Travel from New Orleans, Louisiana to Spanish Fort, Alabama

We drove our coach 146 miles, about 2 hours of driving, from New Orleans, Louisiana to Spanish Fort, Alabama.

Here’s a map showing our route, heading northeast:

Route

An interactive map with potential stops; we actually only stopped at the Flying J:

Preparing to leave our site:

Preparing to leave our site

Hooking up our truck, with the City of New Orleans paddleboat in the background:

Hooking up our truck

Rail crossing and onramp:

Rail crossing and onramp

Drawbridge:

Drawbridge

Bridge:

Bridge

Another drawbridge:

Drawbridge

I-10:

I-10

“Welcome to Mississippi”:

Welcome to Mississippi

We stopped at a Flying J truck stop for lunch:

Flying J

The truck parking was rather full. With our toad attached we can’t back up, and this parking area has back-to-back spots, so we could only park where there was two adjacent ones empty so we could pull through. It was a difficult turn and tight squeeze, but Jenn’s driving skills got it done:

Parking between trucks

Parked between trucks

Parked with trucks

This Flying J has a Denny’s restaurant, so we had lunch there:

Denny's menu

Denny's menu

I tried a rather decadent “choconana pancake slam”, just to be different:

Breakfast for lunch

Jenn’s was a bit more conventional:

Breakfast for lunch

Back to our coach:

Back to our coach

“I love the way you look at me” Buc-ee’s billboard… a little creepy, perhaps:

I love the way you look at me

I had fun spotting our coach passing by on traffic cameras:

Our coach via traffic camera

Our coach via traffic camera

Bridge:

Bridge

An amusing info sign: “Cats have 9 lives. You are not a cat. Buckle up”:

Cats have 9 lives, you are not a cat. Buckle up

Another traffic camera:

Our coach via traffic camera

Alabama state line:

Alabama state line

“Welcome to Sweet Home Alabama”:

Welcome to Sweet Home Alabama

I think these are electrical transformers:

Transformers on a truck

Another couple of glimpses of our coach on Alabama traffic cameras:

Our coach via traffic camera

Our coach via traffic camera

Mobile, Alabama:

Mobile, Alabama

A tunnel under the Mobile River:

Tunnel

You can see it curving downward as it goes under the river:

Tunnel

Tunnel

USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park:

USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park

USS Alabama Battleship

Our destination for the next two weeks, Meaher State Park:

Meaher State Park

Check out the video from this drive, which includes a picture-in-picture of the view from the truck behind our coach.

Cockpit carpet

Another little project while at Davidson RV was to add some custom-fit carpeting in the cockpit area:

Cockpit carpet

Cockpit carpet

Much better. That helps catch dirt coming into the coach, and is more comfortable, instead of walking on cold tile on cold mornings; the heated tile doesn’t extend into the cockpit area.

New Orleans Steamboat Natchez Sunday Brunch Jazz Cruise

We did a brunch cruise on the Natchez, the last authentic steamboat on the Mississippi River.

Steamboat Natchez

Steamboat Natchez

Steamboat Natchez

Steamboat Natchez

Steamboat Natchez

Steamboat Natchez

Steamboat Natchez

Live steam calliope playing:

Live calliope playing

A video:

Lunch boarding info:

Lunch boarding info

Dining room:

Dining room

Dining room

Our table:

Our table

Gumbo and salad:

Soup and salad

Buffet:

Buffet

Brunch:

Brunch

Dining room

Dessert:

Dessert

Bow:

Bow

Steamboat Natchez

Steamboat Natchez

Gift shop:

Gift shop

Steamboat Natchez

Paddle wheel:

Paddlewheel

Paddlewheel

A video:

Selfie

Paddlewheel

Paddlewheel

Steamboat Natchez

Steamboat Natchez

Steamboat Natchez

Life vests in the ceiling:

Life vests in the ceiling

Boiler room:

Boiler room

Boiler room

Boiler room

Boiler room

Engine room:

Engine room

Engine room

Engine room

Engine room

Engine room

Engine room

Engine room

Engine room

Engine room

Three short video clips:

Paddlewheel

Engine room louver

Info

Bar:

Bar

Ship

Near the waterline:

Near the waterline

Bow

New Orleans:

New Orleans

Bridge

Bridge

Church

City

Sister ship City of New Orleans:

City of New Orleans

City of New Orleans

Ferry:

Ferry

Creole Queen:

Creole Queen

Cruise ship:

Cruise ship

Bridge

Bridge

Lines

Throwing a leader line:

Throwing a line

Pulling the line:

Pulling line

On the winch:

Line

Disembarking:

Disembarking

Steamboat Natchez

Posed photo (I really need to learn how to smile in a way that’s visible behind my mustache in such photos):

Posed photo

Natchez info:

Natchez info

Steamboat Natchez

A fun brunch cruise.

Replacing window valances

Our coach came with fabric valances above the windows, which we didn’t like… and Paladin liked scratching. So while in Red Bay, another project we got Davidson RV to do was to replace the fabric portions with wood.

Here’s an example of the old valance, in the bedroom:

Window valance

They removed the whole window surround:

Window valance removed

Then they replaced the fabric portion with wood, stained to a similar color:

Window valances

The improved version re-installed:

Window valance

Another example, the window above the TV lift:

Window valance

Much nicer.

New Orleans Oak Alley Plantation

We visited Oak Alley Plantation, a historic sugar plantation west of New Orleans, Louisiana.

Sign

Entrance drive

Map:

Map

Trees

One reason we chose to tour this plantation was that they acknowledged the history of slavery as part of the establishment:

Info sign

They had exhibits on the slave quarters, work, and other conditions:

Slave quarters

Slave quarters

Slave quarters

Slave quarters

Slave quarters

Slave quarters

Slave quarters

Slave quarters

Slave exhibits

Slave exhibits

Slave exhibits

Slave exhibits

Slave exhibits

Slave exhibits

Some nice gardens:

Gardens

Gardens

Gardens

The big house:

Big house

Big house

Sugarcane theater, with a video on sugarcane harvesting:

Sugarcane theater

Sugarcane theater

Big house

Big house

Gardens

Big house

Big house

Big house

Big house

Big house

Gardens

Gardens

Gardens

Big house

We had a guided tour of inside the big house. Unfortunately they don’t allow photos inside:

Ticket

A view of the oak trees from the second floor balcony:

Oak trees

Oak trees

Oak trees

The wrap-around balcony:

Porch

Porch

Porch

Gardens

Gardens

Gardens

After the tour inside, we walked around the gardens some more:

Gardens

Oak trees

Big house

Oak trees

Oak trees

Then went to the cafe for lunch, followed by the gift store:

Restaurant and gift store

Cafe

Menu

Menu

Beverages

Food

Food

Food

Slave quarters and big house

Fascinating history.