Last Explorer trip of the school year

Well we finally got here. Trip #7. New Orleans, here we come. We left VERY early. I would tell you about our very first time going to NO but that was an overnight trip and all the rest of years from that year on were day trips so I will stick to the one day trip.

We did not do yellow dog because we left the west side of the state going all the way to the east side of the state. We took a charter bus and left very, very, very early - I believe we left school at about 4:30am. We wanted a FULL day in N.O. and this was the only way to get it done.

We pulled up to Café du Monde about 7am. When we got off the bus, we did not get back on it till about 10pm. Our bus driver went to a hotel and slept while we walked everywhere. My Explorers had a very hard time keeping up with me.

After Beignets we walked across the street to Jackson Square and I told stories of what, when, why the statue was about, what happen during civil War to base of statue, why he was on a horse with front legs up (due to the baroness in the center room of the Pontalba Apartments wanted to look into Jackson's face). From there the Explorers were told to work on a drawing, take lots of photographs, then we walked over to St Louis Cathedral.

After walking in, thru the Cathedral, seeing all the flags, tombs, and hearing my stories, we left for the French Market which was their CHEAP spending time and money there. We wandered the entire six blocks and when we got to the end we were across the street from the old U.S. Mint. We visited and walked thru all the exhibits.

We now had a long walk back and this is were they had to keep up with this old man. We walked back along the Moon Walk, along the river, to the old Jax Brewery. From there we were going to dinner on board the Creole Queen with a riverboat trip to Chalmette, the Battle of New Orleans battlefield. We had a great meal, lots of visiting, watching the river roll by.

When we got back it was time to take group photos in and around the Spanish plaza then head off to the Riverwalk Mall, a short distance away. My Explorers had a great time and yes I did turn them loose - with one chaperon - and let them just wander, hang out, go in and out of stores of their choice.

They ate, they shopped, they walked what seemed like miles and miles and miles. As we left at 10pm we walk back to where the bus would pick us up. By 10:30 we were on the bus and headed for home. It has been a great year - and it was great to be an Explorer.