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5/5/2005 Cinco de Mayo Picture Link
Our summer trip's first day on the road. A beautiful clear, warm, day. Truck miles 182311 at departure.
We drove 339 miles in a little over six hours and wound up in Hammond, Louisiana, at the KOA. Hammond is north of Lake Ponchartrain and New Orleans on I-12.
This KOA is on a pond of about three acres, with lots of large trees for shade. There are many ducks, with gaggles of little ducklings, around the pond.
A retired postman from New Hampshire told us one duck had 19 little ones before the garfish and turtles started thinning them out. He and his wife work part-time here in exchange for the use of a camping site. They have kids here and in NH so they intend to shuttle back and forth, living in the RV.
Off the end of the campground away from the office is "Catfish Charlie's" restaurant, which appears to be a local favorite. It has decks out over the pond and dozens of turtles around the decks. Later, we found out that the custom is to throw any uneaten bicuits into the pond for the turtles. The ducks come down from the other end to get their share. Pure pandemonium in the water.
We went there for an early dinner this first night. The place is rustic-by-design inside and decorated with banners from colleges with known basketball teams, like Xavier, Indiana, Kentucky, and Michigan. One banner was from Delta State University (I don't know where that is) whose symbol is the "Fighting Okra". The banner shows a green vertical thing with eyes, a grimace and little boxing gloves.
I can't envision cheering for a fighting okra, especially a group of them. What would you say? "Fight Fiercely, Okra, Fight, Fight, Fight!! It just doesn't sound right. The motto of "Go Green" (like Michigan State's license plate holders) might work.
We received a note yesterday with a picture of the two of us and Erica's & John's cute girls, Sophie and Phoebe. Erica took it at a Mexican restaurant in Summerville SC a week or so ago. Dolores put the picture under a magnet on the range hood for the trip.
It was a good first day.
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