Well, we committed to trying out Betty's RV Park for three nights. I told her we would be there around 1:00 today.
We try to avoid interstates and especially I-10 through Louisiana based on our prior experience. However, the most direct route across LA 14 had lots of turns through small towns.
It wasn't until we were finished at the dump station that we made up our mind. We decided to try the interstate for most of the 93-mile drive.
We left Sam Houston Jones State Park around 10:30. Soon we were on I-10 east heading toward Lafayette .... and it was wonderful. Some of the best I-10 has to offer. :)
But then. Then we exited I-10 prior to getting to Lafayette. The roads from that point all the way to Abbeville were terrible - rough, bouncy, and, at one point the term "road" was being quite kind.
We turned on this little section of road - LA 699. The part right where we turned was under construction. The first couple of hundred yards was rutted, hard packed dirt (after the little muddy bridge). Then we got to the part where we had to stop and wait for a "pilot" truck to lead us through. That part was powdered concrete with road construction equipment taking up most of the road.
But we were pretty much committed at that point - not much we could do. When it was our turn, we followed the "pilot" truck around the heavy equipment through the thick powder, and I kept thinking "Please don't stop!" I seriously thought we could get stuck.
However, Linda & I both were thinking "Well, if we do get stuck, there is plenty of machine power here to pull us out". :)
It was quite nerve-wracking driving through there. We did stop a couple of times, but we didn't get stuck. Once through the fine, light gray powder, we had to drive on freshly oiled pavement. That wasn't going to be good.
Once I could see U.S. 167, a four-lane road, I was relieved. But it was still pretty bad until it got to the town of Abbeville.
Once in Abbeville, we still had to go through the Historic Distric of town to get to Betty's. It was a bit narrow through there, but not too bad. At that point, I was prepared for just about anything.
Linda had called Betty once we hit U.S. 167 to get directions on which driveway to enter. We were to take the first one. Of course, there was a motorhome in the drive when we arrived, and I had to sit on the road for a few minutes.
I just sat there with my turn signal on, and the line of traffic behind me seemed to take it in stride. They just went around when they could.
We finally got in, parked, and went in search of Betty. It really is just a bunch of RV spaces surrounding a house. This is where we went in.
We met Betty and she was just as nice as everyone says she is. She checked us in and gave us some cold bottled water. It was something like $16.50 a night including tax with our Escapees discount. Betty loves Escapees. :)
She quickly committed our names to memory and showed us our "site" which is just a spot next to her house with full hook-ups (30 amps at our site, but there are 50-amp sites as well). Now, keep in mind that I had done plenty of research and I was quite aware of what we were getting into.
It's actually better than I thought it would be. I had heard about parking on grass and it being muddy. I was a little concerned about that. But the whole "park" is gravel. I don't know if that's a new thing or not.
Here are some photos.
Yep, we're just parked along the left side of Betty's house and front yard. :)
Here's the view across her yard to our rig.
There is a Mobile Suites directly behind us and then back-in sites around the perimeter of the yard.
There actually is room for slideouts and awnings, but not much. :)
Betty has to carefully coordinate her reservations and rig sizes so that people can get in and out of their sites. It's pretty cozy. :)
But coming to Betty's isn't about the sites and the amenities - it's about the patio, the nightly happy hours, the hospitality, and the social time with the other people in the park that are here for those same reasons.
Once we got situated, hooked up, and online with the satellite dish, we worked on getting the oil off the front of our rig. That was no fun at all.
A combination of cleaners, sponges, and rags wasn't working very well. Finally, we pulled out the Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. It still took some elbow grease and a lot of time, but the Magic Erasers seemed to work the best.
Caution: Always test Magic Erasers on small, hidden areas first to make sure they won't damage what you are cleaning. And, if it takes some serious rubbing, the Magic Erasers tend to disintegrate pretty quickly.
What a pain. We still have a lot to clean, but at least the worst part is over.
Linda continued to dust and vacuum the inside while I turned my attention to getting concrete dust off the windows.
Finally, I was able to get a shower. And Linda made the Southern Pineapple Casserole from our Rally Favorites Recipe Page for the Happy Hour at 4:30.
Everyone brings their own drinks to Happy Hour. Betty put out a cracker and cheese tray while others brought snacks as well. It's very much like a mini-Escapees RV Park Happy Hour.
That's Betty in the blue ... laughing. :)
Betty worked for a federal judge for 28 years before retiring in the late 90s. She was going to rent permanent trailer sites on her property, but quickly found that didn't work out too well. Someone suggested she make things less "permanent" and put in some RV sites. She started with four and they were all booked her first weekend. Now she has 17 sites and a steady stream of returning customers.
At Happy Hour, folks talked about what they did today and we, of course, introduced ourselves. We wore nametags to make it easier for everyone.
Some folks are here for a few days. Some are here for a few weeks. And some are here through the winter. Some are full-timers, some are half-timers, and some are just passing through.
Linda's snack was a big hit and, of course, she fit right in quickly. :) By the time everyone went home, we had plans for dinner tomorrow night, and they were trying to get us to stay through the weekend so we could join in some other group outings that sound like fun.
We'll have to boondock in another spot if we decide to stay Friday & Saturday, but that's no big deal. We'll see how it goes. :)
Of course, this isn't the kind of place we would normally choose. And we certainly wouldn't go out of our way on bad roads to park in a gravel parking lot next to a noisy, busy road. And, had we not known what Betty's was all about and just picked it out of a guidebook or seen all the "10" ratings on RVParkReviews.com (without actually reading the reviews), we'd probably be terribly disappointed.
However, with our expectations sufficiently lowered about the parking situation, we are keeping an open mind about the rest of the experience and plan to have some fun while we are here. :)
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