Day 10 - Entering my 41st State

Along with yesterday's journey through the destruction of the Lower 9th Ward, we managed to find some more enjoyable tourist attractions throughout the Gulf Coast. Immediately after reaching the anti-climactic end of the Great River Road, we drove back to New Orleans on a road surrounded by marshes that looked like the home of many gators. Sure enough, we spotted the head of a lurking alligator along the way, but also saw a dead baby gator floating belly up. I thought that photo was much more interesting.




Saturday morning, we purchased tickets for a legit steamboat ride on the Natchez (it's a town in Mississippi that rhymes with "matches" not with "today"). The two hour cruise was excellent. The on-board narrator explained the various sights, vessels, and areas along the way, and the sun managed to turn me bright red because of my lack of sunblock. I probably should have purchased a tube after my stupid move of Day 1 when I packed it in my carry-on, and it was confiscated.




Saturday night, we had another authentic New Orleans dinner, complete with the largest raw oysters I have ever eaten - AND they were only 8 bucks for the dozen. Amazing. No salmonella either!

After a few Hand Grenade on Bourbon St., we turned in for the night, and woke up this morning to drive to Alabama (the 41st state I've been to) - pretty much just to say we have been to the state. We got off in Mobile, and came across The U.S.S. Alabama, a World War II battleship docked there. The tour brought us through much of the hull and decks, and was rather extensive and insanely hot and stuffy. We stayed for only an hour, because we had to high-tail it back along I-10 to Biloxi, Mississippi for our shrimp boat excursion.

Biloxi is a beautiful Gulf Coast town that was completely obliterated during the hurricanes. While New Orleans had extensive weather damage and flooding due to the levees breaking on Lake Pontchartrain, Biloxi got creamed from the storms alone. Literally flattened. 26 miles of beachfront, with an incredible amount of vacant lots. For such a beautiful area on Memorial Day weekend - 80 degrees and sunny - to be as sparsely populated with beachgoers as it was today is a shame. There is already plenty of rebuilding going on. Unlike the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans, this area has mucho dinero, and is a tourist destination, hence the fervent rebuilding.

Our shrimping trip was fun - a short 70 minutes just off the coast. The captain showed us how to drop a net, troll the water, and catch everything in its path. He then identified all of the species in the catch for us - various fish, mackerel, shrimp, squid, and jellyfish. The seagulls swarmed the boat when the net was raised, and dined on everything that he didn't keep.

I'm looking forward to simple meals of boneless chicken breasts and broccoli. But for now...one more night of oysters, gumbo, and Bourbon St.