We arrived in Zachary, Louisiana, on Friday and are staying in Gary and Jo's back yard. They have a really large yard and we backed the rig up to the barn and plugged in there. The weather has been warm during the day and cool at night, so it has been absolutely perfect. Warm enough in the day to be comfortable, but air conditioning is not needed.
Yesterday Gary drove us into New Orleans. This was a really special treat. Our original plan was to stay in a state park near New Orleans and sightsee from there, but that camp is closed to the public due to Hurricane Katrina. So we scrapped plans to go. But Gary took us down there and we drove in right next to the SuperDome.
Other than debris around it, you wouldn't know anything had happened to it. The roof appears repaired, but Gary said the estimates to repair it are astromical. Buildings right next to it are missing a lot of windows. .
They are repairing them, but a couple of the buildings are nothing but glass panes and it will take a long time to get them all replaced. We drove on down and parked and walked to the Cafe Demunde (sp?) and had beignets and coffee.
They are pastries topped with powdered sugar. I guess it is a tradition that people coming into the city have to go there first and have their treat before moving on. We went into the French Quarter and visited the flea market first, then strolled into the narrow streets with balconies overhead. I had never been to New Orleans and I was very interested in taking in as much as I could. I took a lot of pictures, and will post here when I have a good connection, so check back later.
A lot of businesses were not open, but there were enough places open to shop and buy some souveniers. We made it to the world famous Bourbon Street and we drove in on Canal Street. Some of the really "funky" places were open for business, but we didn't bother going in there.
There were water marks on some of the buildings, but Gary said that most of the French Quarter was spared the bad flooding. Still, some water marks were 12-18 inches on the buildings. There was definitely a stench that smelled like garbage. Terry has been there before and he said he believed that may have been grease from some of the kitchens that leached out into the street. We did see one water main that was busted and water was bubbling into the street. Unfortunately, it will take a long time to get everything back in working order. Gary said they don't anticipate being there before 5 years is up. There is trash and litter everywhere
When we left there, he took us out through the lower 9th ward, which you may remember was flooded the worst when the levees broke. We saw water marks 6-8 feet, which was still not the worst of it.
So much trash in the streets. Not a lot of people around, but those that were there appeared to be cleaning out their houses.
There is still no power to the area and businesses like McDonalds and Winn-Dixie's are not open. Nothing is open. We saw the marks the workers sprayed on the buildings indicating the number of live/dead occupants as well as pets they found when they entered after the storm. There was so much trash and the houses were so bad, cars in the streets were covered in mud and salt from the seawater. It truly was like driving through a landfill. Gary said they have been hauling trash out and even though it was piled high in the middle of the streets and boulevards, he said truckloads have already been hauled out. We continued out and were going to cross Lake Ponchatrain on the I-10 bridge (1 lane open), but there was a horrendous traffic jam. We sat and waited for over an hour before cutting through the median and going back the other way. Gary said there had to have been an accident. He is currently delivering trailers and supplies for FEMA into New Orleans, so he has seen the worst and was a good guide. Oh, I forgot that they are taking all the cars that were damaged from the flood and putting them under the bridge overpasses in the city where they will pick them up. They are going to scrap them all out. Cars that are flooded and in water for more than a few hours will be worthless except for scrap because of the salt water rust and corrosion.
Captain Gary, I might add, is a charter fishing captain. He is not chartering right now because his fish camp was wiped out during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, so he is working for FEMA at the present time.
Today we had a shorter day and went to another flea market in Gonzales, Louisiana. Tomorrow Terry and I are going out on our own to St. Francisville to see some antebellum homes.
It has been an interesting couple of days here. Tonight Gary's son Chris, came back from St. Charles. He has started a new job as an investigator for the state attorney general. We had not seen him since he was a young boy. He is staying with Gary and Jo until he is able to relocate his family here.
Till next time. . .
Dale
