September 3rd 2009
Breakfast from Cafe De Monde is a must if your ever in New Orleans!
We ate for $13.00 with a $2. buck tip!
First thing planned was a visit to a Gator Ranch. It was so nice to have the car, minus having the pay for parking ... $30.00 bucks a night!!! But the tour at the Gator Ranch would have been more had they provided transportation. We drove over the longest bridge in the US spanning 24 miles long... it seems like forever. Jeff said he felt like he use be able to put the car in auto pilot and do something. On the way back we had to pay a $3.00 toll!
The Gator Ranch was very much family owned, small but very cool, learning about them, feeding them (marshmello's of all things!) and even getting to hold babies that had just hatched a week ago. One even bit me! It was nice the tour we were one contained us and a family of 5!
We came back to the hotel to park the car, and go the room and go to bathroom. Lunch time! It's like 3 and we head out town the street to Bubba Gump's. Jeff ordered a beer and was 1/2 drunk but the time the appetizer came to the talk but all he had to eat was Cafe De Monde this morning! We sat outside on the ballcany, a little hot but nice to people watch!
After a late lunch we walked down Decatuer St. to the French Market only to find the vendors packin up at 5:30. We walked around Jackson Square. Walked in all the little shops that caught our eye. Walked as far as St. Peter's St. where we seen the Black Smith's Bar, said to the oldest bar in the US. Then went and found us a hurricane drank that and headed towards Preservation Hall in perfect time to stand in line for an hour! But also a head of 30 kids from NY. It's now $10.00 to get in instead of $8.00.
After Preservation Hall we walked down Bourbon St. looking in more shops, lots of store owners were coming up to us offering to take 10-20% off our total bill. Lots of bars had people in the front saying no cover, come in ...
I hate to admit this but since having a big late lunch, when heading back to the hotel @ like 10, tired from walking we stopped in at McDonald's and bought a value meal to share.
Our trip started @ 1:37 p.m. on September 2nd 2009
Jeff started out driving, he drove 198 miles when we switched drivers at the Arkansas vistor's center. We stopped again @ 7:00 p.m. @ a gas station with a Taco Bell, got dinner and gas! I only drove about 200 miles. We got 424 miles to a tank! Gas was $2.45 which sucks since back in Arnold it was $2.22 this morning! Jeff took over again after we ate. He drove all the way to the hotel, we stop a total of 2 times in about 10 hours! Actually a little less. We made it to New Orleans, check in the hotel and was in our room by 11:35 p.m. The 1st thing Jeff does is turn on the T.V.!
Water, Bridge, Water!
Jere's Garmin, showing us going over the US's longest bridge on the way to the Gator Ranch!
The is Bob, he was born with out a tail, you know why the named him bob, cause when he swims ... he bobs! =)
Tapin it's mouth shut!
Can you believe this little guy is only about a week old?
This is actually a pumping station - that pumps all the water out of the city when it rains!