Day 18 May 31 Sun

Began with breakfast at the little restaurant in the state park. Then went looking for diamonds. See Jack surface mining. Also picture of the rocks I collected -all jasper I think. Picked nice colors and shapes. Not diamonds - needless to say.

However at the ranger talk last night saw slides of many, many people who have found diamonds from an old man who used to come every day (they said they found 10,000 diamonds in his house when he died) to young twin boys. Kind of fun and I guess it is possible.

The first diamond was found in 1906. The area is an eroded volcanic pipe. It was a private mine for a long time and Arkansas bought it in 1972. It is the only diamond field open to the public in the US and since 1972 visitors have found over 25,000 diamonds. One was the Strawn-Wagner Diamond at 1.09 carats that is rated D flawless 0/0/0 perfect diamond. It is one in a billion. The visitor center/museum was closed so we didn't get to see diamonds etc.

Rest of the day quiet with Jack working. Beautiful day and camp is quiet. Many people left today.

Day 17 May 30 Sat

Short but difficult ride to Crater of Diamonds. Extremely twisty, 2-land road all the way and through some poor rural areas. Some curves marked 15 MPH. We of course had the road to ourselves. Stopped at TA truck stop for gas where we crossed over the interstate. Very scuzzy. Sign on women's bathroom was "All illegal activities will be prosecuted".

Stopped in little town near the state park, Murfreesboro, for late breakfast. Restaurant filled with Arkansa Razorback football stuff - and I mean stuff. Also stopped in grocery store that really didn't have a lot - like no diet pop??

Checked into Crater of Diamonds State Park around noon and went right to the diamond field and spent about 1 1/2 hours looking for diamonds. See pictures. Did find a small piece of crystal quartz and some other rocks I liked. Will ask ranger tomorrow what they are.

Got tired and hot and so we headed for camp. Very nice and woodsy. Cool and private. There is a ranger talk at 8 PM right down the road at the outdoor amphitheatre so will learn all about the history of diamonds here and report tomorrow. Staying another day. Jack has some law work to do tomorrow.

Day 16 May 29 Friday

Very quiet day at White Oak Lake. Had to move to a different site because ours was reserved for tonight. No big deal but doesn't seem as busy as the clerk told me it was going to be. Took a nature walk with the park ranger this morning. He warned us that he was a historian and not into plants and animals. Trust me, he was not exaggerating. Kept calling moss ferns. But he tried. Said he was a history major but didn't like being in the classroom and knew the asst director at the park who offered him the job. He rode around on a golf cart this AM passing out the sheet with activities this weekend and invited everyone to join in. Good for him. This forest was all replanted in 60s. Totally destroyed by paper mills, etc. It is now protected.

Finished my book on New Orleans. Really great. Reinforces what we have been learning along the way on this trip. Lots to discuss about slavery, etc but needs a person to person talk rather than blog.

Also forgot to say yesterday that a by-product of oil is brine. The major industry here is now chemical with focus on bromide used in bromoseltzer, fire retardants, etc. Oh, and Jack didn't catch anything yesterday but the guy he was with did. One of his kids came over with a catfish this morning and wanted to know if he could clean it for us. Too much for one person so I passed since Jack doesn't eat fish. Just enjoyed being outdoors in this great place today. Picture is view of the lake early this am.

Day 15 May 28 Thurs

Well, what a day. Learned and saw a lot. As we drove through the northeast corner of LA discovered we were in the agricultural center. Center of what we aren't sure but for as far as you can see are crops, crops, crops. Wheat, corn, rice, soybeans for sure. Something else that was newly planted that may have been cotton. We saw three crop dusters and lots of small rural towns. Home health seems to be big business here as well as agriculture. Moving into Assembly of God and/or Jehovah's Witnesses country. Churches in every little town.

