Posted by: noadventure | September 27, 2009

SnoBall Tour of NOLA

Editor’s note: Right at the end of the season, another guest post comes from Australian Francine. She was here for 6 weeks and tried as many snoballs as she could.

A Snowball Tour of New Orleans

Eating snowballs is a long-time, much-treasured New Orleans tradition, and like all things food related in this city, everyone has their favorite place and flavor. During Jazz Fest ’08 I had my very first snowball. A novice to the delights of this icy yumminess, I ordered an orange flavored one. My New Orleanian friends teased me on my pedestrian choice of flavor and suggested I try nectar with condensed milk. Who on earth had ever thought that putting condensed milk over shaved ice would be a good idea? Sheer genius! I was instantly hooked. In the summer of 2009 I spent six weeks in New Orleans exploring these sweet ice treats across the city.

While there is much debate over who makes the best snowball, one thing is for sure – you can have a blast finding out for yourself.  If you’re planning your own tour of New Orleans snowball stands, I suggest you do it with a few friends in tow, and order the smallest size available in a bunch of different flavors so you can sample the many taste sensations awaiting you. Some snowball stands are seasonal so call first to avoid disappointment. The aforementioned nectar with condensed milk soon became my “control” in the quest for the great NOLA snowball. Enjoy!

PANDORA’S SNOWBALLS

901 N. Carrollton Ave. New Orleans, LA 70119

(504) 289.0765

Hours: Daily 12.30-7pm

Founded: 1971

Most popular flavor: Strawberry

The verdict: Pandora’s is one of the few stands that make their own ice(Editor’s note: Sal’s also makes their own ice). They also make their own sugar-free syrups with the rest coming courtesy of SnoWizard (no less than 113 flavors). We tried five flavors here including wedding cake (almond essence), tiger’s blood (a strawberry/coconut mixture), tangerine and nectar. Cantaloupe was my personal fave – refreshing and fruity, it was delicious!

PANDORA'S pastedGraphic

HANSEN’S SNO-BLIZ

4801 Tchoupitoulas St., New Orleans, LA 70115

(504) 891.9788

Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 1-7 p.m.

Founded: 1939

Most popular flavor: Cream of nectar(Editor’s note: I don’t believe you – although I like nectar, I think every snoball place’s most popular flavor is strawberry)

The verdict: I made two trips to Hansen’s just to be sure 😉  They’re known for their ice which in my humble opinion is definitely far superior to the rest – it’s fine, soft, and super fluffy.  Many of their syrups are made fresh daily too. We sampled a bunch of flavors including their most popular, cream of nectar, which I found a little bland – maybe there wasn’t enough syrup on mine… but the Satsuma was outstanding! Be prepared for a brutal wait on this reward. The line is often long and it moves at a glacial pace. Once you hit the doorway you’re still about 25 minutes away from nirvana. The staff like to have a chat with each and every customer that passes through. Like the sign reads: “There are no shortcuts to quality”.

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Satsuma! YUM!!!

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Fluffy and light – the ice by which all others are measured.

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Miss Cricket is a regular at Hansen’s.

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The “Sno-Bliz” – Ernest Hansen designed this baby – the secret to their snowy success.

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The original Hansen’s sign, now retired, hangs inside the shop window.

Sal’s Sno-Balls

1823 Metairie Road, Metairie, LA 70005

(504) 666.1823

Hours: Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.- 10:30 p.m.; Sunday 2-10:30 p.m.

Founded: 1960

Most popular flavor: Chocolate

The verdict: At this busy stand you can eat your snowball while sitting in the shade on a fake wood log(Editor’s note: the logs are real – they are wooden tree trunks, not telephone poles, and definitely not fake). I tried a chocolate & a nectar with condensed milk at this neighborhood fave. Both were good, though the ice was a little crunchy. They have fun flavors like the Batman (pineapple/orange), the Robin (nectar & Ice cream) and the Joker (blackberry, raspberry, grape mix). Tons of parking makes it a convenient stop if you’re cruising through Old Metairie.

