After leaving the campground (at the appropriate speed!) we enjoyed driving along the gulf again. Clayton and I didn’t want to give up the scenic route so we went through Biloxi and stayed on US 90 until Gulfport before cutting up to I10 to meet Joe and Carter at a Cracker Barrel for brunch.
Although I was excited to see New Orleans, I needed to get gas from Sam’s Club before going to the park so Clayton and I were routed a little differently and didn’t go through the city center. We did get to go over a cool bridge that had train tracks in the center, and later when we did a quick trip to WalMart we got to see a train come over it.
When we got into Bayou Segnette State Park we discovered that they had been experiencing flooding at the park before we got there. It had actually gone down from the highest levels, but some of the campsites were still flooded. We were able to get into the site we were assigned, but the picnic table was in water, as well as the fire ring. As we were checking out another site, we discovered a surprise visitor!
As we were contemplating what to do about parking, a Park Ranger showed up. After chatting for a few minutes, he offered to check to see if we could be switched to another site. Luckily, even though Memorial Weekend was coming up, he was able to get us into a less-watery site. After we were parked, the Ranger came back in his truck to check on us. We stood around and talked for quite a while; long enough to talk him into a picture with us! Thanks, Keith! We found out from Keith about the flooding, about the animals to expect (an armadillo walked into our campsite as if on cue), and that they had just had the same termite swarms there that we had experienced in Mississippi. He also shared some great places to eat, and about the ferry to take to the city/French Quarter.
On our first full day at the park we decided to do some exploring. We went on the boardwalk trails inside the campground, and then we went down the road and through the massive levee gate.
After we marveled at the huge levee gate, we went down the road and discovered another amazing sight: the cabins. But these park cabins were different than any other cabins we had seen in campgrounds so far: they were on the water. Cabins at Bayou Segnette are actually houseboats!
After admiring the cabins we went out on the berm levee along the bayou. From there we admired the bayou: animals, birds, flowers, boats, and a view of the city of New Orleans. The boys also admired the big hill of the levee we were walking on, by rolling down it!
On our way back past the cabins, we started seriously contemplating staying in one for a night. I found one available during our stay, but Joe didn’t want to confirm without seeing inside one. At that moment, a couple of ladies were cleaning one of the cabins We approached them and they agreed to let us into a cabin to see what they were like. We found out they are HUGE inside! A very large, full kitchen connected to a dining area and living room, two bedrooms and a large bathroom. One of the bedrooms had two sets of bunkbeds, and the other a queen size bed. We all agreed it was pretty cool, so we booked one for Thursday night.