As we drove along it became forest in LA and as we crossed over to Arkansas. Culminates in Crossett AR the home of Georgia Pacific. It is huge, one large industrial complex after another for plywood, tissue, paper, lumber, etc. It goes on forever. Very smelly but it must employ a lot of people. By the way, you don't see Mexican sections in any towns. All of the road crews, etc. that we passed were all white people. So this may warrent some further investigation. Compared to FL, you would expect a lot of Mexicans working the crops. Of course, none of them ready for harvest at this point. But still no Spanish signs, stores, etc. By the way--a cord of wood is a stack 8 ft by 8 ft by 4 ft. One cord makes 7,500,000 toothpicks. One learns all kinds of interesting stuff doesn't one?? Like it took an act of the legislature to pronounce Arkansas as Ark an saw. One group wanted Ar kansas and another wanted it to be spelled Arkansaw.

We crossed the Quachita River and Lake Jack Lee which was flooded almost up to the road.

We essentially had the road to ourselves all day. There is no traffic and great 2-lane or divided highways throughout.

Onward to El Dorado, AR which claim to fame is oil wells and refining. We had lunch in this little place - Johnnie B's with CocaCola stuff all over. Seems to be some dispute about which oil well was first, biggest, etc. in Arkansas. Didn't even know there was oil in Arkansas.

But learned all about it at the Arkansas Museum of Natural Resources. They definitely need to change the name. Only us and one other couple in the whole place. It is fabulous. Maybe it should be called the Oil Boom Museum or something. One section on why there is oil in Arkansas (short version-ocean receded) and the other on Smackover which was the oil boom town in the 20s. Smackover came from Sumac Cover which is what Indians named the area. There was so much in this museum. For instance you can stand in a room like you are in center of earth looking out at oil fields around the globe. There is a hall that is a vertical version of the earth core that led to the oil fields at Smackover, and a section that is a reproduction of the stores, etc in Smackover during the oil rush. Lots of audio and video too. It is really great. Lots of pictures but just posting one because signal is very weak here. It is of the "trailer" the goat woman used. She was an entertainer that played 7 instruments at once. She came to the oil rush to entertain and stayed to raise goats. Never saw anything like this vehicle that she lived in.

Left there and on to a state forest that includes White Oak Lake. Absolutely gorgeous. See picture of view from our site. Going to stay another day. Our RV neighbor invited Jack to go out on his boat to fish. He is very excited. Will let you know tomorrow if they catch anything.

Day 14 May 27 Wed

Started by driving to the Poverty Point State Historical Site about 13 miles away. This park is the reason we came to this area. It is one of the oldest and rarest prehistoric archeological sites in the US. Really fascinating and well done. It was a permanent settlement of about 3000 people on what was the Mississippi in 1700 BC! That's about the time of the pyramids for crying out loud. Very strange with 6 semi circles where houses were around a wide open plain. Outside the circle were mounds and the largest was in the shape of a bird. Took a tram ride to see it. Guide very good.

There is a wonderful museum and just can't believe the artifacts they have found including beads, dolls, tools, etc. No one knows why they picked this particular place but they know they were trading with others up and down the river. No evidence of crops etc. They were still hunters and gatherers. Such a large group to be in one place is strange. Needless to say there are a lot of unanswered questions. One theory is that it has something to do with the strange magnetic field patterns they have found and they are exploring that. Apparently they have found similar magnetic strangeness at other Indian mounds. Unfortunately a great deal was lost because the land was a plantation in the 1800s and they leveled some of the semicircular mounds, etc.

Then went into this little town Delhi. It's kind of like Dade City with antique shops and some posh stores, etc. Drugstore that was built in 1873 has an old soda fountain counter. We had lunch served by the young daughter of the owner who says her dad makes her and her sister work. This was the first day of her first summer job. Too cute with new braces and all. Jack had black walnut milkshake. Their claim to fame seems to be pickles- bread and butter. Fried pickles appetizer, chef salad covered with pickles, and pickles on my chicken salad sandwich. Very good but a little weird.

The other picture is of the water playground across from our rv site. It is so great. Every little park and camp should have one. Kids love it and I won't mind getting wet myself.