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William’s Plum Street Snowballs

1300 Burdette St., New Orleans, LA 70118

(504) 866.7996

Hours: Daily 2-8 p.m.

Founded: 1931

Most popular flavor: Chocolate

The verdict: Plum Street is a charming snowball shack that briskly serves their faithful flock. We arrived early one Sunday afternoon and watched them unload their ice shaving machine off the back of a truck – do they stash it somewhere each night to keep it safe??? Everyone hangs around and eats their snowballs on the benches out front or across the street on the curb. And as for chocolate being their most popular flavor…  indeed!  Absolutely delicious!!

PLUM STREET SNOWBALLS

At Plum Street we sampled chocolate, passionfruit, strawberry, hawaiian punch and spearmint. I had tried their nectar on a previous visit – it’s good too.

Ro-Bear’s Sno-Balls & Soft Serve Ice Cream

6869 Jefferson Highway, Harahan, LA 70123

(504) 737-5013

Hours: Daily 1-9.30pm (during the season)

Founded: 1966

Most popular flavor: Chocolate

The verdict: I got my Nectar fix on here – surprisingly good for a dodgy looking highway stand. Check out the Blue Hawaii (coconut, bubble gum & cream) if you’re feeling adventurous!

pastedGraphicrobear

SnoWizard Snoball Shoppe

4001 Magazine St., New Orleans, LA 70115

(504) 899.8758

Hours: Sunday-Friday, noon-8 p.m., Saturday noon-7 p.m.

Founded: 1937

Most popular flavor: Strawberry

The verdict: SnoWizard is responsible for manufacturing and providing many of the local snowball vendors with their syrups and ice shaving machines. You would think this place would be a shrine to all things ice and syrup considering they’re the epicenter for much of the snowball industry but there’s nothing quaint or charming about this place. It feels like a fast-food drive thru with service to match. The ice and the flavors were okay (we tried nectar and coffee) though at the time I didn’t know that strawberry was their most popular flavor so maybe I missed out…

SNO WIZARD

Bot and Nola’s

71360 Louisiana 59, Abita Springs, LA 70420

(985) 875.1247

Hours: Daily, 1-7 p.m.

Founded: May 2004

Most popular flavor: Chocolate cream

The verdict: I tried my usual nectar here – It was the perfect end to a 24 mile bike ride along the nearby Tammany Trace in 95% humidity!

Tee-Eva’s

4430 Magazine St., New Orleans, LA 70115-1541

(504) 899-8350

Hours: Mon-Sat 11-6pm Sun: 12 – 5pm

Founded: 1987

The verdict: Eva Louis Perry is best known for her delicious pies and pralines; I would pass on getting a snowball here again. Not my fave.

The Original New Orleans Sno-Balls and Smoothee

4339 Elysian Fields Ave., New Orleans LA 70122

(504) 283.8370

Hours: Mon-Sat  10-7pm

Founded: 1993

Most popular flavor: Strawberry

The verdict: The ice was a bit chunky instead of the much sought after soft & fluffy variety, but the flavors were definitely good. They have shaded outdoor seating for immediate consumption!

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SNOLA

Audobon Park

Magazine St. New Orleans LA 70118

(504) 415.6003

Hours: Summertime: Daily 11-4 (Sundays only after Labor Day)

Founded: 2009

Most popular flavors: Strawberry & Nectar

The verdict: Snola is a cute little snowball truck disguised as a mini street car. They set up each weekend in Audobon Park but you can also sometimes find them at special events around the city, plus they’re available for private parties. Snowballs here are served in chinese take-out style containers.  \I had their Nectar snowball TWICE!  I think that says it all. This new-comer to the snowball wars is hoping to have a permanent location up and running by Summer 2010.


Koolrunning Sno-Balls

Audobon Park

Magazine St. New Orleans LA 70118

Hours: ?

Founded: ?

Most popular flavor: ?

