I Run Like A Girl

Hello from New Orleans, Louisiana!! Joe and I have officially begun our big RV road trip, and we could not be more excited! We spent the last few days getting out of Texas and driving through the entire state of Louisiana. It’s been the perfect beginning as we are getting used to life on the road together and soaking in the vibrant Louisiana culture.

But first, our trip started off with a last-minute, difficult decision. We decided to leave our male cat, Ben, with Joe’s parents for this road trip. 😦 Our dream was to have both cats with us, but we’ve been struggling with Ben as he has severe anxiety and motion sickness when we travel (vomiting, yowling, panting, trembling, pee/pooing outside litter box, foaming at the mouth, etc.) We actually noticed this behavior for several years and have tried all the remedies in the book — positive reinforcement/exposure therapy, different-sized carriers, scented calming collars, even medication…but nothing seemed to work.

After trying everything we could, we came to the conclusion that Ben is simply happier staying in one spot. So for the next few months, he will live with his grandparents. We are so grateful he will be in a safe, loving, and comfortable home! We truly wanted Ben to stay with us, but we feel this is the best decision for him, and honestly, for us too. We will miss him so much!

But we are thrilled to keep Ellie with us on the road as she loves to travel as much as we do. ❤

It’s not a southern road trip without a stop at Buckee’s. The food here was SO good. One of my favorite parts of RV travel is that we can stop and rest on our bed, cook food in our kitchen, etc…the perks of having our whole home with us. 😉

After making it out of east Texas, we had a one-night stopover in Shreveport, Louisiana (right on the TX-LA border). The next day, we headed out for a long driving day which took us through the entire state of Louisiana — including Alexandria, Bunkie, Baton Rouge, and finally New Orleans. It was a very pleasant drive as we had a mix of interstate highways and local roads, bringing us through open green fields, farmland, and small towns. It felt like we experienced the authentic charm of the deep-south.

Finally, we made it to New Orleans, where we stayed for 3 days. We stayed at a KOA (large campground chain across North America), and we loved our peaceful, relaxing campground.

We ventured out to the French Quarter one day — the historic heart of the city known for its French and Spanish Creole architecture and vibrant nightlife along Bourbon Street. We LOVED the vibe here! Colorful buildings, live music, street art, amazing food, and diverse mix of people…New Orleans goes down as one of the most unique cities in America.

We enjoyed lovely views of the Mississippi River.

Shrimp po boys for lunch at this hole-in-the-wall spot. Love the seafood in Creole cuisine.

The center of the French Quarter was Jackson Square, a peaceful park with the St. Louis Cathedral towering in the background. Is it just me, or does it look like Disney World?

As we were walking around, we heard live jazz music from a bar, so we went inside and listened for a bit. 🙂 This was a highlight of our time here – we loved bopping to the beat and listening along.

It isn’t a trip to New Orleans without BEIGNETS!!! Joe and I love beignets and we made sure to get our fix here. There was also live music at this spot which made it extra fun.

Another day, Joe and I checked out the New Orleans Botanical Garden. If there’s a botanical garden in a city, you bet we will find it! It’s one of our favorite things to do together. We enjoyed a leisurely stroll through the different breakout gardens and nerded out over the plants and flowers.

This garden was unique as there were cool sculptures throughout it.

The greenhouse was very nice, which featured thriving plants compared to the outside garden which felt dwindled down due to the season.

Overall, I’d rate this garden a B+! It was good, but not the best one we’ve been to. I think my favorite will always be the botanical garden in Big Island, Hawaii. Nevertheless, the relaxing stroll and time in nature was just what we needed.

Other than that, a lot of our time here was spent relaxing on the campground. It was such a peaceful lot, and we had no trouble enjoying time right in our trailer. 🙂 We also had plenty of errands to prepare for our next location, which will be more remote and closer to boon-docking (i.e. camping without all the trailer hookups). Between daily chores around the trailer, making improvements, and trip planning, there has been plenty to do around here!

After 5 days in Louisiana, we feel complete and are very excited to move further east to Florida! 🙂