Sarah and I got a late start on Monday April 23. I don't think we left until around 2pm. We weren't sure how far we would make it, especially since I couldn't ride at night since I still didn't have any functioning lights (they have either been broken or stolen). Our first planned stop was at the abandoned Six Flags theme park just outside of New Orleans. It was about 12 miles from Sarah's place and it took us just around an hour to get there. Thanks to Sarah's GPS we found some apparently abandoned roads that were traffic free which led us directly to Six Flags Parkway and the entrance sign of Six Flags which bares the simple yet stark reminder of how long the park has been abandoned with the simple words "Closed For Storm" on the marquee.
Despite the signs posted out front warning prosecution to trespassers we found a hole in the chain link fence, made it a little bigger, and rolled our bikes through. We have heard about the abandoned theme park from friends who have visited and were excited to see what it was all about.
As we rolled up to the park you get a sense of the amount of time that has passed as you can see giant bright colored structures shooting up from the overgrown vegetation. When we got to the entrance the broken glass strewn about the ground caused us to get off of our bikes and walk. The eerie entrance was only the beginning of the fun as we entered the spooky park. As we walked through what seemed to be a scene straight out of the movie Zombieland, we couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched from the shadows of the dilapidated buildings. It was an odd sensation. Sarah and I both took our time making our way through the park, reading much of the random graffiti that covered every inch of the walls of the empty buildings. Sarah wanted to climb to the top of a roller coaster so we set out for the tallest and bluest one we could find, which we had previously seen shooting up from the foliage like some modern day ancient ruin. As we made our way to the top I couldn't shake the idea that the ride was just going to start up out of nowhere and knock us off the side. From the top we had an incredible view of the entire park, as well as the surrounding area including a view of the distant New Orleans downtown area. After taking a few pictures we headed back down and returned to our bikes which remained unstolen. Before turning a corner to head through the rest of the park we saw some people which startled us and we kind of rushed to the other end to avoid them. I assume that they were just some people interested in checking out what was left of the place, just like us, but thanks to the eerie feeling of the park and warning signs out front we didn't want to interact with anybody there.
I think we both could've spent all day at the park, but after an hour we decided to continue on our way around Lake Pontchartrain. After all, it was still another 48 miles to Fontainbleau State Park, our destination. We found an alternate way out of park which was completely ungated and also lacked a single 'no trespassing' sign, so we didn't feel so bad about being there.
We only made it another 20 or so miles to the town of Slidell before the sun crept down. It was still another 25 miles to Fontainbleau so we set up camp, using our new tent for the first time, and made the best of the night. It was a pretty secluded spot, but we could still hear the roar of a crowd from some stadium in the distance.
The next day we woke up fairly early and hit the road. Before long we reached the St Tammany Trace Trail, which is a rail-to-trail bike path which would lead us right up to the park entrance. It was a much desired way to travel and I can't say enough good things about the St Tammany Trace. We reached Fontainbleau around 2pm which was the perfect time to take a dip in the lake. The water was warm, and it seems like you could walk out into the lake hundreds of yards before getting waist deep. Lake Pontchartrain isn't necessarily known for being the cleanest body of water, and in all honesty it was a little murky. By the time you were up to you waist in water, your feet weren't very visible. After wading around in the lake and getting some sun we headed over to the little water park that they have for kids at Fontainbleau. I had so much fun running, jumping and splashing around like a child through the fountains and the hoops they had spraying water everywhere. It's kind of hard to remember what it was like running around as a 5 year old but I feel like I did a great job trying. Every once and a while I'd catch myself stopping and questioning what I was doing, but then I remembered that ration and logic don't need to be present to have fun. It was really refreshing to be able to crawl into that head space again. It was probably my favorite part of the three day trip.
After drying off in the sun, eating some lunch, and doing some exercises we decided to head off toward the nearby town of Mandeville to get some dinner. Before leaving the park we were distracted by a sign that pointed the way to an Alligator Marsh. The prospect of seeing alligators outweighed the prospect of food so we took a small detour to the marsh. At the marsh we walked along the boardwalk and spied 2 fair sized alligators. One was maybe 4-5ft long and the other was probably 5-6ft. They are so still and blend in so well with their surroundings that it's hard for the untrained eye to spot them at first. I'm glad we stopped and that I finally got to see some authentic Louisiana gators.
In Mandeville we got some tacos for 'Taco Tuesday' and listened to some local music. I also called my friend and fellow pedicabber Mark O (crescentcitypedicabbie.blogspot.com) and set up a time to meet him for breakfast the next morning. It was the first time I've found myself on "his side" of the lake, and I didn't want to miss the opportunity to say hi.
Sarah and I headed back down the bike trail just after dark. We had previously scouted out a site to camp, so now we just had to find it in the dark. While we set up our tent, the mosquitoes weren't shy about taking our blood samples, and we retreated quickly into the safety of the tent. We soon fell asleep, excited about breakfast plans.
When I woke up and left the tent, I realized we were a lot closer to the trail than I imagined from the night before. Luckily it was early and I only saw a few joggers pass by as we took down camp. After packing up we headed back into town to meet up with Mark for breakfast at a place called Liz's. Mark had been out in Fontainbleau that morning taking pictures and was waiting for us at the restaurant. It was great to see him for once outside of his pedicab uniform and in his normal everyday Mark uniform. He insisted on treating us to breakfast, which was an incredibly generous act, and we shared stories of our recent trip and talked to him about our upcoming adventure. He was excited to see the gear we were traveling with and also to show us the completely shedded snake skin he had found that morning. It was probably 4 ft long and completely intact. It was really great to see Mark, but soon we were off to make our way back home the 60 miles around the lake.
The wind coming off of the lake made the rest of the day a little difficult. We stopped at a few places to eat but eventually made it home around 5pm. I'm glad to have found such a good riding partner. Sarah is strong and can keep up a good pace, as well as pushing me at times when I start to get lazy. The taxing wind was a good reminder of life on the road, but the trip as a whole made me very excited for the upcoming bike tour to Newport, RI. I can't wait to embark on that adventure, and hope to keep everybody up to date through my blogs on all the fun I'll be having.
So glad you are writing again, Dallas! What a cool few days you had. Don't forget to post your road debris spottings. I am looking forward to what the east coast holds in store. =) ~k
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