The verdict: Like SNO-LA, Koolrunning’s is a snowball truck set up in the middle of Audobon Park. We tried tiger’s blood (a strawberry & coconut mix), nectar with condensed milk, pink lemonade and orange-pineapple. All are recommended.

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The evidence: a tell-tale red tongue – yeah, I had Nectar again!

CASEY’S SNOWBALLS

4608 W. Esplanade Ave. Metairie LA 70006

(504) 888-3920

Hours: ?

Founded: ?

Most popular flavor: ?

The verdict: The Nectar was good, though the ice was a bit crunchy. Casey’s has a bunch of convenient parking but keep a keen eye out for this stand as there is currently no sign out front and you could easily blow by it and not even know.(Editor’s Note: when I was a kid – this place was the joint!)

CASEEY'S CASEY'S_2

It was impossible for me to hit all the stands in and around New Orleans during the short time I was there and already I’m hearing about places that I missed but will definitely go to on my next visit. Here’s a list in case you want to check them out too:

Beaucoup Nola Juice

4719 Feret St., New Orleans 70115

(504) 430.5508

Highlight: Real fruit is used to make their syrups.They also have a bunch of exotic flavors made from fruit imported by way of Central & South America.

Queen of the Ball

8116 Oak St., New Orleans 70118

(504) 430.5718

Highlight: Over 100 flavors, many of which are made from fresh juice.

Elaine’s

Just off LA 1 north in Larose

Bubby’s Snoballs & Ice Cream

247 W. Harrison Ave., New Orleans 70124

(504) 905.2366

Papa Sam’s Snowballs

2201 9th St., Mandeville 70471

Van’s Snowballs

303 Morgan St., New Orleans 70114

(504) 394.6223

5 Comments

Posted in food, socializing, summer, urban | Tags: , , , ,

Posted by: noadventure | September 20, 2009

ATL Adventure

Sometimes, a little road trip is necessary to explore the South. New Orleans has plenty to offer, but my bomb shelter documentary Buried Alive got into the Atlanta Underground Film Festival and I took a day off from work to check it out.

We arrived smack dab in the middle of ATL in the afternoon. Damn, this place is huge! New Orleans needs more mega-businesses like Coke, ATT, and CNN(Turner), and Delta.

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Let’s head to straight to Little 5 Points for some Mexican food! We went to El Myr(which is exactly like the Juan’s Flying Burrito of Atlanta).

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After that we drank some beers and then decided to summit Stone Mountain in the dark(where we saw a fox). Even the pitch-dark, you should stop and smell the flowers from time to time.

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After the brave(and successful) summit attempt, we checked out the super-redneck LASER show on the side of the mountain. Since this is not New Orleans, they don’t allow drinking, but we smuggled in a bottle of wine and a rhubarb pie to consume during the firework/laser spectacular. BTW, there were about 6 thousand rednecks there.

stonemountainlaser

The next day, we grabbed some Vietnamese food that would make the Westbank proud. Then, we hit up this crazy exhibit that let’s you feel what it’s like to be BLIND. It’s called Dialogue in the Dark, and it’s awesome. You basically get a cane and walk around different environments for a half hour in complete darkness(as if you were actually blind).

Time to go to the movie screening! It was at the Carter Center which is close to downtown and L5P. The crowd wasn’t huge, but Buried Alive was definitely the audience favorite.

The next day we hit up the Georgia Aquarium(which is the biggest fucking aquarium in the world). You see this sucker down there? That’s a whale shark; they’ve got 2 of them. They are the only whale sharks in captivity in the Western Hemisphere.

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You know the shark tank at New Orleans’ Aquarium of the Americas? It’s 1 million gallons. This whale shark tank at the Georgia Aquarium is 6 million gallons!

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Did I mention they also have beluga whales?

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Then there was this cool wave-ceiling thing. In fact, a lot of the glass was overhead so you could see the fish from a different perspective.

