A timelapse of driving our RV, a Tiffin Allegro Bus motorhome, 146 miles from New Orleans, Louisiana to Spanish Fort, Alabama, including a picture-in-picture from the 360 camera on the truck being towed behind the coach.
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Posts featuring the coach.
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:
An interactive map with potential stops; we actually only stopped at the Flying J:
Preparing to leave our site:
Hooking up our truck, with the City of New Orleans paddleboat in the background:
Rail crossing and onramp:
Drawbridge:
Bridge:
Another drawbridge:
I-10:
“Welcome to Mississippi”:
We stopped at a Flying J truck stop for lunch:
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:
This Flying J has a Denny’s restaurant, so we had lunch there:
I tried a rather decadent “choconana pancake slam”, just to be different:
Jenn’s was a bit more conventional:
Back to our coach:
“I love the way you look at me” Buc-ee’s billboard… a little creepy, perhaps:
I had fun spotting our coach passing by on traffic cameras:
Bridge:
An amusing info sign: “Cats have 9 lives. You are not a cat. Buckle up”:
Another traffic camera:
Alabama state line:
“Welcome to Sweet Home Alabama”:
I think these are electrical transformers:
Another couple of glimpses of our coach on Alabama traffic cameras:
Mobile, Alabama:
A tunnel under the Mobile River:
You can see it curving downward as it goes under the river:
USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park:
Our destination for the next two weeks, 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:
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.
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:
They removed the whole window surround:
Then they replaced the fabric portion with wood, stained to a similar color:
The improved version re-installed:
Another example, the window above the TV lift:
Much nicer.
New Orleans RV Resort & Marina
We stayed at New Orleans RV Resort & Marina in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Campground Reviews listing.)
A canal-front site close to the attractions of NOLA.
Dates:
- Check in: 2023-11-19
- Check out: 2023-12-03
- 14 nights
Weather:
- Partly cloudy, some rain
- High temps ranging between 54-77°F, lows around 50-62°F
- A little wind, gusts to 24 MPH
Noise:
- Some road noise
- Distant train noise
- Plane noise from local airport
- Occasional boat and jetski noise in the canal
- Little neighbor noise
Site:
- #7, front in, gravel
- Needed to disconnect toad, parked behind coach
- Fairly level; used hydraulic leveling
- Gravel driveway about 50 feet long by about 20 feet wide
- Bark between sites about 6 feet wide
- Picnic table on grass
- No fire pit
- A bunch of small garbage and dog poop
- Waterfront!
Utilities:
- 50 amp power, very conveniently located
- 35 PSI water, very conveniently located
- Very loose sewer connection (the screw part wasn’t connected to the pipe), conveniently located (1 10-foot pipe needed)
Internet (in usage priority order):
- T-Mobile: 55 Mbps down, 32 Mbps up, 54 ms ping
- AT&T: 7 Mbps down, 20 Mbps up, 52 ms ping
- Verizon: 9-13 Mbps down, 7 Mbps up, 135 ms ping
- Starlink: not used
- Campground Wi-Fi: not used
Amenities:
- Garbage pickup from site
- Package delivery to office
- Onsite restaurant
- Waterfront (canal)
Our review on Campground Reviews:
Industrial shipyards and pelicans
Don’t let the sketchy-looking area fool you as you drive in. This is a very nice resort close to everything you’d want to do in NOLA. We had a waterfront site and loved watching the birds skimming over the water and the parade of fishing boats going between the lake and the river. Our site was pretty short, just long enough for our 40′ motorhome, with barely enough space to park our tow vehicle alongside, but being able to face over the water was very nice.
The resort has a nice restaurant and bar onsite for when you don’t feel like going into the city itself. All the touristy stuff you’d want to do is conveniently close and parking in the French Quarter was not as scary as I thought it would be. We camped at New Orleans RV Resort & Marina in a Motorhome.
Campground map:
An interactive map:
Our canal-front site:
Views from our site:
A rail drawbridge, sticking up in the open state:
And closed:
A barge waiting for the drawbridge to open:
Lots of pelicans:
The City of New Orleans arriving for servicing:
Some rainy days:
And thunderstorms:
The sewer connection was super loose:
The site wasn’t very clean; this is the trash I picked up on arrival:
We could fill a gap in our states map (but yes, by the time you read this, Florida will also be there):
We were sandwiched between two “Presidential” sites, with covered kitchens and hot tubs. We wouldn’t have preferred such a site, though, as the roof would have impeded our view:
The neighboring hot tub kept blowing open in the wind:
Other sites:
Cabins:
The office:
They allowed package delivery for guests, with a large pile in the front of the office (not very secure; people just come grab their packages; I prefer it when they have a mail room to keep packages more secure, though of course that is more staff burden):
There is a shuttle to downtown, though we didn’t use it, preferring to drive and park; plenty of paid parking available:
Pool:
Dog park:
There are two marinas; this is the smaller one behind the office:
The larger one opposite a boat repair yard:
A nice thing about this resort is an onsite restaurant, The LightHouse Bar:
Menu:
We went there several evenings; here are a sampling of our food and beverages:
A nice resort; we’d be happy to stay here again.
Travel from Toomsuba, Mississippi to New Orleans, Louisiana
We drove our coach 208 miles, about 3 hours of driving, from Toomsuba, Mississippi to New Orleans, Louisiana.
