Tannehill, AL to New Orleans, LA (May 18)

It took is about 5 and a half to get from Tannehill to New Orleans. We experienced a bit of good ol’ southern hospitality on the drive when we stopped for gas. We pulled up at the gas pump and the man in the truck next to us told us where to find gas for 40 cents cheaper! Yay! We didn’t quite find the station with the cheap gas, but we did find gas that was 18 cents cheaper :).

When we got to New Orleans around 1:00 we found our hotel, just a block from the French Quarter. We got a good deal on the hotel, but of course parking was $28, so we spent the next 20 minutes searching for a better place to park. I found a lot for $15… not free but oh well :). Then we walked around the city for a while. We visited the only microbrewery in the French Quarter, Crescent City Brewhouse, and Jason had lunch at a candy shop. Haha. We also walked down Bourbon St. in the daylight, which I’ve never done before—it’s definitely a much different experience. For dinner we had some traditional Cajun cuisine, and of course some I got a customary daiquiri to go :). New Orleans is a very interesting place. Aside from the overwhelming influence of a single culture in everything from the food to the street names, it’s definitely the only place I’ve been where it’s totally acceptable to have a whole street lined with bars and strip clubs a couple blocks over from the elementary school. And it’s one of the few places where anyone between the ages of 21 and 80 can carry around a 70 oz. plastic bud light bottle full of beer and walk the streets in perfect harmony. And, I guess everyone was probably just drunk, but it’s always sort of refreshing to see everyone enjoying the musical talents of the homeless guy on the corner instead of walking as big a circle around him as possible. I can’t say it’s my favorite place in the world… but it’s always been fun to visit :).

Now we’re on our way Big Bend National Park! For our lunch break we passed up the opportunity to visit the live tiger at the truck stop in Gross Tete, LA for an equally awesome truck stop further down the road that also doubled as a casino. Haha. We just crossed the Texas state line and once we hit Houston we will be in a place I’ve never been!