Posted by: noadventure | December 19, 2010

Fishing Bonnabel Boat Launch

Did this one towards the end of the summer, but this cold weather has me thinking of warmer times. I like to head out to the Bonnabel boat launch on a sunny afternoon/evening and see if I can’t wet some hooks.

There is this jetty made of riprap that juts out into Lake Pontchartrain and has decent fishing on the west side. There is even a hill on the peninsula that was made from Katrina rubble which eventually grew grass.

Just get off at the Bonnabel exit and head north(to Lake Pontchartrain) until you drive over the levee. Park on the left side, as that’s where you’ll be walking . There’s also a really nice dog park there right at the lake.

We use frozen shrimp, but you can use plastic lures at the right time if the fish are going crazy.

The trick is to not get the hooks caught in the rocks, or you’ll have to go in and get ’em or cut the line. I wasn’t about to cut the line, so I slipped off my socks and went wading.

We usually bring a few cans of beer with us, but it was a rough evening on the previous night so we just took it easy and refrained from the suds. Plenty to enjoy out there without drinking that firewater.

It’s mostly croakers and catfish(both tiny). When the water is warm in the late summer, I’ve gotten a lot of action out there. Ironically, we didn’t catch a fucking thing. To see us REALLY catching a fish, you may want to examine the post, CATCH YOUR OWN FOOD.

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Posted in coastal, fishing, food, parks, socializing, sportsman, water, wildlife | Tags: , , , , ,

Posted by: noadventure | December 12, 2010

DesCours Art Installation

Tonight(December 12th) is the last night!

DesCours is a free public 10 day architecture and art event now in its fourth year, held the second week of December in New Orleans.

To boil it down for you, there are several art installations around downtown New Orleans in places like the completely gutted Woolworth building on Canal Street and the Amtrak Train Station. It’s pretty cool(and free).

You can get all the info at DesCours.us, but I particularly liked the abandoned Woolworth building. Legend has it, you can get to the roof(if you poke around the stairways and bring a flashlight).

Floaty blob lights.

The building is totally gutted and stripped down, but the escalators remain(non-functional of course).

Soil samples from all over New Orleans from the river to the lake.

This projection on the second floor was cool. This guy and his kids spent about 20 minutes playing in the light. To their right, you can see thousands of black feathers strung from the ceiling to mimic a flock of birds.

There are no lights in the building, except for those in the exhibits, so it’s super dark(part of what I like about it).

Next, we went to see the another exhibit at the Amtrak Train Station. They had this huge blobby blue jellyfish thing that undulated with lights inside of it. My dude, DJ Joey Buttons, was there on the decks programming a jam of ambient Brian Eno-type stuff to complement the ethereal art.

SUPPORT NOLA ART.

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Posted in art, museum, night, urban, urban ruin

Posted by: noadventure | December 5, 2010

Xmas Tree Attack

Sometimes, as xmas looms on the horizon, the thought of dragging out all the ornaments and seasonal paraphernalia is a real chore(and by chore, I mean a pain in the sack).

The best way to have fun doing it, is to invite a bunch of friends over and for everyone to have a bit of alcohol; maybe some peppered hot chocolate with a splash of mescal(i didn’t make this shit up).

The girls will be willing to start it off and get things rolling.

They’ll be responsible for distributing the ornaments…

Showing us which part of the ornament is the bottom…

And basically holding our hands and showing us EXACTLY where to put them on the fucking tree.

Just because 1 little mistake was made. JEEEZ.

In fact, let’s have the guys drop back and observe while the chicks kinda do the rest.

OK! Kill the lights! I wanna see the finished product!

Nice!

Happy Holidays from NOadventure and check out the site next week for the “Make a Movie – part 4” post that premieres the new Lovey Dovies music video. Cheers.

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Posted in beer, how to, socializing, winter | Tags: , , , , ,

Posted by: noadventure | November 29, 2010

Long Vue House and Gardens

Editor’s note: this is Rebecca’s second guest post. She’s kinda the history buff around here. Longue Vue is an amazing place right in the middle of a sleepy neighborhood.

I have always seen the signs for Longue Vue House and Gardens, but I had never been. So one weekend this past July I decided to check it out. The Longue Vue House is one of the last great houses to be custom-built in America, taking three years(1939-1942) to complete. It is a Classical Revival style house of three stories and a basement, an unusual feature in New Orleans. Visitors tour the main living spaces of the house. The house contains its original furnishings.

Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the property. We learned that all the walls are 2 feet thick with a two feet wide walkway in the middle and another two feet thick wall, making the walls six feet thick between rooms. The house had a lot of luxuries for a house of that time including central air conditioning. My favorite feature was that the owner had all the clocks in the house wired to one master clock in the attic. This way, all the clocks would always had the same time, and it was much easier to set the clocks. The grounds, of course, are beautiful. They are full of what seems to be endless gardens and fountains.

When we were there, there were flowers blooming everywhere.