Here’s a map showing our route, heading southwest:
An interactive map:
Back along the narrow road from the campground:
We stopped at the Loves truck stop to use their CAT scale to weigh our coach and truck:
The results are much the same as previous times, though the truck is heavier, no doubt due to the addition of the canopy and slide; all still within the limits:
Heading onto I-59 south:
The truck parking areas have totally reassuring signs saying “No Security Provided”; we have to wonder what incident caused them to add such signs:
Lots of space in this parking area:
Roadworks:
Another parking area stop; a little smaller and busier, but we found a spot:
“Welcome to Louisiana” sign:
Twin span bridge over Lake Pontchartrain:
Old bridge segment, I guess? Now a fishing pier:
Drawbridge:
Chef Menteur Highway bridge:
Abandoned buildings on the road to our destination:
Arriving at our destination:
Guided to our site:
We had a pull-in waterfront spot for two weeks:
Unfortunately no travel video again today; I didn’t notice that it had filled up and wasn’t recording until after this trip.
Extra shelving
While in Red Bay we spent several days at Davidson RV, getting them to do several projects. One of those was to add extra shelves to many of our cupboards.
Some cupboards above our couch, before adding shelves:
After adding shelves:
We also got some organizers for ziploc baggies, lids, and measuring cups:
We got them to raise this new shelf up a bit, so our rice maker would fit:
Partially populated; it’s normally packed full of food:
Much tidier plate and bowl cupboard:
We also got them to add dividers to Jenn’s clothing drawers:
And an extra shelf in my bathroom cupboard:
Nice improvements that really help us organize our storage!
Meridian East / Toomsuba KOA Journey
We stayed at Meridian East / Toomsuba KOA Journey in Toomsuba, Mississippi. (Campground Reviews listing.)
Just a one night stay to break up an otherwise too-long drive.
Dates:
- Check in: 2023-11-18
- Check out: 2023-11-19
- 1 night
Weather:
- Partly cloudy
- High temp 70°F, low 42°F
- Negligible wind
Noise:
- A little local road noise, no freeway noise
- Occasional train noise
- Negligible neighbor noise
Site:
- #45, pull-through, gravel
- Didn’t need to disconnect toad, and didn’t
- Level; used air leveling, since only one night
- Gravel driveway about 70 feet long by about 12 feet wide
- Grass between sites about 12 feet wide
- Picnic table on grass
- No fire pit
- Clean site
Utilities:
- 50 amp power, conveniently located
- Didn’t use water or sewer, but conveniently located
Internet (in usage priority order):
- Campground Wi-Fi: 22-27 Mbps down, 11-23 Mbps up, 65 ms ping
- T-Mobile: 2-5 Mbps down, 1 Mbps up, 90 ms ping
- AT&T: 16-20 Mbps down, 1 Mbps up, 50 ms ping
- Verizon: 3-8 Mbps down, 0.5 Mbps up, 125 ms ping
- Starlink: not used
Amenities:
- Garbage dumpster
- Seasonally closed pool and water slide
Our review on Campground Reviews:
Sketchy road, nice trees
This campground is conveniently located off I-20, just far enough away that you don’t get road from the Interstate. Still, there are downsides: 1) the narrow country road to get there is very narrow with lots of low-hanging trees, 2) the “recycling” yard you drive by does not give a great impression, and 3) the local residents go way too fast down this road, and there is a lot of local road noise. The park roads are also a bit narrow, with some tight turns. We had a pull-through site that was just long enough for our 40′ motorhome and tow vehicle. We didn’t have to disconnect, but we took up pretty much the entire length. If the 5th wheel next to us hadn’t left before we did, I wasn’t sure if we would’ve had enough room to turn onto the road. But the site was clean and the trees were pleasant, so this was a good spot for a one-night stay. We camped at Meridian East / Toomsuba KOA Journey in a Motorhome.
Campground map:
An interactive map:
Our site:
Other nearby sites:
The office:
Inside, a piano:
This was a perfectly fine place to stay for a night, though the road to it was a bit narrow, so we’d probably look for somewhere more convenient if we come this way again in the future.
Travel from Red Bay, Alabama to Toomsuba, Mississippi
We drove our coach 180 miles, about 3 hours of driving, from Red Bay, Alabama to Toomsuba, Mississippi.
Here’s a map showing our route, heading southeast:
An interactive map:
Leaving the Red Bay Acres RV park:
“Welcome to Mississippi”:
Highway 76:
Exit to I-22:
I-22:
Tombigbee River:
A momentary loss of visibility from farm dust:
The speed limit signs also have a minimum speed, unusually:
Exit to Tupelo:
We stopped for lunch at Tin Lizzie Cafe in West Point, Mississippi:
BLT (without the tomato) and “tater babies” wedges:
The highway had frequent turnaround lanes:
Paladin asleep next to the passenger chair:
Highway 45:
Exit to I-20:
I-20:
TA fuel stop:
The pump price was $371.99 for 107 gallons of diesel (thirsty coach!), though we actually paid less, thanks to our Open Roads discount (see below):
The slowest DEF pump; it took 10 minutes to pump five gallons:
$23.69 for 5.779 gallons of DEF:
The Open Roads statement indicated that we saved $30.65 on the diesel (the DEF isn’t discounted):
A narrow road to our destination:
And a narrower road:
Our destination, a KOA Journey:
Our site:
Unfortunately no travel video today; my dashcam had filled up and failed to record.
Video: Red Bay Acres and Davidson RV timelapse
A timelapse of driving our coach between the Red Bay Acres RV park and Davidson RV for services.