Exploring Memphis

We awoke Monday to warnings of possible tornados in the area. Humm, where do you hide in an RV during a tornado???

We decided a field trip to Memphis would be a good way to spend the day – if it were to rain and possibly get worse. It’s only a short 20 mile drive into Tennessee, so we headed for Graceland. Our first task was to find lunch at an authentic Memphis BBQ. After rejecting a derelict restaurant in a sketchy area, we headed for choice number two and we lucked out. Jim Neeley’s Interstate BBQ – rated the best little pork house in Memphis and the best BBQ in the U.S. in 1989 - was a great place to have lunch.
The building hasn’t been renovated since well before 1989 but the food was fabulous. Paul had a pulled pork sandwich but Jane opted for the house specialty – barbecued spaghetti!! Yes, a plate of spaghetti smothered in a spiced barbecue sauce with lots of chopped pork, along with a side of coleslaw and slices of white bread. Quite an interesting lunch!!

We then headed to Graceland but first we had to find our rain jackets in the back of the truck since we were in the worst rain storm we have seen since last fall. Fortunately it was just a thunderstorm – no tornados were sited in this area.


We thoroughly enjoyed the Graceland mansion tour as well as the auto museum, his two airplanes, and the other new exhibits. We spent over three hours visiting the various exhibits and felt it was really intriguing and interesting.

To see all the pictures of our visit to Graceland - click here :

http://picasaweb.google.com/pjkralik/Memphis





We then headed for historic Memphis – specifically Beale street. The original BB King’s Blues Club is located on Beale Street and the music was pouring out onto the street. Beale street is closed to vehicles and pedestrians fill the streets. It seems like a mini Bourbon Street. We dropped in for some food and libation. Food was great and the live music was outstanding. On our way home to the RV park, we were stopped by Memphis’ finest – one of the headlights on the truck had burnt out – oops! Another job for the morning.



Tuesday morning we moved from Harrah’s RV park over to Hollywood’s Casino RV park. Harrah is in somewhat of an isolated area, with the RV park some distance from the casino and hotel. Their shuttle comes only once an hour – but worse, no free WiFi. So over to Hollywood where you can walk to the casino/hotel, and the wifi is free – not to mention the nightly rate is cheaper! (A whopping $12.51 a night for a concrete pad with full 50 Amp services!) We even used the hotel’s pool and hot tub.

For dinner we crossed the street over to Sam’s Town Casino – since Tuesday is senior’s day. We got $5 dollars off the buffet which included wine and beer, and $5 dollars to play in the casino. We are starting to catch onto the senior deals!

Wednesday morning Paul drove over to the local GM dealer and had the headlight bulb replaced – while Jane stayed at the park and caught up on some overdue laundry. In the afternoon, we headed over to the Fitz Casino for their senior specials. We both ended up with free dinner buffet tickets, money to play on the machines, a free gym bag, and Jane won a free night in the hotel (good until Dec 31st). Oh yea, the beer in the casino was free - is this a recurring theme here in Tunica??

Tomorrow morning we are hitching up and heading further north – destination unknown, but we can’t delay much longer!!

New Orleans (Day 2 & 3)

On Friday noon as we checked out of the French Quarter RV park, we watched people setting up in the overflow area so they could “dry camp” for the weekend. We had no idea that the French Quarter Music Festival draws so many people. We moved to the Pontchartrain Landing RV park which is located about five miles north of the French Quarter on the inland waterway near Lake Pontchartrain. It is a fair size park with good facilities located on port authority property, near some marinas and factories in a very remote area. Most of their sites are narrow and some are a bit cramped. We were lucky that they run a shuttle bus to the French Quarter 3 times per day so that we did not have to rely on cabs. Parking was absolutely impossible during the festival so we never considered that to be an option.

We explored the French Market on Friday afternoon, listened to more music, and ate dinner on a patio at the ‘Famous Gumbo Pot’ right near the Mississippi River (too bad the food was only fair). On our way back to catch the shuttle, we walked by Bourbon Street which was starting to crank up as the sun went down – what a crazy place.

Saturday morning, we headed to the French Quarter on the 10 am shuttle so that we could do more exploring. Once we saw how busy the festival area was becoming, we decided to explore different parts of the city. We really enjoyed the free ferry from Canal Street across the Mississippi River to Algiers Point since we were able to get a good view of the music festival and the buildings near the shore.

We then hopped on the historic St. Charles Street Car line to view some of the beautiful mansions in the Garden district – which were built by the wealthy ship owners to compete with the historic downtown homes. However, since we weren’t the only tourists with the same idea plus the locals crowding onto the street car – this is a trip we will have to repeat when we can see more. We decided it would be impossible to get into any of the museums so we headed back to listen to more music. We dropped into the St. Louis cathedral for early Sunday mass – somehow the Gregorian music didn’t fit the jazz tunes coming from the outside.. LOL.