Day 13 May 26 Tues

I'm afraid we are still on Eastern time and awake at 6AM every day. So we were off to an early start and it didn't take us long to get to New Iberia. Our plan was to tour the oldest running rice mill in LA or USA- I'm not sure. Tour book said open at 9 but first tour wasn't until 10. The general store was opened and bought some Konrico rice that comes from that mill. Decided to keep on going. Didn't look like that interesting to wait for tour.

Next stop was St. Martinville. Didn't take long to get there so still not 10 AM which is time for Acadian/African American Museum to open. Took some pictures of adjoining park that honors Longfellow and the people his poem Evangeline was based on. Apparently a judge from this town was at Harvard when Longfellow was teaching there. Told him the story and it inspired the poem. Very nice boardwalk along the bayou in the back, etc. Really very nice. It was almost 10:15 and we were about to leave when the receptionist showed up.

One half of the museum devoted to African American slave history. 46% of the free people of color settled in New Iberia and St. Martinville. Hence the importance. Before slaves were freed after the Civil War, there were 3 classes - slave, white, and free people of color. Big deal about this in New Orleans as well. There the free people were primarily the mistresses of wealthy white men who freed them. Although not a legal or religious relationship, these "marriages" were socially acceptable. In this area the freed people were primarily men with skills like blacksmith, farmers, etc. so they settled in the area after having paying off master to be freed or some other deals. They also had money to buy their relatives. Isn't that just awful???

Also learned that the word creole meant anyone born in Louisiana in any of the classes. However, the freed people of color wanted to set themselves apart from the slaves freed by the 13th amendment so they called themselves creoles. They were very resentful to be lumped in with slaves who hadn't earned the right to be freed through hard work, etc. Interesting and goes hand in hand with the book I am reading -The World That Made New Orleans.

The other half of this little museum is devoted to Acadian history. Also interesting. When they were exiled from Nova Scotia some were sent here, others to New England states, and others back to Europe. Over the years, they were reunited here from all of those places and settled here. The Spanish who ruled at the time gave them land, etc. Families were separated in Nova Scotia and they endured many other hardships but they learned to cope very well and maintain their culture although forced to speak English, etc. Picture is from a quilt in the museum that showed aspects of Acadian (now Cajuns) life. It's harvesting Spanish moss that they used for mattress stuffing and insulation in building. Later became an industry for them stuffing leather chairs, etc. Adjoining building is a memorial to these 3000 original people. Huge mural with audio as a light shines on people in the mural telling their stories of getting there. Very nice. Opposite wall is brass listing of all of these original settlers. Can do your family tree in library there, etc. So interesting that 2 groups of people who were displaced ended up in the same place and made this part of Louisiana what it is.

Then onward. Just drove through Lafayette and Alexandria. Both bigger towns. Heavy rainfall as we made our way to Monroe near the north border of LA. From the interstate seems to be a big city. We went from Catholic southern LA to northern Pentacostal along the way today. Wow. For long stretches of a great divided highway we were all alone on the road. This is the longest we have driven on this trip so far. About 5 hours after we left St. Martinville. We are in Poverty Point Reservoir State Park. Very nice rv facilities. Will look around more tomorrow and just up the road is this archeological site that sounds really interesting.

Day 12 May 25 Mon

Well, what a surprise last night in the casino. First of all they gave us each $10 credits to play slots which cancelled out the $20 we paid to park the rv for 2 nights. Came across Mr. Lester's steakhouse and decided to give it a try. Very expensive but worth every penny. Porterhouse steak for 2 was better than anything at Bern's and it all put Antoine's to shame. Great lemon dessert and then they brought us this little plate with a warm praline, chocolate covered strawberries and little tarts that I didn't get a taste of. Could not believe it. Out in the middle of nowhere is this casino with a crowd we would consider far from upscale that has this wonderful, beautiful place. A couple and then another group came in who seemed to be regulars. Knew the servers by name, etc. So maybe it's the in place for the oil and gas big shots in the area.

