Better Days

After our setbacks of Wednesday we set out bright and early today (Thursday) to see if we could make up the lost miles and make it to New Orleans (please pronounce this 'Norlens'). We sped along the I10 with Jim and Kathy, with a short stop for fuel and a longer stop for lunch at a Kangaroo Express Truck Stop.
As we approached New Orleans, we crossed Lake Ponchartrain on a bridge abut 5 miles long. It was here that the road started to deteriorate. So we slowed down. The problem is the concrete slabs they use to build the road. Often one end would sink slightly (perhaps only half an inch), so every 20ft or so we would be going over a bump. Unfortunately once the car has gone across then the trailer wheels cross it and give us another bump. This causes a pitching motion which is quite uncomfortable. What is worse is that every now and then the speed/bump ratio produces a harmonic motion effect, so the bumps get bigger and bigger. Then it is not only uncomfortable, it becomes worrying and downright dangerous, so we have to slow down to 50 m.p.h. One little set of bumps actually made the car leave the road and bounce three times before we could get it the pitching to stop, so we slowed down to 45 m.p.h. Eventually we drove into New Orleans. The road is very busy. It is elevated so we could see first of all the now green, housing areas where Katrina had devastated homes, but they were only cleared, not replaced. Then new housing, where old homes have been replaced.
Then as we approached the heart of New Orleans we looked down on The French Quarter. However, here the road system gets complicated. To cross the Mississippi two major roads merge into one, plus access from the local French Quarter and Business district We made sure we took the correct exit, which was on the left (fast lane). Jim and Kathy had traffic forcing between us, so dropped back. This made walkie-talkie communication difficult, just when we needed it most, because as we are towing a trailer we could not actually see them, unless going round a bend. We swung round the Superdome and filtered into all the traffic merging to cross the huge bridge across the Mississippi (two bridges really, as there is one for each direction). We were now travelling East, rather than West. As we came off the bridge we had to select the correct exit to take us on to Westwego and our campsite, as the road kept splitting into various roads to take traffic away from the Bridge area. We managed without making a mistake, but it was quite hectic. Have a look at the road system on google maps, (We came in on 10, from the North East, crossed the river and went out on 90).
Within a few minutes we were turning into the peace and tranquility of the Bayou Segnette State Park and setting up on our campsites. We had a really nice relaxing meal - Jimmy cooked great pork chops. Halfway through, the mosquitos descended like a cloud and we had no option but to pick everything up and run for the RV and finish our supper indoors.
Still, we had safely made it to Norlens.