If you plan it they will come... day twelve

Tuesday October 8th

We enjoyed the it so much yesterday we decided to get up early, head back to the beach and watch the sunrise. It was a beautiful morning with a light breeze and just a few clouds in the sky. Again, we were surprised by the number people out and about, some walking their dog, others just enjoying the dawn of a new day.

 

Here comes the sun.....

Sharon on the beach just after sunrise

One last look before we get on our way.

We made our way back to the RV Park, had breakfast, packed up and headed westward along highway US 98 before turning north to rejoin I-10.
We crossed Escambia Bay, passed through Pensacola FL and Mobile AB before leaving the interstate to head towards our lunchtime destination, Laurel MS where the HGTV show "Home Town" is filmed.

Crossing Escambia bay.... that's a floating bar!!!!

Andrew's view of the Festiva most of the trip!

Once we turned north off I-10 traffic eased up and the weather was very comfortable for driving. 

 

Typical scenery on the run up to Laurel MS.

 

We arrived in Laurel right around lunch time so headed directly to Lee's Coffee & Tea to grab a bite to eat, definitely worth the stop. After lunch we took a walk around the town center. As we passed Pearl's Diner Phyllis saw one of the signs that said cornbread and we went to the door to see if we could pick some up to take with us. The door was locked but we were pleasantly surprised when Darren, Pearl's son, opened the door and when he found out where we were from invited us inside to have a look around. Even though they were closed Darren checked to see if there was a loaf of cornbread in the back. Unfortunately there was none left but what an awesome example of southern hospitality! If, or should I say when, we get back to Laurel we'll be sure to stop for a meal at Pearl's... and maybe we'll be able to meet the lady herself. We strolled around the town center visiting quite  a few of the stores, including Laurel Mercantile, the Laurel Leaf and Lott Furniture.

Outside Pearl's Diner... notice the "cornbread" sign

Sharon and the Mercantile

 

Sharon and me inside the Mercantile.

 

Outside Lott Furniture

Inside the Lott Furniture store.

While we were in Lott Furniture we met Rodney, one of the owners. He shared some of the history of the store with us and also mentioned that they we in the midst of setting up to shoot a TV commercial for the store that would feature Erin and Ben Napier, hosts of "Home Town".

Our parking spot....

We retrieved the vehicles and made our way to Scotsman's General Store and Woodshop. This building that gets featured quite a bit on the TV show. There were windows between the store and the woodshop so that you could watch the work going on inside. Ben Napier and one of his colleagues were there working on a couple of things so that was a little bit exciting. 

Ben Napier at work in the woodshop.

After picking up a couple of souvenirs and gifts Sharon popped back to the RV to grab some water bottles. I stopped to have a look at Ben's truck in the parking lot and as I was admiring it he came out of the woodshop and introduced himself. It was 29°C/84ºF that day which he said was a cool day for Laurel. When he asked where we were from he mentioned that the director of the show was from Edmonton, about three hours north of our home, and that he compared this to a hot day in August for us! Ben also gave us some tips and suggestions for our upcoming destinations.

The Festiva and Ben's truck...

Ben, Sharon and me.

We said our farewells, made our way to the car and after filling up with gas headed off to our next destination, New Orleans LA!

Approaching New Orleans

Sunset over Lake Pontchartrain

The drive south was uneventful and we arrived in New Orleans as the sun was beginning to set. We made our way to the New Orleans KOA but got held up at a train crossing for quite a while only a few blocks short of the campsite. We got set up, made supper and had a relaxing evening checking out a few things for tomorrow, including where to park for free or cheap.

Our route for day twelve.

That's a wrap for our twelfth day. We're just about two thirds of the way through the trip and heading steadily westward. What would you suggest we see in New Orleans? Let us know in the comment section.