By now the downtown core was totally shut to all traffic. It was wall to wall pedestrians and party goers. We have never been in a festival that covers such a large area of a city. This party totally consumes the entire French Quarter.

We headed up a few blocks from Bourbon street to the Maison Dupuy and ate at their ‘French Quarter Bistro’. The food was excellent. Paul’s crab cake and Jane’s red fish were fantastic dishes – topped off by a piece of cinnamon apple pie! What a meal.

We then hopped the shuttle bus back to the RV park – went out to gas up the truck and buy a few groceries and prepared to depart the next morning.

Early Sunday morning, we left New Orleans and headed north on I – 55 to Tunica County, Mississippi, now the third largest gaming area in the U.S. and about 20 miles south of Memphis. We were amazed that I-69 leads directly to the casinos – an interstate highway only 15 miles long which was almost deserted on a Sunday afternoon. We booked into the Harrah’s Casino campground which has over 200 sites, only a few of which were occupied. Casino camping is usually inexpensive, and often comes with a good choice of eateries in the casinos. True to form, the sites are first class pull thrus, but the only disappointment is that wifi is not included – and we were not prepared to spring for $12.00 a day to be connected. We paid a short visit to the casino and decided to pass on the Paula Deen buffet – we weren’t sure that our arteries could handle the cholesterol overload after a day of driving.

To see our pictures of New Orleans : click on : http://picasaweb.google.com/pjkralik/NewOrleans

New Orleans

After a short drive, we checked into the French Quarter RV Resort. It is located right off the downtown loop of the interstate I-10 and only blocks away from the edge of the French Quarter. It really is the closest RV park to the action. Daytime we were able to walk to the French Quarter, but at night a cab ride home was recommended. Great park, excellent location – but Jane’s super hearing listened all night to ALL the trucks that zoomed by on the overhead expressway. Oh well, today we are changing RV parks, so it will be quieter – but a bit further.

Once we got settled, had a bite to eat we headed out to explore and enjoy the French Quarter Music festival on its opening day. Festival continues until Sunday. Walking down through the city gave us a chance to see the wrought iron, French windows, hidden courtyards, wraparound porches and humble stoops that are hallmarks of New Orleans architecture.


We found our way down to the festival area which features five different stages spread around the river’s edge. It’s a continuous stream of musicians so you can wander from one stage to the next - and it is all FREE (our favorite word!). At each venue, the local restaurants have set up booths, so you can purchase some of their specialty dishes.


Speaking of specialty dishes, we did wander over to Café Du Monde to sample their famous ‘Beignets’ - a square piece of dough that, when deep fried forms a slightly doughy yet crispy pillow – which is then smothered with powdered sugar!! No wonder they say “Don’t count calories when you come to New Orleans”.

We ended our music day by listening to a Zydeco music band – a real lively group! Then we headed out in search of dinner. We settled on the Crescent City Brewhouse and sat on an upper outside balcony. From there we could hear music on the street and enjoy a great view. We tried a sampler tasting of their five house brews - Paul had a fried fresh oyster BLT sandwich, and Jane enjoyed a bowl of gumbo.
After dinner, we wandered up to Bourbon street – which now was closed to traffic and was wall to wall pedestrians. All the bars, restaurants have their doors open so the street is filled with music – and all the doormen who are trying to entice you to enter their establishment. Our battery ran out, so we will get pictures on another night. A short cab ride brought us back to our gated park and right to our site.

Today we are off to Ponchatrain RV park and then will head back to the French Quarter for more music and food.

Slowly Exiting Texas

We actually did manage to leave Fun N Sun by 8:15 am on Tuesday April 5. We were heading for San Luis Pass County Park – which is located in Freeport, TX – a beach community connected to Galveston by a toll bridge. Getting here was an interesting drive, as we stuck mainly to Texas’ system of farm roads. These are actually in better shape than most Ontario roads!! But since our trip took us through some really isolated and destitute communities we were glad we did the trip in the daylight. Our campground was right on the water! What a view out of our windows – but what a chorus of gulls! Can’t wait to hear the choir tomorrow morning!!

There are lots of fishermen in the park with some lovely boats. We were hoping to find a fish market or snack bar to try the local fish but when we asked the park ranger for suggestions, he suggested driving 15 miles to Galveston or 14 miles back to Surfside Beach. Since we have a lot of driving ahead of us, we opted for a walk around the park and then cooked our own dinner.

