Today is going to be a hard day to summarize in just a few paragraphs, so… strap in! Today we left Gulfport, Mississippi to backtrack just a little bit to Biloxi, Mississippi and meet one of Bubba’s house contacts so that he could sign some papers. This is a working trip for him… so while he signed papers with a notary in the parking lot of the Biloxi Walmart… we headed into the store and procured both bedding and pillows for the following nights. Tonight we have hotel rooms in Dallas, TX… but who knows for the rest of the trip! We didn’t want to get caught out again without pillows!
As we got back in the RV, and Bubba headed in to buy his own pillows… the RV started beeping. It sounded like a fire alarm… and yep… sure enough… it wasn’t a fire but it was carbon monoxide. At the time, we had both the engine, and the generator running. We’re not sure if it was one or the other yet, or a combination, but after letting the RV air out for a while (and sweating like crazy in the Mississippi heat), we left the generator off as we headed towards Biloxi proper to revisit a casino that Bubba knows from his time living here or near here with the armed services.
Driving an RV has come with a great deal of “known” challenges, including having to avoid low overpasses, trees, and tight turns. It also meant that while trying to find parking at the casino that we were relegated to the “Oversized” lot a block or two away. We agreed on 90 minutes before we headed out… and entered the casino.
I’ve learned that the thing with slot machines is that generally you need to play for the “bonus spins”, “free spins”, or mini-games. Now… you might get lucky and win big right away… but you’re likely to need a $50-$100 swing of money sometimes to trigger a mini-game or series of free games. So I’d budgeted $200… played three or four games, and walked out up $50 overall. I could go into all the details… but you know what slot machines are and I won’t bore you with too much of that, but I will say that the casino felt right out of Las Vegas. It was beautiful inside, the games were fun, and the food and restaurants looked delicious and inviting. If you’re ever in Mississippi and craving Las Vegas… head for the Beau Rivage Casino.
After we all headed back to the RV… we pointed ourselves to New Orleans to fulfill a life-goal of mine… eating beignets and drinking coffee at Café Du Monde, and visiting Bourbon Street. Now… this might sound strange to a few who read this blog regularly but I’d actually never been to New Orleans proper before. It has recently become a life-goal after reading the “Skinwalker” series by Faith Hunter. It takes place in New Orleans, and he description of some of the places, and especially the foods, have drawn me in. We parked the RV about twenty minutes out of the tourist parts of the city, grabbed an Uber in, and made our way to Café Du Monde.
The lines were extremely short on a Wednesday mid-afternoon, which was perfect for us. We all got in line, grabbed Beignets and iced coffee, then enjoyed them at one of the tables as a local jazz band played. I really enjoyed the coffee, though I’ll say I’m never a fan of chicory, but the environment, the history, and the beignets definitely made up for the rest. We then walked the city, looking for some souvenirs for Aaron’s family, and eventually made our way to lunch at NOLA Poboys. I might have to borrow a picture from Albert for this as I just dove right into the meal but… just wow. Since reading the Skinwalker books… I’ve had Boudin Balls (pronounced “boo-dan balls”) from various Cajun restaurants… but these things were little balls of heaven. It was the closest I’ve come to the feeling of eating a perfect piece of sushi with just enough wasabi to inspire the soul. Actually… this might be the first time outside of a sushi restaurant that this feeling has ever been achieved for me through food. Anyway, my philosophizing aside… (wasabi is the glue that heals cracks in the soul… you see…) I couldn’t get enough and ate both all the Boudin Balls and my spicy shrimp po-boy. I covered it in Crystal hot sauce, and it was everything I could have ever wanted it to be.
After lunch we walked around a bit more, saw Bourbon Street, but unfortunately had to get back on the road before nightfall so we missed seeing the city really come alive. I’ll be back, New Orleans, hopefully when it’s a bit cooler! That said… New Orleans to me is, as Aaron put it, “delightfully derelict”, or as I quipped back, “endearingly unkempt”. Sidewalks are hit or miss… buildings are falling down. Many of the terraces on buildings are for show for the most part at this point. I don’t think they’d support the weight of a human being… and you just get the impression that the city is mean to felt dirty, run-down, ill-maintained. It’s part of the ambiance, and I’m not sure that’s my kind of ambiance. But… with the right crowd, with the right drinks, I could also see it being a great deal of fun… especially with more Boudin Balls!
We piled back into the RV, and headed towards Dallas. We spent a little too much time at the casino, and a little too much time in New Orleans. Our ETA was now midnight with no gas stops… so we finally hit Dallas, Texas, at one in the morning. Along the way, we decided we’re going to take it a little easier tomorrow. We could have been in Denver if we’d woken up at six and really pushed… but instead we reserved a campground outside of Amarillo, Texas. We’re going to pick up some campfire gear, grill some burgers from the ranch where we’re staying, and generally have one last great night as a group of friends before it’s back to business and we’re on the road to Denver on Friday.
Today was a full, but very fun and memorable, day.
A Sidewalk in New Orleans
