Biloxi - good news, bad news

The good news is that there are a couple of casinos in Biloxi that are open, and we were able to park for the night for free. We called the Imperial Palace and asked if there was any parking for motorhomes ... they directed us to a parking area under the freeway. We had dinner at the IP's buffet and it was excellent! The casino was packed. The other good news is we got to put a new state on our map. The last time we were thru Mississippi we didn't spend the night - and you can't put a state on the map if you just drive thru! The last good news is that the town is bustling with activity ... if you're into demolition or construction - there's lots of work to be done in Biloxi, they *are* rebuilding. The bad news is that the level of devastation is overwhelming. Here's the Beau Rivage - it actually looks in tact from the outside, but we understand the first two floors are wiped out from flooding on the inside. It is currently closed. We heard a story that the newest casino - the Hard Rock cafe claimed that their decorative guitar was completely hurricane proof ... well, if you look close it is damaged .. but it is still there. More scenes along the beach. It looks like a war zone, doesn't it? There's no gas being pumped here at any price!

New Orleans

We planned to visit New Orleans today. I've never been there - and it's been a long time for Jim. No plans to stay long, just wanted to see what it looks like 7 months after hurricane Katrina. We avoided the area completely last summer when we went thru right after Katrina. We started at Lake Charles in a Jellystone park. Highway I-10 wasn't as bad as we were expecting. Not the greatest road, but we didn't see any obvious hurricane damage. Here's Baton Rouge. There's a large stretch of I-10 that goes thru swampland. Pretty interesting road. As we got closer to New Orleans, I expected to see more evidence of hurricane with downed trees. I remember driving thru South Miami a full year after hurricane Andrew and seeing fields of what looked like fallen matchsticks - what once were trees. Maybe the devastation isn't that widespread. Then again, I could be wrong. This view was just after the Lake Pontchartrain sign. They sure want you to believe that all is well. I don't think you can see them in this photo, but there are workers on the roof of the Superdome - making repairs. Here's the high-rise hotel right next to the Superdome with so many windows still blown out. We took the exit to the French Quarter, hoping to find some place to park the rig and go walking, get some lunch, and sightsee. Well, we never found a place to park, so all you get is some photos taken thru the window. Lots of trees still intact, and the French Quarter was busy - restaurants open, beautiful weather, lots of people out and about. I even took a moment to 'View Available Wireless Networks' on the computer because we had heard that New Orleans had a city-wide WiFi network. Sure enough, one of the networks was named 'City of New Orleans'. It was only one of many, however - at least 50 wireless networks showed up on my screen when we were in the heart of the French quarter. Within a few blocks they were all gone. But you didn't have to look too hard to see evidence of destruction and renovation. The generic, white, FEMA trailers are everywhere. That's where people are living while their homes are gutted. Dumpsters overflowing. And, just around the corner. This was not a place for a 30 ft motorhome, towing a car, to be driving. So, we got back on the freeway. From there, you could see whole neighborhoods of FEMA trailers. By the time we reached the exit where there were supposed to be a couple of RV parks, we had lost any desire to stick around. So, we just kept driving. Oh my God. East New Orleans. Here are the matchsticks. And abandoned neighborhoods. Even abandoned shopping centers. We just kept driving. Soon, we were in Mississippi. We figured we could just park in a casino parking lot for the night, so we stopped at the Welcome Center to ask for advice on which casinos (GulfPort or Biloxi) were open and had parking. They said there were two possibilities in Biloxi - so we decided to take the coastal road - hwy 90 - the 'scenic' route. I think the image that sticks in my head the strongest is the piles of trash. I didn't even click my camera, I was so overwhelmed. Outside of many establishments there were simply piles of what had obviously been the contents of the buildings. The piles were 10 feet high and more. I thought about how those piles were people's belongings, business's appliances. And, they were still in piles 7 months after the hurricane. Somehow, in all the billboards, road signs and Welcome Center staff, there had been no mention that the causeway on Highway 90 was out ... So, we had to backtrack a little to get to I-10 again. I wonder where Dorothy is?

Austin and Oak Forest RV

We've left Austin now, but I took a couple photos and have to tell you about Oak Forest RV. It's a really nice place - just on the east side of Austin. And, it's a Passport America park - that's usually our first priority! Lots of parks have rules against washing your rig at your site. This one encourages it - as long as you make sure you're also watering the grass! And the park is pavement or grass - so it's not going to just get all dirty again. Can you tell where he's washed and where he hasn't? I'm surprised someone didn't write 'wash me' in all that Big Bend dirt. There's a good reason they named it Oak Forest. The forest area is far enough away that we feel OK taking Odie off leash. We just love to watch him run! And, this time of year the flowers are pretty impressive too. If you do happen to stay at Oak Forest RV - make sure to say Hi! to MJ for us OK?

Recent Posts on WiFiSavvy.com

A little while ago I wrote a post here about the fact that I started a new Blog just for writing about technology from an RVers perspective. It's called WiFiSavvy.com because we write a lot about WiFi, but it's not just about WiFi. We write about all sorts of things to do with using computers Here is a list of the recent posts: WiFi in RV parks: An attitude Survey Taxes are Done! View the Road Ahead Health Risks to WiFi? RVers Computer Responsibility: My Soapbox WiFi Antennas, Getting Creative Your Very Own Map of Visited States or Countries There's no Server in WiFi Can I use WiFi from a Neighboring RV's Satellite Dish?

Odie and Eddie at Freddie's

Odie wanted to make sure I told you something about him in this post. He wonders if you've noticed that his smiling face has been missing from the photos of late? Jim and Chris were just gaga over Chiricahua and Big Bend, but Odie thinks both parks were quite boring! All he got to see was the inside of the motorhome since he was left there alone all by himself. If he knew how to send emails, I wouldn't be surprised if he emailed all of you asking to be rescued! But wait, what's this? We're in Austin now, and Jim and Chris were going to meet Frank and Jamison at a restaurant for lunch. This is a sure time that Odie gets left alone, but ... NO! Austin is full of dog-friendly places to eat, and Frank just adopted a rescue dog a few days ago - Eddie. He's taking Eddie with him everywhere right now. Frank said, 'Bring Odie and we'll go to a dog-friendly restaurant. Odie jumped up and down, actually he kinds of bounces back and forth like a rocking horse! So, here's Odie and Eddie at Freddie's. The food was good too! And, notice how everyone is dressed in shorts and shirtsleeves. The weather is perfect! 78-80 in the shade. Just warm enough to enjoy a cold beer! Here's Frank and Jamison ... we just love these guys! And, we're so glad they introduced us to Austin! Good music, good food and fun people everywhere. We had barbecue at the Green Mesquite last night. Oh, and Odie says he'll stick with us a while longer, but if we visit too many more national parks, he may be contacting you!