Poured down rain earlier today and again when we came back from the casino. Had leftover steak - enough for 2 sandwiches for lunch. Jack $25 to the good playing blackjack. I lost $20 on slots but kept $5 of the $10 they credited us. Ate in their cafe. Also good. The rv camp is empty but the casino is pretty busy.

Day 11 May 24 Sun

Well off again. Changed our plans and decided not to go to Baton Rouge. On the way out of town stopped in Kenner where there is a little park with a monument that marks the site of the first world champion boxing match in 1870. People came from New Orleans by streetcar out to the fight between 2 British fighters. I guess it was illegal or betting was illegal or something. Don't know the exact story of why Kenner of all places. It may have been a big deal back then but just a small historic town now.

Stopped in Donaldsonville LA to see the state's oldest department store - Lemann & Brosthat was converted into a museum. It was closed and don't think it matters. Very dirty and run down as was most of the town although there were 2 nice restaurants and an antique store.

We headed to White Castle Louisiana which is a very rural town and the Daigle's own every business in town - grocery, store, AC repair, etc. Kind of funny. What we went there for was Nottoway which we have seen advertised everywhere. It is the largest plantation in the south- 60 rooms etc. It was a sugar plantation. Family had 11 kids. Well, they converted it into a hotel/resort kind of thing. Pushing weddings, etc. There is a separate building for receptions and it is a restaurant too. We had lunch. Service was very disappointing but food was good. Then discovered a tour of the house was $15/person. Seemed too steep a price and also steep physically -15 steps to get in and more stairs once inside. We just took some outside pictures and headed on. Beautiful grounds and right on Mississippi River. Great view before the levee was built I'm sure. See picture. This area remains sugar cane country. Fields in all directions for as far as you can see. Big bucks like central Florida.

Took a route along lakes and swampy area with an intercoastal waterway that runs along it. Several little towns along the way with fishing and fishing boats. Every little town has a Catholic church -this is Acadian country after all. One place with a big church fair. Lots of people. The water is very high in the lakes, bayous with some flooding along the way. I would say relatively poor people with a few very expensive homes here and there.

This led us to Route 90 which is lined with one chemical plant after another. Also gas companies, etc. Read that this area is the base for many off shore oil rigs too.

Staying at the Chitimacha Tribe of LA RV Park which is right next to their casino. Will go there later tonight and check it out. Looks nice from the outside. Going to stay tomorrow as well to stay out of holiday traffic. Nothing great but well kept with all hookups including cable for only $10. The lowest rate we have ever paid for a rv site so that makes it very good already.

By the way-every truck stop on Route 90 also has a big sign that says "casino". These are not very big places so don't know what that is all about.

Day 10 May 23 Sat

Shuttle back into New Orleans and all juiced up for beignets and coffee at Cafe de Monde but line was around the block to get in. However, ended up at Stanley's on Jackson Square. See picture of Stanley's eggs benedict with oysters and whatever Jack's was called. It had sausage in the thick bread with ham in the Hollandaise. Best we ever had. Of course stuffed.

Jack sat on bench listening to street musician and smoking cigar to recuperate from meal. I went into cathedral to take pictures. Really nice. Don't remember being inside before.

Went to the Zulu Museum next door. Picture is gown of the last queen. Harvard grad, etc. whose father had been Zulu king. She now works for Obama as social secretary or something. Didn't get the name. Really interesting stuff and I got great pictures here. Didn't see the upper floors because wanted to spend some time at WWII Museum.

It was the D-Day Museum that is expanding. Tom Hanks and Stephen Spielberg have donated $27 million to it. Lots to see and listen to. Have a lot of 2-minute interviews of people from all aspects of the war, etc.

Then back to a so-so restaurant near the stop for the shuttle. Huge sandwiches. Good news is the French Quarter was booming today. Cab driver says weekends are busy and if they could just get the convention business back they would be in pretty good shape touristwise.

