As we crossed the Mississippi / Louisiana border yesterday, we remembered a former student of Stuart’s (from when he was in the Army, as an instructor in El Paso, Texas) who grew up in Louisiana and who lives there now – Gary Whipple.
We made contact with Gary and with very short notice, and arranged to meet up with him on Sunday morning. After meeting him at his home in Jackson Barracks (named after the 7th President of the US), we headed off in his F-150 and brand new boat in tow.
Before you knew it, we were cruising along the bayou at 40+ mph and in some cases in water that was only 1 foot deep! Very cool.
Below are 2 videos of our morning.
From Jenna: “Today we went to New Orleans in Louisiana. We met up with Dad’s former colleague (Gary) from the army, when he lived in Fort Bliss, El Paso. Once we met up with Gary all 6 of us drove down to the boat launch and hopped in his personal boat. We went for a ride along the bayou – and got up to about 65 kilometres per hour. We looked at a few crab traps and they were really cool. We saw an alligator that was about 3-4 feet long. But we only saw its’ eyes and nose. My sisters had a little drive of the boat and I held on tight while they did.”
We went back to Gary’s home for a quick sandwich for lunch before heading into the city.
Gary rode his Harley Davidson motorcycle while we followed in our car. We parked right by the Mississippi River and walked down to Jackson Square. We immediately headed to Cafe Du Monde and had their famous coffee and beignets – they were delicious!
After our snack, we headed off to the streets of the French Quarter of New Orleans. It is an area full of history and some amazing sights, with its fair share of sleaziness. We enjoyed several hours in the area before heading just out of town to a nearby park for a walk around a sanctuary.
From our morning out on the bayou, then walking around the streets of New Orleans to the quieter pace of feeding ducks and swans, it was a terrific day, Thank you Gary!
Tomorrow we are heading further west on the I10 back into Texas to San Antonio – around 500 miles from New Orleans.
You must all be having the most amazing time. What an experience for everyone. It was lucky Dad Remembered his old friend. We’re there any alligators in the bayou? We are home safe now still have have jet lag but hope that will only last a short time.
Keep having lots of fun. Xxx
Had a fantastic time with this beautiful family 🙂 Now I have to check out the rest of the blog! Safe travels.