Our move from Tickfaw to Natalbany was easy, since it was only about 40 minutes away near Amite (pronounced A' meet) and the sites are concrete and almost level. The park itself is a bit on the seedy side – picnic table tops and seats are warped, the concrete road cracked and heaved, and the restrooms, while clean, need a lot of work. We had time over the weekend to settle in, then off to the hospital Monday for paperwork and Tuesday for surgery. The surgery went well and I had him back home and medicated by mid-afternoon. Wednesday was rainy and Thursday the heavens opened. I contacted the park office and reminded them that we would need to be notified as early as possible in case evacuation was expected since I'd need help getting the RV hooked up to travel. Also, because we could receive neither reliable cell nor TV reception, we were in the dark as to forecasts and news. After being assured that they would keep us informed, I checked to be sure things were in order outside and in, and we spent the evening watching DVDs. Before we went to bed, Rich checked outside and said there was about an inch of water on the pad, and still pouring rain. About 4:30 AM he woke me and told me the water was nearing the bottom step of the RV and we needed to hook up. By the time we had the slides in and I went out to try to find someone to help me get the 70 pound hitch on the truck, the water was up to my knees in places. We decided to get in the truck and get out while we could. The fellow I had asked to help in case we had to evacuate had already left with his unit, the couple next door was gone, and the only people we could see were leaving with their 5th wheel. We were happy to follow them out to the main road since it was still dark and it was impossible to see the road. We surely didn't want to get hung up on a fire pit or sign post – none-the-less, my heart was still in my mouth. We drove into town and had breakfast at a Waffle House while we regrouped. Not knowing what else to do, we drove back to the RV park where we chatted with a deputy who was waiting for a boat to go in and rescue folks who hadn't gotten out. He suggested we go immediately and get a motel room for a couple of nights because with so many folks being evacuated, rooms would soon be scarce. We spent the next two days on pins and needles – hoping against hope that we'd have an undamaged home to go back to. As it turned out, leaving the trailer in the park was the best thing we could have done. We were able to move back in two days after we left and the RV was just as we had left it. Luckily, without realizing it, we had chosen the highest location in the entire park and the only thing we lost was our welcome mat. We later realized water had damaged the front stabilizer motor, but even so, we figure we got away cheaply. We saw a fellow with a 5th wheel who wasn't so lucky. He had tried to get out, missed the road, ran over a fire pit, tore his black tank out from under his trailer, and who knows what else! Poor guy. There were propane tanks – one 100 pound – chairs, tarps, sections of fence, fittings, tools, grills, cell phones, two-way radio, and RV sewer hoses scattered all over the park – who knows what else. The heavy picnic tables (I could barely slide one end at a time) had floated into a deep gully.
To celebrate our exceptionally good luck, we went to The Boston Restaurant and got a delicious lunch – shrimp po' boy and a perfectly prepared burger. Can't wait to go back have some of their much touted sushi. We also found a Fox's Pizza Den and Murphy's Family Restaurant which were both better than average but not on a par with The Boston. I imagine we'll be revisiting each during our lengthy stay.
We took rides to Houma, Ponchatoula, and Mandeville, visited Bogue-Chitto State Park (they had water 20 feet deep in their lower campground loop – glad we weren't staying there!), and tried to keep Rich from going stir-crazy, which was especially difficult on the Easter weekend - the park was full to overflowing with families, all of which seemed to have dozens of kids and everyone had a golf cart. Finally Rich was released from the doctor's care and we headed north.
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