Leaving Louisiana

Nothing could keep Babbitt off of Avery Island & the home of his favorite condiment...hot sauce!  So, we made the drive, toured the Tabasco facility & tried lots of hot sauce inspired delicacies.  Afterwards, we had a shake at the last operating Borden's Dairy Bar, had our worst meal yet and watched Louisiana in the rearview mirror as we drove into Texas.

Babbitt at the Tabasco Sample Bar...he's never been happier
You could try every sauce made, Tabasco chili, Tabasco Coke & even Tabasco ice cream
Babbitt's favorite ended up being the Garlic Grilling Marinating Sauce...
he now adds this sauce to every meal cooked in the Rig

Babbitt with the giant Tabasco bottle
The tour wasn't the best, but it was free, informative
& you got mini Tabasco sauce bottles to take home with you

Katie enjoying an Oreo Shake made with real milk at Borden's Dairy Bar

Babbitt at the Boudin King
We heard this was a must visit restaurant, but we could hardly stomach the food
& are not sure why there was a taxidermy display inside

Babbitt with the Texas star at one of their rest stops in Orange, Texas
We've learned that you have to go to the first rest stop when entering a new state...
they are always the best

Katie with Flat Henry getting ready to enter Texas

Swamp outlook behind the rest stop
We even saw a laid back turtle & a poisonous snake

Our Night At A Haunted House

We weren't sure if we wanted to drive the extra 30 miles to stay at the most haunted house in America, but in the end, we decided we would regret it if we didn't at least check out what St. Francisville had to offer...

The Myrtle's Plantation
The Most Haunted House In America

The O'Babbitt's touring the property
Both a tour including lots of history & breakfast are included with your stay
We had a great tour guide named Hester, who told us this mirror is 100% haunted

Beautiful live oaks on the property
You could walk the grounds 24 hours a day

Babbitt in the haunted closet
We were upgraded to the John W. Leake Room...this room has been known to fill with
cigar smoke and a soldiers jacket can appear in the closet

One of the goats at the gas station across the street from the Myrtle's Plantation
We had a great conversation with the night manager AJ...he even did a load of laundry for us
We wanted to say thanks so we walked here to get him a pack of smokes & found three goats

The O'Babbitt's in front of the Myrtle's Plantation
They also have a great restaurant on the property called The Carriage House
We had Alabi beer, fried pickles, shrimp etouffee & even met a couple from Carmel, IN

Our new friends in front of the Myrtle's Plantation
The only way Katie could stay the night was to drink a lot of wine...in the midst of our
third bottle we met a lovely couple to explore the grounds with, but didn't catch their names

One of the many cats on the property
Although we heard many ghost stories this photo was the closest we got to a haunting
As you can see our camera did not like taking pictures at the Myrtle's at night

Baton Rouge Is GRRRRRRREAT!

To be honest Baton Rouge wasn't on our must see city list, but it turned out to be worth the trip!  We visited the tallest state capitol building in the country, won a little gas money with Free Play at a nearby casino and rode our bikes around the LSU campus to see the extremely active Mike the Tiger!

The Louisiana State Capitol
This building has 34 stories & is 450 feet tall 

The O'Babbitt's at the top of The Louisiana State Capitol Building
We learned that Senator Huey Long, the man who's dream it was to construct
this building, would be assassinated inside only a few years later

The view from The Louisiana State Capitol Building

The Louisiana State Capitol & Hollywood Casino
When we saw how close the casino was...we couldn't resist

Katie with Mike The Tiger VI
We assume that the official LSU mascot is a distant cousin of Tony The Tiger

Au Revoir French Quarter

The French Quarter RV Resort exceeded all of our expectations...spacious spots in a secure lot, swimming pool & hot tub, private showers, fitness center & they even let us park in their side parking lot after we checked out, so we could have lunch at Emeril Lagasse's NOLA.  Afterwards we ate more as we walked through the French Quarter Festival one last time.  AND, we didn't stop eating there...as we drove out of town we found one of our favorite restaurants so far...Mosca's Restaurant!

The pool at the French Quarter RV Resort
We had lovely before dinner cocktails in this very hot tub

Most of the Bourbon Street post signs have been stolen,
but the thieves haven't found a way to steel the tiles yet

Katie deciding what to eat at NOLA
We ended up with a delicious lunch of Warm Gulf Shrimp Remoulade
with Fried Homemade Pickles & Veggie Pizza

Babbitt enjoying a famous Plum Street Snowball
We chose a mix of strawberry & cherry...they do not skimp on the flavor either

Katie with a Dreamy Weenie
We tried our first meatless hot dog at this vendor...
we were not impressed, but the red beans & rice plus the fixins on top made up for it

Babbitt with his meatball at Mosca's Restaurant
O'Babbitt Tip:  If you are ever in Avondale...do not miss this restaurant

Swatting The Hornets

We started our next day in New Orleans how we assume all locals begin their days...with a parade, lots of sunshine & breakfast!  We then walked to the Ritz to meet Bob for lunch at his favorite oyster spot, before taking in the sites & sounds of busy Bourbon Street & spending quality family time relaxing in the hotel room watching Bob's favorite pastime, the Jodi Arias Trial (he seriously can't get enough.)  We then wished the coach lots of luck before watching the L.A. Clippers beat the New Orleans Hornets!