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On the way back to New Orleans, we saw a dude with a canon. Fun trip.

canontrailer

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Posted in climbing, festival, food, georgia, hiking, movies, night, road trip, socializing, urban, water, wild animals, wildlife | Tags: , , , , ,

Posted by: noadventure | September 12, 2009

Mushroom Hunt

It’s been raining a good deal recently and it has crossed my mind that a mushroom hunt might make a good NOadventure(it sure did). First off, I am a big fan of fresh mushrooms. I often look at all the weird ones that grow in my neighborhood after a storm and wish I had more knowledge about their edibility. Fancy mushrooms cost a king’s ransom at Whole Foods, so I usually get my exotics at HONG KONG MARKET. A cool fall/winter activity might be getting a bunch of fancy mushrooms and crusty bread and making a fondue. Sounds tasty.

There are all types of edible mushrooms in the wilds of south Louisiana. I don’t know if you will find any morels…

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…but there are definitely chanterelles(I hear they taste like chicken when pan-fried) on the northshore(and cubensis mushrooms just about everywhere). [UPDATE: I found chanterelle mushrooms in my fucking backyard after a 3-day rain.]

Golden_Chanterelles_-_Cantharellus_cibarius

Our mushroom hunt began in “the Parrish.” Check out the beautiful Oak Alley.

St.Bernardoakalley

We had to pass through the 9th ward to get there though.

dogdeadbetter

We parked in a neighborhood and found an ATV trail into the woods.

ATVtrail

There was plenty of wildlife on the way like crab spiders…

crabspider

… some rabbits, a fox that was too fast for my camera, and these gigantic grasshoppers.

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They were extremely docile so I grabbed and befriended  them. Enough about animals, we were hiking ahead in search of mushrooms. Let’s cross this cattle-guard!

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There were bones everywhere!

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Then we found some cows resting in the shade.

cowsshadesofttractor

Sometimes mushroom hunting is a lonely job.

lonelyjob

The grass was really high, so the conditions were less than ideal. All we harvested was one lousy mushroom. We should’ve come early in the morning instead of so late in the afternoon!

shroombag

On the way back to the city we stopped at a taco truck and met some kids from NY2NO. They come down here every year from New York to rebuild houses.

tacokidsNY2NO

I gave them some NOadventure stickers.

NOAsticker

Even this guy got one(he also one First Prize for “best jobless weirdo to hang out around a bunch of kids at a taco truck all day.”

oldtimer

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Posted in food, hiking, socializing, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , ,

Posted by: noadventure | September 6, 2009

Make a Movie(Roller Rock)

AS SEEN ON STREETCARNAGE.COM

So in the past, we made a little movie called Keeping Up With The Jetsons, that gained some popularity and got into this year’s New Orleans Film Festival.

We did it again, only this time – the location was Westbank Skate Country, and we got some exercise in along with making a pretty fucking good video. The band is called THE BUTTONS and as usual, the song was a hit.

Only a few ingredients were necessary – starting with…

An awesome crew:

arcadesetcounter

Some cool equipment:

snackcrane

A killer location:

floordolly

State of the art musical technology:

keytar

An enthusiastic cast:

partyscene

And some hot chicks:

chicks

Click here for Westbank Skatecountry.

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Posted in art, how to, movies, rollergirls, rollerskating, socializing, streetcarnage.com, urban, westbank

Posted by: noadventure | August 28, 2009

Biking the Tammany Trace

Editor’s note: new guest poster Kevin writes about beautiful road biking on the northshore.

First, call your friends and ask them “You wanna ride on the NORTHSHORE?”

callme

Second, rack ‘em and drive across Lake Pontchartrain on the Causeway, the world’s longest two lane bridge… or some fact like that… careful of the Causeway Police (popo) because they ticket speeders in order to fund the maintenance of the coolest car ride in south Louisiana. They’ll get you comin’ and going. Pay attention to the posted 35mph on the entrance and exit. Accelerate to 65mph only when you’re far away past the popo station. Set your cruise control to 65mph and stay in the right lane. You’re cruisin’ along across the lake with excellent 360 views.