Day 9 May 22 Fri

Interesting day. Started with breakfast at the Coffee Pot Restaurant in the French Quarter. One of our favorite places. I had the Creole dish rice balls with syrup and grits. Jack had lost bread which was squished French toast fried hard. Really strange group came in that kind of epitomized the crowd. One woman in the group with a purple-green-gold boa and matching feather hat, guys kind of scrungy. One guy with knit beret with long black braids attached. Another guy had Gasparilla shirt. Ate and drank well but it's not Mardi Gras so couldn't quite figure out what they were all about.

On to the Louisiana State Museum. Very interesting and lots of reading. Complex history like FL. Picture is of reception hall where Louisiana Purchase was signed. Special exhibit of birth of rock and roll in Louisiana with Fats Domino stuff.

Then onto 3 hour Grayline Hurricane Katrina tour. Excellent explanation of flooding for different reasons in different parts of the city. Interesting to see difference in damage here compared to Biloxi. What a mess. 1530 people died. Population back to 300,000 and don't know if it will get back to 450,000 pre-Katrina. Very complicated issues that are a catch-22. People don't come back because no infrastructure and businesses not coming back because no workers. Kind of sad. Don't think it will ever be the same. All of the new stuff more expensive to build and to live in. Before the hurricane 45% of people in New Orleans were renters which is big part of problem. In other words no motivation to bring back poorer people. On the other hand 3000 health professionals left and at least 2 hospitals that we saw never reopened. Bus lines cut to 1/4, etc. So if wanted to come back, services just not there. Picture is of markers that showed the height of the water in the 9th ward. Also saw the new houses that Brad Pitt is building but sell for $150,000 so not for the people who left.

However, impressed with plans to prevent it from happening again including building "bunkers" for the guys who operate the pumps, etc. They were all evacuated so areas that could have been saved weren't because no one started the pumps. Duh.

Had some time at end of tour and arrival of shuttle so went to French Market for beer and shared popcorn shrimp. Our impression is most of the tourists are either kind of creepy biker types or Europeans-maybe Canadians. Business is very slow everywhere. Most of the touristy shops run by Pakistani/Indian people who also seem to be the cab drivers. Seems that they are taking advantage of the opportunity to fill in for the people who left.

Surprise while we were waiting for shuttle. The steamboat Natchez was docked and woman came out on the top and played a caliope. Great fun.

Day 8 May 21 Thurs

Stopped at Walmart to return DVDs in Gulfport. I asked what all the excitement was yesterday. Six cop cars and 4 on motorcycles came in as we were pulling out of parking lot yesterday. Cashier said it was a shop lifter that got into fight with police officer. That was the second Walmart with a police "station" in the store and these are little towns really.

No traffic on interstate 10. Stopped at Bayou Country "store" near the state line which is temporarily serving as Louisiana visitor center. Great ladies at the desk. Huge store/restaurant and no customers. Had to have pralines for lunch 0f course. One of the ladies said that remaining Katrina damage we would see is mainly because of renters or landlords that can't be found. Cannot do anything with some properties because people left or abandoned housing and commercial places. Also law suits continue with FEMA and insurance companies. Saw lots of new development on edges of city though-primarily rentals and maybe public housing.

Traffic was heavy in New Orleans. Got to rv park at 1:30 on westside of city. Shuttle into town was scheduled at 5 so we just chilled out and got organized with tourist info we got. Decided to stay through Saturday night. Minimal evidence of Katrina damage although we were told they lost 26 trees in the rv camp.

Took shuttle into town. Rode along the levee and down St Charles street. Driver tried to be guide but talked so fast we could hardly understand him. Very scenic and took 45 minutes to get to riverwalk. Things looked pretty good on the way in. Zoo, Toulane U, and mansions along St. Charles all seem to be in good shape.

Of course started to rain as soon as we got off shuttle. 2 blocks to walk to Antoine's. Ugh but under balconies most of the way. Walked through wine festival going on in French Quarter. Loud and drunk and only 6PM.

Antoine's did not disappoint. 3rd or 4th time we have eaten there. Waiter in picture was serving next table. That is their version of Baked Alaska he is serving. Has worked there for 43 years and he isn't the longest serving employee. Our waiter seemed very new but good except he splashed the wine when he opened the bottle. Cab back to rv to rest up for tomorrow.