Did I mention that butterflies love flowers? They were all over the place.

And don’t forget about the Discovery Garden. You can bring your kids to play, learn and explore the garden. This garden is full of herbs, local plants, vegatables, flowers, and more.

Please visit their website for more information:

www.longuevue.com

Admission

House and Gardens $10.00 Regular Admission $9.00 Seniors (65 and over) $9.00 Military $5.00 Children 3 and over / Students with ID Free Children 2 and under Gardens Only $7.00 Adults $4.00 Children 3 and over / Students with ID Free Children 2 and under Groups rates are available.

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Posted in art, historical, urban

Posted by: noadventure | November 22, 2010

Tiki Zipline Tour (BR)

Wow. Who’d have thought Baton Rouge would open up a zipline canopy tour? Not me. Even though it probably doesn’t compare to the ones in the Costa Rican rainforest, it’s still pretty cool for being an hour up the river from NOLA.

That’s kinda what NOadventure is all about – making your own fun no matter where you are. This guy looks like he’s having a blast!

So does this guy.

Description from Tiki Zipline’s site:

“There is a full one mile of zip line adventure awaiting you at Tiki Zip Lines. We have erected 11 stations with 10 connecting zip cables. You’ll move from stately one hundred year old live oaks through magnolia trees and over a young cypress swamp as you travel along the zip lines. One is a monster 1,600 feet long. That’s between Station F and Station G. As far as we know this is the only canopy tour adventure that allows you to return within 50 yards of where you check in. This makes it as simple as a trip to the local park. But, be forewarned it’s not like riding the merry-go-round in the park.”

The Monster “Station F.”

They’ve got a ton of photos on their site. Most of them show the facility in some sort of construction, but they’ve got a few cool pics of the platforms in various conditions.

Misty:

Snowy:

Viewy:

Here’s the best part – a coupon for half-off(cause this stuff ain’t cheap):

HALF-PRICE COUPON

A bunch of videos on youtube claim to be the World’s Longest Zipline, but I just chose this one in Alaska because it looked cold.

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Posted in baton rouge, climbing, zipline

Posted by: noadventure | November 14, 2010

Jefferson Davis Home (Beauvoir)

Editor’s note: This is my wife Rebecca’s first guest post on NOadventure. You may have seen her in about a thousand of the photos on this site. If you have an adventure you’d like to share, email me(guest posters get a free NOadventure t-shirt)!

The Jefferson Davis Home (Beauvoir) was the last home of Confederate president Jefferson Davis and it was the site of his retirement. The house was completed in 1852. In 1877, Jefferson Davis was looking for a retreat to write his books and papers. Mrs. Dorsey(a family friend) lived in the home. She allowed him to stay at Beauvoir in one of the two pavilions for $50.00 a month. After two years he wanted to purchase the property. The selling price was $5,500.00.

The home and other buildings on the property sustained extensive damage during Hurricane Katrina. The two pavilions were completely washed away, but have since been reconstructed true to their original design. While the main house was heavily damaged, it remained intact. There are pictures on display in the home to show the damage.

All the ceilings and walls were hand painted. At first glance, the ceiling appears to have molding, but it is all paint, it just appears to be three dimensional.

Out in what is now the back of the house(during the Jefferson Davis days, this was the front), there used to be a rose garden; all that remains is the sun dial. Mrs. Davis kept meticulous records of the roses she had planted and a future project to recreate the rose garden is in the works.

While you are there, take a walk around the grounds. There is the old orange orchard, a spring and man-made waterfall, Oyster Bayou, and the grave of a beloved donkey. There is also the Cross in Confederate Cemetery on the grounds.

BEAUVOIR
The Jefferson Davis Home & Presidential Library
2244 Beach Boulevard, Biloxi, Mississippi 39531
http://www.beauvoir.org/

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Posted in art, beach, coastal, historical, mississippi, museum

Posted by: noadventure | November 7, 2010

Tunica Waterfalls

New Orleans is flat. ‘Cept for a levee and some water, it has a completely featureless horizon. Tunica Falls, just a couple hours upriver from NOLA, seems(topographically speaking) a world away.

The REAL name for Tunica Falls is Clark Creek Natural Area and it technically lies just across the Mississippi state line in the humble one-building-town of Pond, MS. Definitely worth stopping in and getting a Gatorade and a T-shirt.

Bottom line – this place rules. It’s probably my favorite outdoor trip that’s close to New Orleans. We visited a couple of weeks ago when we stayed at the Myrtles and attended the Angola Prison Rodeo. They’re basically all in the same neighborhood.

“Comprising more than 2,000 acres, this Natural Area’s officially highlighted by some 40 waterfalls (though you’ll find only 6 along established trails), ranging from 10 to more than 25 feet in height.”

“Clark Creek’s steeply sloping hills host a mixed hardwood and pine forest dominated by beech and magnolia. Here, visitors discover a variety of colorful migrating and resident birds; invertebrates; poisonous snakes; a rare land snail; the federally endangered Carolina magnolia vine; a state endangered fish, the Southern red belly dace. This forested tract also provides excellent habitat for another threatened species in Mississippi — the black bear.”