Third, park at the Abita Springs Brewery and Pub.

Your headed for the Tammany Trace Rails to Trails bike path.

The BrewPub is a good starting place….with a fruit stand close by as well as a  Mystery house with cool novelties. There is also an old school grocery store for water and supplies. Plenty of small town to explore.  The Trace has 40 miles of paved trail, From Mandeville all the way to Slidell.

Head east on the well-paved bike path to your destination… Fontainebleau State Park (hyperlink …facts) Its 12.5 miles to the Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain…a fairly flat and enjoyable ride.  One can only imagine the train steaming through this wonderland of pine forest.

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You’re gonna smile when you get out away from the crazy New Orleans city and into the country. You’ll sweat out your hangover. Riders can easily pedal a one speed cruiser, but road bikes with multiple gears are suggested.  Use caution when you have to cross the highway, some drivers don’t always expect to give you right-of-way.  Use your bell to announce your arrival at the intersections.

tammanytracemap

Look for Nutria (rat like beaver) and other wild critters. Coons and armadillos will also sometimes cross the path.  See the mud towers made by the tasty crawfish.

You’ll come to a bridge where turtles and even small gators will greet you.  Good photo-op and hydration point. Look for turtles… they’re in there…somewhere.

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Well patrolled and friendly atmosphere here. On Saturdays, local merchants sell arts and crafts, tamales, soft-shelled crab and some outrageously delicious Almond Paste Macaroons. You’ll also find Spicy Pickled Mirletons or meerlatones or whatever, the pickled ones are worth the money. Try a selection of pepper jams and Middle Eastern cuisine as well as tamales that sell out quick.  A great stop to get some good southern hospitality from locals who are genuinely friendly.  Back on the bikes….

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You’ve turned into the Fountain Blue National Park and paid a dollar per person to enter. Head straight to the beach where swimming and general beaching are occurring. Water temp: a brackish 85f.(Editor’s note: It was probably warmer than that.)

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Take your timer photo…send it in for cash and prizes.

Get hydrated cuz now you’ve got 12.5 miles back to the brew pub for beers and chow.

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You earned it. 26 miles…your butt is sore and you’ve worked up a thirst….time to go into the Brew Pub and enjoy.

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Abita pours their specialties – Amber, Turbo Dog, Restoration Ale, Purple Haze, and this year’s seasonal beer called Satsuma, a beer with local citrus flavor (different than you’d expect). It’s perfect with any of the menu items at the brew pub where a shrimp and avocado salad might tantalize. Of course they may run out of towels in the restroom, but they have a sign in there.

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Great way to spend a Saturday.

4 Comments

Posted in beach, bicycling, northshore, parks, socializing

Posted by: noadventure | August 22, 2009

Hot Air Balloon Festival

Editor’s note: Here is yet another post written by a GUEST writer(Barry and his wife Jenni) here on NOadventure.

The Pennington Balloon Championship is an annual hot air balloon festival held each year in Baton Rouge.  Since its inception in 1989, participants have come from all over to take part in the events, the final being the “balloon glow” – when all the pilots fire up the propane jets simultaneously in the early evening.  A parachute team performs nightly, and each night is capped off with a fireworks show.

The festival took place at the Pennington Biomedical Research Park, which is located on Perkins Road just west of Staring Lane (Essen):

My wife Jenni and I got there around 6:30 Saturday evening to see the mass ascension.  With 30 balloons in this year’s event, that seemed like the best thing to see.

We found out shortly after we got there that they cancelled the mass ascension due to weather – it had been storming earlier that day and even though the skies seemed okay, there were enough clouds in the vicinity to make it a little too danergous.  Yeah, that sucked, but there was still a lot to see.  The Black Daggers parachute team dropped themselves from a plane and made their way down to the field:

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Not long after these guys were done, the crews started inflating the massive balloons for the balloon glow.  Here is what one crew started with:

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Yep, the entire balloon is inside that blue pack to the right of the basket.  The balloon crews seemed to be mostly families, with everyone participating when it was time to get them up and going.

