~Monday, November 15, 2021~
Day 519 (Travel Day)
Tried to find a Starbucks launching into our 350-mile day, but nothing accessible enough for towing a rig. We decided to just wait until we’re on the main highway for a bite to eat. As we drive out of Lafayette, which is right in the heart of Creole and Cajun country, we realize just how historic this town is. In addition to the Vermilionville Village where we stayed, there are plentiful homes, churches and plantations. We also read that it is host to an annual festival held every April, called Festival International de Louisiane. It is the largest international outdoor Francophone music and arts festival in the country where artists from more than 20 French-speaking countries along with 300,000 festival goers, celebrate their French heritage through music, food and art. So we’ll have to pay a more thorough visit in Lafayette next time. And we both have French heritage so I think we could be included. It is also evident with the backpack cladded pedestrians that Lafayette is also a college town, The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, home to the Cayennes.
Headed west on Highway 10, being this far south, we noticed just how much the terrain changes from swampy, brown rivers in Louisiana to fertile, rich looking farmland in Texas, swapping out alligators for cattle. Approaching Houston was a bit of a shock to the senses with all of the traffic congestion, loopty loop interchanges and miles of road construction. The skyline was beautiful with the prominent Minute Maid Park (home to the Houston Astros) and the many skyscrapers in a city of 2.5 million people. As we continued past the city, we had very narrow lanes, with only inches between the rig and K-rails that lined the highway. A bit stressful!
We arrived at Magnolia Beach at a great time, with little to no wind, calm waters, and an uncrowded beach (one of the reasons we chose a Monday to get here). On the way, we noticed about 3 or 4 RV parks that likely all cost between $35-$50/night and are nowhere near as nice of a location, leaving us wondering why more travelers don’t stay here. Oh yes, there are no hookups. But seriously folks, if you just come prepared with a full tank of water, an empty black and gray tank and a generator (no solar panels required), you’re good to go and you can live in the lap of luxury for a few days (up to 14 days) with these killer views…..for FREE!! Oh, and you have to be willing to have the patience of tackling the endless amount of sand coming into the trailer. It feels like we’re back at Del Mar all over again. For us, it has become a shoe-free zone for the duration of our 3-day stay.
Backing up was a breeze and must say, it’s the strangest thing to just back up right to the water. But how can this
happen considering tide changes and such? Don’t you have to worry about your trailer floating out into the Gulf? Magnolia Beach is a natural beach, fronting Lavaca Bay, only changing tides by inches, not feet. For example, today’s tide chart said low tide would be at .72 feet and high tide would be at 1.03 feet. You can definitely see where storm surges have been with the light vegetative debris in a line along the beach as well as snapped off palm trees from previous hurricanes. But, we’re not in for any nasty weather while we’re here, so we should be o.k. RVer’s come here to simply relax, fish and do beach things. Sounds like the perfect place to recover from New Orleans!