and/or abandoned. It made us wonder what kind of effect that Katrina was still having on the economy in New Orleans? How many residents left and just never returned? How many of those homes have owners that are still trying to get relief to help repair or rebuild; and how many have been abandoned completely? How long does the city of New Orleans have to wait before demolition crews tear down abandoned houses? Viewing this area firsthand, even 2 1/2 years after Katrina, is overwhelming to put it mildly. We would love to have spent a day or so just looking around and taking it all in.
We did get our cabinets delivered and then headed to find something to eat. We seen a Shoney's and decided to pull in there. They had room to park the truck and trailer.....and it gave us time to allow the 5:00 traffic to die down. Click here to read my post on Shoney's in Gretna, Louisiana.
One thing that I would like to note was that everybody we encountered in Gretna/New Orleans was very friendly. True southern hospitality at it's finest. This was one of the friendliest areas we've encountered. It's a brand new year, if you give to any cause this year, please consider giving to Hurricane Katrina victims ~ 2 1/2 years later, and we still have victims of this tragedy.
We headed out of New Orleans and on toward Dallas. We drove in heavy rain from New Orleans to Alexandria where we decided to get a room. I feel really spoiled on this trip ~ we've had a room nearly every night since we've been gone! Normally, we have a night or two in the truck, then a night in a room, then back to the truck. There's no way to make money out here if you spend it all on hotel rooms. This trip has been a little different though...we've had the two nights on the boat in Key West, and two nights at our friend's in Naples, and several military bases in the area we've been in. This has been a sort of mini vacation for us!
I've been working on our website from the laptop while Chris drives. Check it out and see what all we have to offer ~ just remember, it's in it's infancy!
Safe travels!
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