A high-speed fan would blow air into the balloon while a few people held it open…

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It took about 15 minutes to get the balloon as full as possible before firing up the propane burners.  These balloons won’t go anywhere without the heat – simple thermodynamics… heat rises, right?

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The balloons would right themselves as the air inside heated up…

About a half hour after they started, the field was full of these things.  And we found ourselves in the middle!

starting to inflate

It was starting to get dark by this time, and you could see when the pilot would fire up the propane heater… because the entire balloon would glow.

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The goal here was to get all the balloons to fire their heaters at once, so they’d all have the glow at the same time.  An announcer counted them down. We found out later that some of the balloon pilots wouldn’t fire their heaters because the balloons were already so full of hot air that they were fighting to keep them down.  Still, it was an impressive sight…

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We’ll go back next year, but will go early in the morning for the competition.  I remember that back when I lived in Baton Rouge, every year on the day of the competition, the city skies were full of balloons – I’d like to see that again.

Did I mention that this is all free?

Check out this video of the final flaming/filling and listen to “today’s hottest country:”

Here’s another video of the balloon flames going ballistic!

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Posted in aircraft, baton rouge, festival, socializing

Posted by: noadventure | August 16, 2009

Snorkeling the East Jetty(Destin)

Editor’s note: Here is the second post written by a GUEST writer(Pearce) here on NOadventure. Also look around town for the new stickers I had made or email me if you want to know how to get one.

Many people believe that there is no clear water anywhere near Louisiana. Those who buy into this claim most likely have spent a substantial amount of time vacationing near areas like Grand Isle or tubing down rivers like the Bogue Chitto, a distributary of the Mississippi. Don’t get me wrong, reeling in the occasional tarpon or tying on a good day-buzz on a float trip down a lazy river are fun, but don’t sell yourself short. Not all the water in or near Louisiana is muddy or tannic. Head east, to Destin, Florida.

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The last 30 years of unregulated development in the Florida panhandle have made the approach to Destin along highway 98 seem more like using AOL in 2000 without a pop up blocker than it does like the landscapes that inspired local artist/naturalist Walter Anderson some 70 years ago. Unfortunately, 30-foot dunes of bleach-white sand topped with sea oats are largely obscured by monolithic skyscraper hotels and go-kart tracks. Don’t be deterred, what’s on the other side of this façade of shenanigans is worth the drive.

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One of the best places to snorkel in the panhandle is at <Destin Pass>. This crystal blue and aqua green channel of water separates Ft. Walton from Destin. On either side of this channel is a line of jetties built to protect the beaches from erosion created by the wave action of passing boats. These jetties are the entry point for your aquatic exploration.  Use the map to navigate down the road from 98 to a small strip of protected land known as Holiday Isle. Park your car on the side of the road and walk down the trail of sand until it opens up and the wall of jetties is in sight.

The walk from the car to the beach is a bit long for some, especially when trekking through sand. Walk toward the gulf, keeping the jetties to your right. If you are new to snorkeling and want to ease into the game, bear right earlier on before the water gets too deep. Here you can get used to swimming with a mask on, blowing the saltwater out of your snorkel, and donning your fins with relative ease. If you are a little bit more advanced, head further down toward the Gulf, and hop over the wall of boulders.

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This part can get tricky. Put your cloths in a safe place high enough that a wave from a passing boat won’t send them swimming. Ease into the water, watching out for the barnacles on the rocks. Find a flat rock to sit down on, put on your fins, and place your mask and snorkel in place. Be careful, as passing boats can send a wake that will make you buoyant one moment and then send you instantly crashing back down into the rocks. Make sure you are steady at all times. When the water is calm enough, ease in, and take in the underwater scenery.

