LOUISIANA

When given the option, we prefer our route to be good secondary roads rather than Interstates.  If you are in a hurry or there is not a good alternative, then Interstates are the way to go.  But for sightseeing and experiencing a bit of culture while driving, nothing beats a good secondary road...in this case, we decided to take US 90 through Mississippi and into Louisiana.  It did not disappoint.

In the photo above we are coming up to the bridge that brings us to the New Orleans district....that is Lake Borgne on the left and Lake Ponchartrain on the right.

This is typical of the small communities of St Bernard Parish that are part of greater New Orleans.

Note the houses are built on stilts to raise them at least one story above potential flood surges. 

Even the larger homes are built up in the air.  Surely not for those who walk in their sleep!

Here a barge plies northward on the Mississippi River.  It is astounding to think of the amount of raw materials and other goods that ship up and down this great river highway.

Looking out across massive Lake Ponchartrain, which separates New Orleans from the northern suburbs of Slidell, Lacombe and Ponchatoula.   The causeway that connects Slidell directly to New Orleans is about 35 miles long over the Lake....note, we did not drive on the causeway with the motorhome!

Here is an example of a typical cemetery (aka, the "dead center of town") in and around southern Louisiana.   Since most of the areas are at or below sea level, crypts and vaults are built above the ground....and as you can see many of them are quite decorative.  (there could be additional photos of cemeteries like this if we visit the likes of Marie Laveau, the voodoo queen of New Orleans in the 1800s.)

Here is a sign we were happy to see along our route through Mississippi and Louisiana.  Far better petrol prices than in Florida or Alabama!
(stay tuned for more from LA....we are here for 3 more weeks!!)