We certainly didn’t need the air conditioning – by 7 pm it was around 65 degrees – just 30 degrees less than Monday evening.

Wednesday morning we awoke to the sun rising over the water. Our bird choir got cranked up and the local fishermen were busy at the water’s edge. What a peaceful morning. After breakfast we headed over the bridge to Galveston Island. We drove miles and miles along the ocean, passing hundreds of homes perched up on stilts (to keep from being flooded by the ocean). We drove right through Galveston and onto a ferry that took us to Bolivar peninsula. The ferry is free,

and driving along the ocean on Bolivar peninsula was breathtaking – although the signs of the latest hurricane were obvious and numerous. It still amazes us how the state of Texas allows private developers to build private homes – some even mansions right on the beach in the path of destruction.




We said good bye to the state of Texas and headed into Louisiana. Our destination was the Poche Plantation Resort which is located between Baton Rouge and New Orleans on the Mississippi river. Our GPS estimated a 3:30 pm arrival time – but thanks to the road / bridge construction in LA, we arrived around 8pm. The sun set within 15 minutes of our arrival – and the hungry plantation mosquitoes couldn’t wait to get into our RV. We will have to explore this park in the morning – hopefully without the bugs.



We are off to New Orleans this morning! There is French Quarter Music Festival taking place all weekend, so we will get to see New Orleans in a party mood.

Getting Ready to say "Au Revoir"

This past week, we spent more time saying goodbye to friends who were leaving. Jane wound up her volunteer activities at "Toys for Tots". Most of these park activites end their last session with a dessert & coffee social. I think Jane came home with as many treats as she left with - but a much more interesting variety!! Paul's computer club wound up as did his time at the woodshop. This year, Paul joined the woodshop so that he could have access to some expensive tools. He has completed several projects over the course of the winter.

Fun N Sun is starting to look like a ghost town. Over 500 campsites have been vacated over the last few days. We also have also started to prepare for our trip. We dug out our maps and camp directories to plan our route. Looks like Galveston, New Orleans and Nashville are in the early part of our return trip.

Paul also spent time prepping the trailer last week. It is now waxed and shiny (so we can get it dirty on the way home… Now how smart is that?). While washing the roof, he noted some needed warranty repairs, so we have scheduled a maintenance stop in Walkerton / Hanover at Morry’s on April 18th. We should be home by the 20th.

Saturday (April 2nd) we had a pot luck dinner with all our Canadian friends who are still in the park - and who will be leaving within the next week. As usual there was too much food (but it was great) and the gathering stretched way into the evening since Dave got out his portable firepit (propane model) - so we enjoyed a campfire without the mess.

Last night was our last “Ice Cream Social”. Not much waiting to be served, since the crowd was down to a mere 200 or so – but we had to enjoy our last Blue Bell ice cream until next season. Of course the 90 degree weather just makes ice cream taste better!!

We will be posting our progress as we find WiFi on our return trip.

Floating in the Laguna Madre

Saturday we headed over to South Padre Island where we went on the Sea Life Safari & Dolphin Watch boat trip. Jane had won the tickets at the park’s western day in late January. We really enjoyed floating out in the Laguna Madre for a few hours and actually got to see lots of dolphins swimming next to the boat!!

The Laguna Madre, which is Spanish for "Mother Lagoon," is home to a beautiful diversity in wildlife, vegetation, and unique habitats. The Laguna Madre, formed between the mainland and Padre Island, is the longest barrier island in the United States. Migratory birds are just a part of the complex system that makes the Laguna Madre such a majestic and important place

Of course what trip to the Island would be complete without a seafood dinner! So after a stop at the Schlitterbahn's Shrimp Haus, we headed back to the park.

Bad Bad Leroy Brown

On Tuesday the 22nd, we were invited to a Karoke party at a neighbour’s down the street from us who are friends of Tall Paul and Patty. Paul is from the south side of Chicago, so he and his friends did a cute skit based on the song “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown”. Later in the evening, we went a dance with the Bottom Line band – their last appearance of the season here at Fun N Sun.



Wednesday night we headed back to the dance hall with Doug & Linda and John & Marg for Line Dancing class. Unfortunately Jerry decided to introduce a Zorba the Greek dance which killed our knees and thoroughly confused us. We are still not sure how that fits with Western Line Dance classes.






Sharon and Blair from London, ON invited us to a Happy Hour on Thursday afternoon where we got to say goodbye to a few American friends and visit with our Canadian friends. It seems that the Americans are all leaving earlier than we are.











Friday night was the last Country and Western dance of the year – we are starting to enjoy these dances now that we have learned the basic Texas two step and country waltz.