Day 7 May 20 Wed

Decided not to stay another night in the state park and headed out along the coast again. Filled up on propane while we had the chance. First stop was Ocean Springs. Touristy little place. We found the pottery "colony" way off the beaten path. Some really nice things. Received state $$ to reopen after Katrina. Clerk and another woman talking about it. Said can't believe it is 4 years later and still all they talk about. Got a little something for my sis. Drove through the old downtown with more artists, shops, etc. Nice. Seem like very wealthy people here on one side of the road and not so rich on the other.

Over the brand new 6 lane bridge to Biloxi. We were going to take a tour on a shrimp boat but no one around. Lots of shrimp boats docked right behind the Hard Rock Casino and Beau Rivage all redone right next to it. Hardly any people. We then thought we would take boat out to Ship Island which is part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore but trips were cancelled because it was so blustery.

So, instead we went to the Jefferson Davis home. See pictures. Totally devastated and you can just not believe how well they have restored it. We were surprised that the guards at the parking lot had guns on their belts. The older ladies in the gift shop-in a temp building like they have around overcrowded schools- were very nice and solicitous of Jack. Got golf cart to take him to the home and used elevator to get him to main floor. They said they were so sorry to see the couple go that restored the interior. Art historians who went down to the original paint, etc. Triomphe d'oil work throughout is all amazing. They left a couple of places where you could see the color before Katrina and the colors they returned everything to. Many of the furnishings were lost but still saved quite a bit. I asked why they didn't move things or protect them and they said in all of the hurricanes in all of the years, Katrina was the first time water made it into the house, and it would have taken them weeks to move everything so they just took what they could carry essentially. The entire museum was lost. A few very beat up pieces from the museum on display in the gift shop. They are planning a presidential library on the property.

Very interesting history. After the Civil War everyone in the south became US citizens except Jefferson Davis. He was a man without a country. Lived in poverty but tried to keep up a good front. Believed he was right until the end. Lived a very long life. His wife and daughter moved to NY City after he died. Seems odd.

As we drove along we saw a lot of empty lots where things had been leveled. Example is a totally empty lot where there was a sign for Outback and several shops. Also lots of new development especially restaurants and motels/hotels. The road along the coast is much better than it used to be. The guide in the Davis home said that settlements with FEMA and lawsuits are the hold up for a lot of things that people want to do.

Went to look for Michael's in Gulfport (need a cross stitch fix) which is next city. Turned out the store is near I-10 which we are taking to New Orleans tomorrow so found an rv park nearby. Outlet malls, shopping centers, etc all new in this area as well. We were surprised how many miles in from the shore you can see damaged buildings, etc. The park section with longer term rv's is packed. The section we are in for short termers is empty. Did laundry and for the first time since we left Tampa we have TV so we will catch up on weather etc.