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A few things to note in the arena of safety:

1) There are boats traveling through the pass at high speeds. While they are used to seeing divers in the area, it is best to float a diver’s flag or at least swim within 100 ft. of someone else’s.

2) Watch the tide. If it is going out to sea, stay close to the jetties and keep an eye on your surroundings. If you begin to get too close to the Gulf, get out immediately and walk back. A strong tide can carry even a strong swimmer out to sea. USE FINS! (Editors’s note: Snorkeling conditions in the Jetty are relative to the tide. The best time to go is high tide, so if you plan to snorkel for 3 hours, get there 1 hour before peak tide. I have been there at low tide and it sucks. In optimal conditions, the visibility is 50+ feet.)

3) If someone is fishing in an area before you get there, be courteous and keep your distance.

4) Jellyfish(as big as Frisbees) can sometimes inhabit the area and they do sting. Sharks, though very rare and seldom dangerous, are also sometimes spotted.

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Use copious amounts of sunblock(Editor’s note: fuck sunblock.) and remember to bring with you to the jetties:  flip flops, a wet bag or a dry bag to store your belongings, mask, snorkel, fins, and one car key. Try to bring only what you will need with you and lock everything else in the vehicle. The flip flops in the wet bag will keep your belongings afloat should they fall in.

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On the way home, and if the timing is right, stop at the Hip Pocket Deli at 4130 Barrancas Avenue in Pensacola for some of the cheapest biggest sandwiches on the east coast of the Mississippi. The sandwiches are huge, the prices are low, and gas is expensive, so why not?

To cap it off, a video of Andrew diving under:

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Posted in beach, coastal, florida, how to, road trip, snorkeling/scuba, swimming, water, wild animals

Posted by: noadventure | August 8, 2009

Cat Island(by powerboat)

The sea was pretty calm on the coast, so on a whim, we decided to go the 9 miles or so off shore to Cat Island.  The island is named for raccoons which early explorers mistook for cats. It was called Isle-aux-Chats and Isola de Gati in French and Italian, respectively. History aside, it’s a short shot from Pass Christian and we were feeling lucky enough to take on the open sea. With Dave at the helm, a monster tube in the stern, and some other dudes on deck, we set sail.

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Pearce brought his trademark red scarf. Whenever he sports neck-ware, I can feel a subtle condescending superiority vibe he gives off. What an asshole.

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Not to be outdone, Bob countered with some stylish mirrored aviators to showcase his rugged Jewish determination.

bob on deck

Success! After a short kidney-rattling 20 minutes across the open ocean – the island is in sight. Hopefully, we will not urinate blood later in the day.

island insight

We had to anchor the boat far away from shore and swim to the island(in case the tide went out and left the boat hung up on a sand bar for hours until high-tide). Jeez the boat is far away.

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The island is very private and desolate. We were here on a Monday and didn’t see any other boats. We only really explored the westernmost tip, but I’ve heard the southern beach is packed on the weekends with boats, music, and wayward collegiate breasts. As you can see, the water is an clear emerald color and might provide some decent snorkeling in the best conditions.

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We were but 4 dudes on an uninhabited island exploring the lush grasslands and pines.

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I’ve never seen a live one in the wild, but Mississippi barrier islands are covered with dead horseshoe crabs.

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There are plenty of huge birds of prey on the island like eagles and ospreys, along with gators and mammals in the interior swampy forest. One live critter we came in contact with was this brave needlefish.

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He kept darting at my ankles and doing other bold confrontational behavior. Maybe this “acting out” was his way of attempting to gain our companionship, but we’ll never know for sure.

tauntingneedleneedletaunt

On our swim/wade/drudge back to the boat, I had to rescue the anchor from the sandy depths.

anchorrescue

After rocketing back to the coast and almost running out of gas, we decided to try out the mega tube. Nobody suffered anything more than a slight concussion.

megatube

To cap off the day, we jumped off stuff.

davejump

The End.

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Posted in beach, coastal, islands, mississippi, socializing, swimming, water, wildlife

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