A couple of things you’re likely to see here are deer and the mysterious Eastern Chipmunk, which there is no trace of in New Orleans. Beware though, even if the wild animals don’t get you, the trail might – it’s a steep and “treacherous” hike that can get wet.

DIRECTIONS:

From Baton Rouge, take Hwy. 61 north, past St. Francisville. Turn left on Angola Prison road, otherwise known as Hwy. 66. Eventually, Hwy. 969 will fork off to the right, Turn Right There. Pond, Mississippi is at the junction of Hwy. 969 & Hwy. 24, 25 minutes from St. Francisville, La. (Pond General Store will be off to your left, next to the duck pond).

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Posted in baton rouge, climbing, geocaching, hiking, mississippi, parks, road trip, water, waterfall, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , ,

Posted by: noadventure | October 31, 2010

Angola Prison Rodeo(2010)

Yes, the month of October is rich with festivals – Oktoberfest at Deutsches Haus, Voodoo Music Fest, New Orleans Film Festival, various seafood and oyster fests, plus fucking HALLOWEEN. Last year we went to a Haunted Corn Maze; this year we went to the Myrtles and the Angola Prison Rodeo.

Let me first just say what an awesome facility Angola is. It’s actually called Louisiana State Penitentiary and it’s been a prison since before the Civil War – jeezus.

Landscaping looks great, huh? That’s because they’ve got hundreds of really cheap gardeners. It may sound like I’m joking, but horticulture is one of several trades that prisoners can learn on the inside. That comes in handy if these guys are ever released from prison. Few businesses want to hire an ex-con, so the prisoners learn something that can earn them  $40/hour working for themselves.

Angola is actually super easy on the taxpayers. It’s really just a huge farm – they raise cattle, vegetables, catfish, and produce goods that have value on the outside. They have their own newspaper, The Angolite, and they even have their own FM radio station, “the incarceration station – the only one… in the nation.”

The first thing you’ll want to do if you go to the rodeo is buy tickets in advance and get some seats opposite the chutes(these are the things the bulls come out of).

And at some point(I suggest before the rodeo), check out the Angola Prison Museum at the front gate. In addition to all the latest prison souvenirs in the giftshop, you can see what a cell looks like, learn of dazzling and violent escape attempts and see an extensive collection of shanks.

When you actually get to the rodeo, show up 2 hours early so you can take in the whole prisoner craft fair environment. Yes, all the stuff is made by prisoners. Yes, they are open to bartering. Yes, they are super well-behaved and LOVE the privilege of being able to participate in the rodeo, so don’t be scared, homie. They’ve got some pretty cool birdhouses, furniture, t-shirts, and don’t forget the leather goods! After all the cows they raise are used for food, there is a helluva lot of leather left over for CRAFT-TIME! Yaaaay!

I even bought a couple of wallets there  –  I’m selling one right now on EBAY. Pretty sharp, eh?

Oh, they’ve got some pretty good food too. I even had Deep-Fried Coke. No big deal(it tastes like beignets).

Now for the actual Rodeo events. I’ll skip the lame ones.

1 Bust Out – 8 angry bulls with convicts on their backs bust out of the chutes at the same time. Good thing the convicts have little to no bull riding experience.

2 Bareback Riding – this is on horses.

3 Wild Horse Race – 8 three-man teams try to catch and ride wild mustangs. Hilarity ensues as well as dudes getting dragged all over the fucking place.

4 Bull Dogging – 2 convicts try to body-slam a 500-pound calf bull that doesn’t want to be body-slammed.

5 Wild Cow Milking – 8 wild cows are released and teams have to fight for a squirt from their pissed-off teats to bring to the judges.

6 Bull Riding – yeah, that’s what it is.

7 Convict Poker – buncha prisoners sit at a card table pretending to play cards while a 1500-pound bull is released. Last guy seated is the winner. Usually, some of the guys start to run away when the bull gets close, but sometimes all 4 convicts have tremendous balls and they just sit there and hope they are the last guy the bull sends into orbit.

8 Guts & Glory – this is the signature event. A poker chip is attached(by string) to the bull and it rests on its forehead between his horns. Twenty to thirty loose convicts try to get the poker chip while the bull goes ballistic. Convicts go flying.

Just a secret bit of advice: traffic coming out of the rodeo is hellish. It took us 3 hours to go twenty miles. Unless you have a secret way off the prison grounds, I would suggest leaving after Convict Poker to beat the rush.

Also: they don’t allow cameras, guns, alcohol, or cell phones into the Rodeo, so you’ll have to check out my photos from the last time I posted on the rodeo below.

CLICK ON THE PHOTO FOR THE RODEO PICTURES:

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Posted in art, fall, festival, food, historical, museum, road trip, rodeo, socializing, sports, wild animals

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