Day 6 May 19 TUES

Well lots of action today. On the road from Panama City to Pensacola. Just west of Panama City there are several religious resorts and a Christian club that looks like Noah's Ark. Don't know denomination. Lots of churches of all types along the way. In FL there were several Primitive Baptist churches in small towns. Not sure what that is. More highrises, etc. Surprised at how much of the beach beyond town says private with very few public access areas. Many of the new houses all along this coast are 3-story on stilts so very high and very narrow. They don't look too stable to me. The gulf is absolutely gorgeous blue green color along here.
Then took the scenic route to hit Seaside which is that planned community you see in magazines with all of the pastel houses, etc. Doesn't look like the pictures. First of all, it is huge. It's a lot like Westchase in Tampa with a town center that has trendy shops and restaurants surrounded by this village of "cottages". Very close together and almost overrun by foliage that they seem to want to be au naturale rather than pruned and neatly trimmed. The whole route that Seaside is on is one development after another. Kind of like Sanibel and Captiva. Posh and packed.
Then on to Destin which is very touristy and Fort Walton Beach which is at the edge of Eglin Air Force Base. There is a lot of new development, shopping centers, outlet mall, etc. Maybe post hurricane stuff in this area but have not idea which hurricane at this point???
In between all of this are several small towns. You can tell it's a small town because it has a Dollar General store. The bigger small towns also have a Family Dollar store. Probably should invest some bucks in these. Their parking lots are always full.
We then went around Pensacola and hit I-10. Had picnic lunch at AL welcome center and went through Mobile and the rest of AL very quickly.
Stopped at WalMart in Pascagoula MS to rent $1 videos. It was so huge. Twice as big as the superWalmart in Tampa and 1/2 again as big as the one in Panama City Beach. This must be the new Walmart model. And very busy. Pascagoula is a ship building port and doesn't seem to have much else going for it. We stopped just west of it in Shepard State Park.
The park was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Ranger said theat 400 Seabees and 400 volunteers restored all of the trails and cleared debris. Even created new trails, etc. Very foresty. In or on a bayou I don't know which but sites are secluded and we are on the river called the Singing River. Supposedly you can hear strange sounds. Long ago a group of Indians drowned themselves in it and it is their voices you hear. Can't see the river from the camp though we are close. It is still very windy. Hard to keep the rv steady crossing bridges, etc.

DAY 5 May 18 Mon

Well, we feel like we are in dreary, windy, icky Canada today. Planned to rent a boat at marina not even 5 minute walk from rv but it was way too blustery and chilly. Postponed but then just decided to give up. Too bad. Jack very much looking forward to it.
As a result of cancellation, I got in several long walks around the park which has 176 rv sites. All of it is wonderful and we would come back here. However, why come all this way when Ft. DeSoto is right down the road in St. Pete. Of course state parks rates are cheaper and Jack gets discount for senior and/or handicapped status but it's a long way unless you are going to stay for a week or more.
Saw a deer again this am. Reading my book on New Orleans history while Jack worked on his law cases. No one is out and about today and the wind is still howling -the sound in the palms and pines puts me to sleep. Not one minute of sun but no rain. Only interruption is jets flying over. Can hear them but not see them. From Tyndell or maybe Pensacola Naval Air just down the road.
Forgot to mention the +20 insect bites I have with Jack's count not far behind. Our neighbor rver in Eastport warned us about the yellow flies - which are huge. Bites are worse than mosquito bites in terms of size and itch. We used OFF but didn't help much as he predicted. Oh well.

Day 4 May 17 Sunday

Started off with a quick run to St. George Island. Developed with condos but otherwise not much there. Then on to Apalachicola which hasn't changed much since we were there years ago. Had breakfast in Mexican restaurant which was the only thing open. I had "goulash" which turned out to be diced potatoes, ham, green peppers, onions, and tomato covered with cheese. I know, I know but it was yummy.

Stopped in Port St Joe at Constitutional Convention State Park. The ranger who was cutting grass saw us and opened it up. Gave us a great history lesson. St. Joseph was the city chosen for the convention because people from Jacksonville and Pensacola didn't trust the people in Tallahassee which was destined to be the capitol. They picked a neutral place. It no longer exists. It was started to be the port for shipment of cotton from GA and AL and they built a railroad etc because the harbor there is so deep. Never worked out. Ugly competition with Apalachicola that had very shallow port but river route to it. Ended up just building railroad to the Atlantic to ship cotton. It then became a fancy resort catering to Europeans but yellow fever followed by a hurricane ended that. Not one building, etc left only the cemetary.

Westward along the coast. Mexico Beach has lots of auction signs and seems to cater more to short term vacationers. Nothing much. Stopped at Tyndell Air Force base but no visitors. They are under high security. It is HUGE.

Took the business route through Panama City. Very small town and poor sections. Also chemical plants so very smelly.

Panama City Beach on the other hand very upscale with 30 story high rises on the beach. We were really surprised and lots of new development - Home Depot, etc. all brand new but there was a lot of recent hurricane damage so that may explain it. The west end of the beach is old beach with Ripleys Believe It or not and carnival kinds of things.

