Day 2 Grand Isle State Park Grand Isle, Louisiana

It was very windy when we got up this morning. We elected to explore the area with the Jeep in lieu of riding bikes in the stiff wind. Grand Isle is dotted with quaint beach houses. There is also a large Coast Guard Station and some oil company sites. As we drove to the adjacent island, Fourchon, the land was consumed by the energy industry. Products and services related to offshore oil drilling…steel, wire rope, tanks, pipelines, hoses, pumps, platforms, ships, cranes and other heavy lifting equipment, tractor trailers…all behind high barbed wire fencing with security gates. It was not a lovely ride but it was very interesting. When we fuel the RV I never give much thought to how the fuel is actually gathered and processed.

We stopped at truck stop and had some pretty good egg sandwiches.

With all the area industry, there are environmental concerns. I am hopeful that these companies are being good stewards to the environment. We saw lots of shore birds…heron, egrets, ibis, cormorants, anhinga, brown and white pelicans, roseate spoonbills, osprey and all manner of other LWB (little white birds). Since the bird population appears to be so healthy and thriving, maybe the fish and water are also healthy.

We stopped beneath a bridge and to our delight and surprise there were dolphin feeding in the strong current at the mouth of the inlet. They were pretty close and so fun to watch.

There were also marinas with fishing boats.

This afternoon the wind had tamed a little. We hopped on our bikes and fought the headwinds. What a reward then to be pushed by the tailwind. We saw a shrimp boat leaving.

Dinner was sangria with grilled turkey taco salad, corn, and black beans. We plan to drive further west tomorrow.

Mileage: 55,524 Grand Isle State Park Grand Isle, Louisiana

After almost 11 hours of sleep, we headed out. We enjoyed our breakfast on a bench in Biloxi. I never knew the Mississippi coast was so beautiful.

We decided today to travel on Route 90 along the water.

“Take the road less traveled” she said.

“Let’s go the back way to Arizona” he said.

The truth is that we were both craving a quieter, slower pace and this was the perfect ride. We crossed over the Mississippi River and over multiple bridges into bayou. It felt like we drove over as much water as land today. It was almost 80 degrees and sunny and we could feel ourselves relaxing. We are slowly getting accustomed to this “just us” existence again.

Tim picked Grand Isle as our destination. To get there we passed through a gritty part of New Orleans…no time to stop there on this trip. We traveled 60 miles off of 90 to this last island on the Mississippi Delta.

We stopped at the Shrimp Shed for fresh shrimp for dinner…heads on!

We got to Grand Isle in late afternoon. We rested for awhile and then biked around the park.

We watched the sunset from an observation tower. As we stood there together, I told Tim that if anything ever happens to me…I want him to let everyone know that I loved my life. I was lucky enough to be in Atlanta taking care of the David and Dre and the babies, Kyle and Allison are coming to Arizona to meet us in a few short weeks, and I get to spend this precious time with Tim traveling. I am so very grateful!

Mileage: 55,311 Shepard State Park Gautier, Mississippi

We have spent the last 3 weeks in Atlanta with our son David, his wife Andrea, and our 2 beautiful grandchildren.

Now it is time for Grandma and Pop pop’s next adventure. We retrieved the RV from storage in Norcross, Georgia. We stowed our clothes and groceries and we were on our way.

We made it as far as Shepard State Park in Gautier, Mississippi. The park is on the LaMotte Bayou. We got right onto our bikes and spent the hour until sunset riding among the live oak trees dripping with Spanish moss.

It was very peaceful and quiet and dark and we slept.