Canoe '22 - Island '24
Our friends were planning a annual family canoe trip and they invited us along! They frequent this particular park as the water entrance that marks the beginning of the canoe trip is in close vicinity. The park is unique in that it backs up the Coushatta Casino. It is called, Red Shoes RV Park & Chalets. Located in Kinder, LA. They have a waterpark at the casino that was available for the RV guests in 2022. I just planned to enjoy the day there with Tommy, basically because I was not sure that he would be stable enough to get into the canoe, plus he is not real fond of the word “boat”. (You will remember the blog as we prepared him for his first cruise!)
Heath was thinking about joining them on the canoe trip, but the plan was an all-day trip, and he hated to leave us to explore alone! We enjoyed the water park together instead.
This was a new experience for Tommy. Although he was not interested in the water slide, the lazy river looked inviting! The concept of floating on a tube through the river he didn’t quite understand. He did cause a few “jam-ups” and also just tried to walk fast trying to get ahead of people:( Luckily, we were early in the morning and left as it began to get crowded. We went to eat that evening with our friends and their family then relaxed the remainder of the weekend.
For me, I like to pick my spot whether it is at an RV park or campground. Red Shoes does not allow that, but we were thrilled to end up on one of the end sites and enjoyed a small yard and nice shade tree. They also have a large swimming pool that we enjoyed, and all the sites are own concrete pads and pretty spacious.
2024 -
I recently “gave in”. We purchased a new diesel truck. Heath was wanting a more comfortable hauling experience and the ability to go further north on our adventures.
On a whim, which we sometimes turn our thoughts into actions quickly, decided to test our new setup! We called, booked and left just like that!! LOL Our plans took us back to Red Shoes RV.
The grounds are still very nice. We ended up parked next to some great people and enjoyed spending one evening with them. Meeting people on the road can sometimes be scary but it was like we had known them forever. They spoke freely about God and how in their life path He had placed people with them to go through challenges. We firmly believe that as well and have experienced God taking care of us in some truly scary situations. It was a blessing to say the least!
For those that follow along for the park suggestions, I have to tell you that the waterpark at the casino is no longer offered to the RV guest. Very SAD… They didn’t offer an explanation as to why, but I didn’t really question them in depth either.
An unexpected invite
Tommy had made himself at home and set up his animals in his room, so I took sometime to sit outside. I sent a picture to my friend that we had traveled here with in 2022. I asked her to “guess where we were!” As we texted, she told me that they were planning a day trip over to Avery Island the next day. Since we were already in Louisiana, she asked if we wanted to join them. We had visited Avery Island when Tommy was too little to remember, so we decided that this could be our unexpected adventure for this trip.
We came from two different areas and timed our meet up with in 10 minutes of each other. As we drove into the facility, we noticed that they had expanded so much since we had last visited. We purchased tickets for their self-guided tour which was very informative. Tommy enjoyed the phone stations and videos along the way! The tour is definitely worth the time if you are looking for an outing for your family.
You will notice the bear sign… Now Tommy saw it and became fearful. I tried to get him involved with a photo but he just kept saying “No, No” as he walked on past! LOL I was able to capture some other scared folks at the sign though!
Tommy was happy to continue the tour knowing that there was a store at the end of his rainbow!! LOL He purchased a soft bat and ball, and Heath couldn’t leave without some Tabasco favorites himself. We enjoyed some ball playing back at the park that afternoon too!
We walked over to the restaurant that is there now and enjoyed lunch. The food was delicious. Between all of us we sampled several items from the menu, well not Tommy, but he did love the French fries and coke!
Jungle Gardens
Included in our tour tickets was a drive through of their Jungle Gardens. This was a very cool drive. You start with groups of large live oaks. The moss growing and hanging from them was really beautiful. Next were several ponds. Tommy was willing to look at the turtles we saw, but the thought of seeing alligators had him ralled up! He was making so many ridiculous noises of uncertainty in the back seat you would have thought that we were planning to throw him to the gators. He was just a bit over dramatic… Maybe because of the large stuffed gator that was in the gift shop in this area of the island. He seemed good when I was taking his picture with it but he was trying to figure out the snake in his mouth for sure!
We kept driving through the remaining areas of birds and palms trees. Through archways of greenery that were stunning. The section of camellias were not blooming at this time, but I am sure they would not dissapoint.
One last treat
We decided to make our way back to the restaurant for their special of the day dessert. Cheesecake with a praline sauce drizzle. YUM! I honestly did not think we would get Tommy back out of the truck. He said, “No I stay right here!” Bless his heart, he was done! It was a warm day, and we had made him walk more than I thought he would last… I don’t normally try new things and I knew that tabasco was used in their praline sauce. But it was delicious. Great flavor with a little bite in the aftertaste. I was impressed!
We took a few more photos and gave some hugs. We enjoyed our time on this adventure!
WE needed this time away and God supplied us with new friends and adventures with friends that are like family. We are blessed to enjoy these times of getting Tommy out of his “own world” and at the same time receiving some love, comfort and care that Heath and I desperately need in this life!
-God Bless