Stopped at huge Walmart right on the beach. While smoking cigar waiting for me in parking lot, Jack was approached by a sweet young thing in a car with another girl and guy. She called him over to draw attention to her "good qualities" and said "I'm bored". Jack who is rarely at a loss for words could only say--"I am old enough to be your grandfather and I fall asleep before I get bored". Who knows what great opportunity he may have missed-and you don't need to go any farther than Walmart. We now know it really does have everything.

On then to our destination. St. Andrews State Park which is right off Panama City Beach. Very beautiful- high sand dunes and our site is very large. Not right on the water but close enough. There is a turpentine mill here - see picture. Very interesting. Used to be run by slaves. When freed they continued to work but pay so low and owed everything to company store so really they remained slaves of a sort. A deer ran across in front of me as I was taking pictures. Staying here 2 nights. Lots of people and dogs. We forgot that summer is tourist season in the panhandle. Some sprinkles but that's it. Breezy and pleasant otherwise.

Day 3 May 16 Sat

Spent all day at rv site. Picture is view from our rv overlooking Gulf of Mexico with St. George Island in the distance. I took a long walk along the shore which is the shoulder of Route 98. Brand new stones in place at water's edge and new sod being laid down. They start with a mesh of pretty thick rope and then the sod which is backed with a small chicken wire. All to prevent erosion and wash away in case of hurricane I guess.

Just relaxed today - part reading and mainly dozing. Jack did some electrical work on rv. Talked to our rv neighbor who has been living om rv for 18 months since hurricane destroyed his place on the island. Can't believe he has been here that long but work is tough. Said they have essentially rebuilt 98. He is a contractor and FL native. Bradenton got too big for him. Has a great dog that goes to work with him every day. Fetched pine cones for us. Too cute. Also worked some on my sumi-e drawing but hard to sit at picnic table. Absolutely gorgeous day and so breezy we had windows open in rv rather than AC.

Day 2 May 15 Friday

Late start because we were dealing with Verizon coverage but we made it to Wakulla Springs. Wa then kul like col in color to pronounce. Beautiful place. Great boat ride down Wakulla River with plenty of wildlife and flora. Gorgeous. Then in time for lunch at the Wakulla Hotel. A national historic site and also beautiful. Done by the brother in law of Alfred DuPont who was a very rich man in his own right. Marble throughout and gorgeous painted ceiling. It overlooks the spring. Creature from the Black Lagoon and Tarzan movies filmed here. Built in 1936.
Lunch was wonderful. World renown bean soup that was great. Recipes from the 1930s. The old menu on the back of ours. Jack had liver and onions and I had fried chicken. It must have been huge chicken. Could hardly finish the breast and the rest of the half is for later.
We then took route 98 right along the Gulf of Mexico. Can see a lot of hurricane damage - a big stretch totally washed away that they are filling in with rocks. Full view of the gulf almost all along. Lots of property for sale right on the water. Stopped in Eastport which is across the bay from Apalachicola. Can see the 8 mile bridge from our rv park. Staying here tonight and tomorrow night just to relax. In the pine trees and nice and breezy.

Day 1 May 14

Well, we are off. Left at 11:30 and made it around the inside corner of Florida. Through cattle/cow country. Saw 3 large herds of goats. Don't know if they are herds??? Don't know if they are goat farms or ranches either. Don't know why they are all gathered in this one area just a few miles apart either.
Anyway, also saw and smelled harvesting of pine trees. Not a good smell. We saw the equipment that removes all the limbs from the trees and then lifts the logs onto the trailer truck. Perry is forest capitol of FL. On the 38 miles between Perry and Newport we had 36 cars pass us headed the opposite direction. No one ahead or us or behind us the entire way. Beautiful wild flowers along the road which is at the edge of a national wildlife refuge. The animals must be really safe- we didn't even see a bird!
So spending the night in a really nice rv park-county owned on the edge of Newport. Raining again. Had several isolated episodes of hard downpours and wind throughout the day.