OHIO TO FLORIDA
(PART 3)
DAY 9
Departed Hot Springs, AR and on our way to Shreveport, LA. We made a pit stop at Oaklawn race track and casino in Arkansas. We both got a $10 free play members card. I wanted to take the money and run, but the wife want to have some fun and play slots. Needless to say we blew through the $20 and soon was heading back to the RV.
Look who finished in first place!
While is Shreveport my goal is to research my family's history before they moved North to Ohio. I have the address where my mother was born and spent the first 13 months of her life. I will drive by tomorrow and see what is at that address. I used Google map and don't see the family store that use to be there, but see a house. Hopefully, it is still the original home. If I have time (tomorrow is Friday), I will stop by City Hall and see if I can find any information. I also got in contact with some family member (on my Grandmother side) a few months ago and are going to try and meet them as well.
When we arrived at Flying J's in Texarkana, AR I had to go back inside the RV and change into shorts. The temperature must have risen 20 plus degrees to over 85 F. I can tell we are in the South. We finally made it to Barksdale AFB, LA home to the Air Force B-52. About a 10 minute drive to downtown Shreveport. The base campground is on the back side of the base away from everything. For $18 a night we got full hook-up with 30 amp, water and sewer. We can receive TV station on our antenna, but have not turn the TV on yet. There is no meter on the electric so I guess there will be no electric bill when I pull out. As of right now we will spend the weekend and depart Monday. While driving around the base to see where things are located we saw a turtle crossing the road and the wife just had to take a picture. Before we started full time RVing, the wife saw a new born turtle in the street and kept it for two years before releasing it back to the wild. I was holding my breath that she would not pick this one up too. Beside, there would be no place to keep it like we did the other one.
I will try and drive along the flight line and shoot a video of all the airplanes on display. There must be over 20 lined up on both sides of the street. If the video looks good, I'll post it. The video turned out good. Except for the very end, when my wife who was driving started to rubber necking and watch what I was recording almost drove off the road. Sorry, I tried to load the video via WiFi and kept timing out or received an error. At least I have a picture.
DAY 10
I stopped by the address where my mother was born. Unfortunately, I could not find the address number. There was one house 3857 and the house next to it was 3905. If the house numbering was like this, I more than likely would not have any luck finding information on the property at City Hall. The neighborhood has numerous abandoned homes, it is ran down and in the slums. A major street that leads to I 20 E and W run to the pull out of the side street. There is some kind of factor that runs along the other side of the busy street and on the other side of the highway is home of the Independence Bowl Stadium that is owned by the city of Shreveport.
On our way back to the base, we stopped by ... you guessed it another Casino (Diamond Jacks). We got a members card and received a $5.00 free play. The money was on the card and could not cash it out and take the money. You had to play the free money. The wife played $1 slot and pulled the lever 5 times and was done. I played the penny slots and in about 5 minutes when all the free money was gone I was up $2.95 and walked out with money in my pocket.
We went to the Commissary and was surprised by the cheap prices of food. It has been over two years since we shopped at a base commissary and forgot how cheap the prices are from regular stores.
I talked to the military campsite host and he informed me that just last week they caught 11 alligators on base that measured between 9 and 12 feet long with max weight of 470 pounds. There was a picture of the largest one they caught in the registration office. I will try and take a picture of the picture and post it.
DAY 11
Today we took a road trip in the car and headed East in I 20. I set the cruse control on 70 MPH and did not have to hit the break for almost 3 hours were we visited Poverty Point Earthworks National Monument. http://www.nps.gov/popo/index.htm It is not actually part of the National Parks anymore, but still show on the National Park webpage. It about a 30 minute drive after getting off the Highway. The coast is $4 for ages 13-51, 12 & under and 52 & over free. I asked for military discount, but they did not have it. However, the lady host was kind and let me in for free. We watched about a 15 minute video of the site and walked around the small exhibit of artifacts that was excavated during the research. We arrive just in time to be able to see the video and the guided tour by golf cart around the site. This way we just did not see we understood what we saw. When it was over we drove our car back though the road stopped, took pictures and climbed one of the mounds. On our drive the wife thought she saw a mountain lion, turned out to be only a deer. When we were in the middle it looked small, but after the tour and we were on the outer edge you can actually see how big the settlement was and understood how nearly 3,000 people could live in this place. The "Bird Mound" at once stood over 100 feet high, but now only 72 feet high. On the down side the head of the bird is now missing and was believed that treasure hunter thought that if there was any treasures buried it would be in the head. If you are searching to complete your National Park Passport Stamp Book or looking to step back in time and see how humans lived in 1500 BC I recommend this National Park.
The water source for the people, at one time the water was as high as I stood when taking this picture.
Two of the three spots where at one time large pole stood to track the sun movement and used as a calendar marker.
The estimated size of a tent where four peopled lived every 50 feet apart.
One of six rows at one time stood 4 feet tall and the tent homes build on top.
The remains of Mound A "Bird Mound" current view is of left wing.
The wife's mountain lion.... only a deer.
DAY 12
Today is Sunday and was woken by rain around 5:00 am. It has rained off and on all morning. We decided to extend our stay on the base campsite one more day and will depart on Tuesday. We are going to do laundry and watch NFL week 6 games. Let hope I do better this week than last week. We ate dinner at Louisiana Kitchen Popeye's Chicken in Louisiana. Just like we had Philadelphia Steak sandwich in Philadelphia last year. The day turned out to be pretty nice and sunny the rest of the day. With only the Monday game left for week 6 I have another losing week at 4-8-1. Good thing I'm not in Las Vegas.