We learned about the French Quarter Festival Kickoff Parade during our cooking class...
we even saw some of our new cooking friends & a Li'l Sebastian look alike in the parade

Babbitt enjoying the must try muffuletta at Central Grocery for breakfast

Two O's + A Babbitt at Deanie's Seafood
You can't go wrong with potato appetizers, po' boys & salty fries

Father - Daughter Oyster Shots
Staying a flexitarian has been a real struggle for Katie
since being on the road, but she still isn't a raw oyster fan

Bob & Katie in front of the iconic Pat O'Brien's
The streets were packed with folks enjoying French Quarter Fest,
so the O'Babbitt's went back later to try a Cyclone

The O'Babbitt's at Preservation Hall
We had to wait 30 minutes in front of a mean old lady just to get inside,
but it was worth it to soak in a little New Orleans jazz history

The O'Babbitt's at Jester's Mardi Gras Daiquiris
We must have tourist written on our foreheads, because we couldn't leave NOLA without trying
"The World's Strongest Drink"

It was so much fun getting to see Bob coach our favorite players, Chris Paul & Matt Barnes in NOLA
The win also made our good-bye easier, but not without some tears from Katie
We can't thank Bob enough for the wonderful memories

Things Are Really Cooking In NOLA

We arrived in New Orleans just in time to experience the French Quarter Festival, torrential downpours & some wonderful family time with Katie's dad, Bob!  We saw on the news that it was suppose to storm so after checking into the RV Resort in the heart of the French Quarter we walked to the New Orleans School of Cooking where we made reservations the day before in an attempt to stay indoors.  Since it hadn't started raining after our class, we decided to walk off some of our lunch by checking out the bands playing in the festival and visiting the Historic Voodoo Museum, but of course that is when the storms hit & we were drenched!  Luckily we had our trusty ponchos, plus the weather took a turn for the better late afternoon, giving us a chance to tour more of the city before meeting Bob for dinner, drinks & more gambling!!!!

Katie with the talented & charismatic Big Kevin...he told us he had to get on his tiptoes for this photo
Chef Kevin taught us how to make crab bisque, shrimp creole, bananas foster & pralines NOLA style

The O'Babbitt's enjoying some beverages after our cooking class
Local beer, lemonade, tea & outstanding biscuits are also included with the class

Babbitt making an offering at the Voodoo Museum
The museum was much smaller than we expected, but the good voodoo we took with us made it worth it

Katie with a waiter at Cafe Du Monde
There is not much on the menu, but the beignets are delectable

Babbitt playing the invisible trumpet with Louis Armstrong

Grilled Oysters with Parmesan Cheese at Drago's...we had two orders & Katie even liked them
Bob traveled to NOLA for work & getting to spend time with him made our trip here even better...
this was the good voodoo we were looking for

Katie & Bob with their winnings at Harrah's in downtown New Orleans
Bob couldn't resist placing a bet & Katie immediately cashed out when she won (all while Babbitt was in the bathroom) & bought some beverages back at Bob's hotel with the winnings...it was the perfect ending to a great day

Winning Big In Alabama

We couldn't have asked for a better start to our day at the must see Manci's Antique Club.  We loved everything from the food, to our quirky waitress to the largest collection of Jim Beam decanters!  After brunch we toured downtown Mobile, which was lovely & found out we may have a gambling problem in Biloxi!

Not only did we have an exceptional dining experience at Manci's,
but they also serve the BEST Bloody Mary (pictured above) & Fried Mushrooms we have ever tasted

This gentleman is located in the Ladies Room...when you lift his fig leaf an
alarm sounds throughout the entire restaurant so everyone knows what you did...Katie couldn't resist

Bienville Square in Downtown Mobile
We saw the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, told secrets at the
whispering gallery in the Battle House Hotel & enjoyed a beautiful afternoon in Mobile

The O'Babbitt's with a VW camper at Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville Casino
We weren't planning on gambling in Biloxi, but Jimmy gave us Free Play,
unlimited soft drinks, prizes & a great experience so we had to stay

Naturally we took our penny slot machine winnings & enjoyed the two for one
All You Can Eat Feeding Frenzy Buffet...Babbitt claims the crab legs were the best he has ever had

FLORA-BAMA!

After spending two months in Florida we were ready to take the Rig to another state and we decided that today was the day to reach Alabama!  We started our morning in Pensacola, Florida, where we spent a few hours touring the massive National Naval Aviation Museum.  We then got back on the trail and tried one of a kind Ruben egg rolls at McGuire's Irish Pub, lost BINGO more times then we can count, watched majestic dolphins swim in the wild & finally got the hell out of Florida!

Babbitt with Andrew Jackson in the Plaza Ferdinand VII
You can't get away from President Jackson when visiting Pensacola...he's everywhere!

Babbitt with his all time favorite plane
This museum was extremely well done, informative & 100% free

Katie drinking the famous Bushwaker at Flora-Bama
We later found out the entire building housing 15 separate bars is
actually only in Florida, but we were so close to Alabama that we didn't mind

We played BINGO all afternoon & were the only players that didn't win once
Our BINGO skills were so terrible that one lucky player offered to give us the t-shirt he won,
but we couldn't accept his pity prize

Katie with the Flora-Bama BINGO caller...he was our #1 Fan
& even gave us extra BINGO cards, but it still didn't help