The Gulf Coast of dissapointment

After Texas, Jenny and I had the goal to find a nice beach on the Gulf of Mexico to relax on.  Unfortunately, we only had three days to travel the coast, leaving us one day of relaxation and two days on driving.  I had researched Louisiana beaches on the internet at Kerrvillle and determined the best for my purposes (finding interesting animals) - Grand Isle State Park.  So we headed for the park, but it was getting dark quickly.  Our initial plan was to stop at a state park just outside of New Orleans, but due to Louisiana's terrible advertisement for its state parks, it took a very long time to find the place.  Once we did, it was equally difficult to find the entrance and camping areas.  It turned out to be closed, so we just said **** it and headed to our ultimate destination.  The drive from New Orleans to Grand Isle was 100 miles at 30 mph, which was pretty tedious.  The park is that the end of a peninsula, and toward the end we saw a "no camping" sign.  So we decided to just get a motel.  We ended up staying in this motel on stilts in the middle of the ghost town of Grand Isle.  It was overpriced and terribly underfurnished. but I slept well.

In the morning, we headed out to the tip of the peninsula, looking forward to a day of rest.  The town was just as empty in daylight, and once we reached the end, Grand Isle State Park was still nowhere to be found.  Questioning a hotel worker, we found out the park's been closed since Hurricane Katrina due to damage.  That might have been something useful to put on the signs and websites so people don't waste a 100 mile trip to the middle of nowhere, wouldn't you think?  So full of disappointment, we headed back to New Orleans and to Pensacola, Florida.  We did learn Louisiana McDonalds feature a different menu, including a McBLT and a "McDouble", which is like a double cheeseburger with only one slice of cheese, but the same price as a double hamburger.  I'm sold!

Once in Pensacola, the campsite was full and neighboring parks charged $37 for camping!  At that rate, why not just get a motel?  We stayed at the park for an hour or so, allowing me to find two king's crown snails.  But then we made an eight hour drive to Jenny's mom's in Saint Pete's Beach for our week long stay there.  And that's where I've been ever since.