DAY 13
Got a call from family in Louisiana. Unfortunately, they were out of town over the weekend with their grandchildren and are busy this week too, so we will not be able to met. Instead we made a road trip to Cane River Creole National Historical Park. http://www.nps.gov/cari/index.htm Located about 1 1/2 hour drive South on I 49 from Shreveport. Another National Park added to my Passport Book. We walk the plantation and toured the main house. We were also allowed to pick up pecans that fell from the trees.
When they finished their wine the placed in the garden and used empty bottle instead of bricks.
TV from the 1950's or 1960's (If I remember correctly)
Master bedroom
Back in the day when a traveler passed by, they would stop to pass along the latest news and receive a meal and nights sleep before heading out in the morning to continue their journey. This is the "strangers room".
Formal dinning table. Do you like the manual ceiling fan, or fly swatter.
Pecans we picked up.
Tomorrow we will be heading South to New Orleans. It should take about 9+ hours. The speed limit in LA highway is 70-75 MPH and the RV starts to shake and sway back and forth around 65 MPH so I added a few hours. We will do the trip in two days and spend the night on road at a rest stop somewhere along the way.
I stopped by the address where my mother was born. Unfortunately, I could not find the address number. There was one house 3857 and the house next to it was 3905. If the house numbering was like this, I more than likely would not have any luck finding information on the property at City Hall. The neighborhood has numerous abandoned homes, it is ran down and in the slums. A major street that leads to I 20 E and W run to the pull out of the side street. There is some kind of factor that runs along the other side of the busy street and on the other side of the highway is home of the Independence Bowl Stadium that is owned by the city of Shreveport.
On our way back to the base, we stopped by ... you guessed it another Casino (Diamond Jacks). We got a members card and received a $5.00 free play. The money was on the card and could not cash it out and take the money. You had to play the free money. The wife played $1 slot and pulled the lever 5 times and was done. I played the penny slots and in about 5 minutes when all the free money was gone I was up $2.95 and walked out with money in my pocket.
We went to the Commissary and was surprised by the cheap prices of food. It has been over two years since we shopped at a base commissary and forgot how cheap the prices are from regular stores.
I talked to the military campsite host and he informed me that just last week they caught 11 alligators on base that measured between 9 and 12 feet long with max weight of 470 pounds. There was a picture of the largest one they caught in the registration office. I will try and take a picture of the picture and post it.
This is where they caught the alligators (on base)
DAY 11
Today we took a road trip in the car and headed East in I 20. I set the cruse control on 70 MPH and did not have to hit the break for almost 3 hours were we visited Poverty Point Earthworks National Monument. http://www.nps.gov/popo/index.htm It is not actually part of the National Parks anymore, but still show on the National Park webpage. It about a 30 minute drive after getting off the Highway. The coast is $4 for ages 13-51, 12 & under and 52 & over free. I asked for military discount, but they did not have it. However, the lady host was kind and let me in for free. We watched about a 15 minute video of the site and walked around the small exhibit of artifacts that was excavated during the research. We arrive just in time to be able to see the video and the guided tour by golf cart around the site. This way we just did not see we understood what we saw. When it was over we drove our car back though the road stopped, took pictures and climbed one of the mounds. On our drive the wife thought she saw a mountain lion, turned out to be only a deer. When we were in the middle it looked small, but after the tour and we were on the outer edge you can actually see how big the settlement was and understood how nearly 3,000 people could live in this place. The "Bird Mound" at once stood over 100 feet high, but now only 72 feet high. On the down side the head of the bird is now missing and was believed that treasure hunter thought that if there was any treasures buried it would be in the head. If you are searching to complete your National Park Passport Stamp Book or looking to step back in time and see how humans lived in 1500 BC I recommend this National Park.
The water source for the people, at one time the water was as high as I stood when taking this picture.
The estimated size of a tent where four peopled lived every 50 feet apart.
One of six rows at one time stood 4 feet tall and the tent homes build on top.
The remains of Mound A "Bird Mound" current view is of left wing.
The wife's mountain lion.... only a deer.
DAY 12
Today is Sunday and was woken by rain around 5:00 am. It has rained off and on all morning. We decided to extend our stay on the base campsite one more day and will depart on Tuesday. We are going to do laundry and watch NFL week 6 games. Let hope I do better this week than last week. We ate dinner at Louisiana Kitchen Popeye's Chicken in Louisiana. Just like we had Philadelphia Steak sandwich in Philadelphia last year. The day turned out to be pretty nice and sunny the rest of the day. With only the Monday game left for week 6 I have another losing week at 4-8-1. Good thing I'm not in Las Vegas.
DAY 13
Got a call from family in Louisiana. Unfortunately, they were out of town over the weekend with their grandchildren and are busy this week too, so we will not be able to met. Instead we made a road trip to Cane River Creole National Historical Park. http://www.nps.gov/cari/index.htm Located about 1 1/2 hour drive South on I 49 from Shreveport. Another National Park added to my Passport Book. We walk the plantation and toured the main house. We were also allowed to pick up pecans that fell from the trees.
When they finished their wine the placed in the garden and used empty bottle instead of bricks.
Master bedroom
Formal dinning table. Do you like the manual ceiling fan, or fly swatter.
How they look inside... taste good too!
Tomorrow we will be heading South to New Orleans. It should take about 9+ hours. The speed limit in LA highway is 70-75 MPH and the RV starts to shake and sway back and forth around 65 MPH so I added a few hours. We will do the trip in two days and spend the night on road at a rest stop somewhere along the way.
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