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Old 01-21-2013, 07:52 AM   #21
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Down these parts spring breakers don't show up until the 2nd week of March. I suspect it's the same at most beach areas.
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Old 01-21-2013, 08:08 AM   #22
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Go for it, it's wonderful (the turtle soup, don't know about the rodent meat)!

-ERD50
I will definitely try turtle soup! Eh, nutria is a herbivore mammal, not unlike many livestock farm animals.

DW is sitting next to me here, and I asked if she would. Nope! She just made a face. That applies to both turtle and nutria.

We went to NO more than 10 years ago. Did not know of turtle soup to try then.

Been to Florida a few times, and got chicken out of trying gator meat every time. Finally tasted it in a chowder at a small bayside restaurant in Victoria BC, of all places. It was just like white meat of chicken. Somehow, I do not think turtle meat will be like that.
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Old 01-21-2013, 08:10 AM   #23
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I have heard of turtle soup forever. I have not had a chance to try it, but wonder what good soup can come from an animal with mostly shell and black leathery skin.

Just looked up on the Web and saw images of turtle soup with a turtle or perhaps just the shell floating in the bowl. I hope that's not the style of Creole turtle soup. Still, I think I will try some nutria first before turtle soup. A nutria looks "meaty" compared to a turtle, you'll have to agree.

Crab and lobster do not look all that interesting to eat..... crab in particular has very little meat.... but people spend lots of money eating them....

I think I had turtle soup once... but really can not remember for sure and do not remember what it tasted like if I did....
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Old 01-21-2013, 08:14 AM   #24
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Crab and lobster do not look all that interesting to eat..... crab in particular has very little meat.... but people spend lots of money eating them....
That's because the flavor is divine.
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Old 01-21-2013, 08:15 AM   #25
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Eh, blue crab certainly does not have much meat, but Dungeness crab is meatier and much better tasting than the meaty Alaskan crab.

I used to dream of owning a waterfront home on the Puget Sound, so that I could row a canoe out to the bay to check my crab trap every day. If my portfolio shoots up to the sky like the most optimistic line in FIRECalc, and if I am not too old by then, I may still do it.
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Old 01-21-2013, 08:49 AM   #26
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Down these parts spring breakers don't show up until the 2nd week of March. I suspect it's the same at most beach areas.
Bout the same in Florida, at least last year.
The breakers started flowing into Key West on March 6, and by the time we got to Sarasota on the 8th the beaches were getting packed, only to get worse.
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Old 01-21-2013, 09:42 AM   #27
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From turtle soup to birding, close to Dauphin Island is Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge.
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Old 01-21-2013, 10:05 AM   #28
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If your kicking around in Mobile, you might want to try the below seafood restaurant. Pretty decent.

Wintzell's Oyster House > Contact Us > Historic Downtown

And just down the street you might try this one if your in the mood for bbq. A shameless plug for my nephew's restaurant.

Moe's Original BBQ - Mobile, AL

Bellingrath Gardens is a neat place to visit. Although during the winter I'm sure blooming flowers are somewhat limited.

http://www.bellingrath.org/about-us.html
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Old 01-21-2013, 10:52 AM   #29
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From Mobile, we have always really enjoyed Dauphin Island. And the ferry across to the fort and Gulf Shores is pretty neat too. There is a famous botanical garden on the way to Dauphin Island from Mobile that we have never had time to visit.
That would be Bellingrath Gardens. A beautiful garden any time of the year, but especially when the azaleas are blooming. Allow a couple of hours. We usually spend most of our time at Gulf Shores/Orange Beach.

http://www.bellingrath.org/

We always take the Mobile Bay ferry. You will save a lot of time IF you get there when the ferry is loading. Otherwise there is a long wait. The schedule has been the same for years except for the prices, which keep going up.

As for bird watching, at Fort Morgan, Alabama, we stumbled into a very interesting event on our last visit. They do is an annual census of migrating birds. Fort Morgan is the last stop before birds head across the Gulf of Mexico. The birds spend some time in the woods there to eat and rest. The bird census takers (volunteers) string up nets 10 to 15 feet high and hundreds of feet in length that are invisible to the birds. The birds are caught in the nets where they are catalogued, banded and sent on their way.
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Old 01-21-2013, 11:30 AM   #30
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Bout the same in Florida, at least last year.
The breakers started flowing into Key West on March 6, and by the time we got to Sarasota on the 8th the beaches were getting packed, only to get worse.
Since the OP plans to leave in February (does not give a date) and be gone for 3+ weeks, I thought he might run into spring breakers and so might want to plan around them re accommodations, etc. But apparently some of you know that won't be an issue so that's good.

I found a partial list of when schools let out for 2013 here: http://inertiatours.com/spring_break_dates.php
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Old 01-21-2013, 12:49 PM   #31
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But, but, but what do the little pieces of turtle meat look like in the soup, this enquiring mind likes to know?

Is it dark, or white like chicken and tastes like chicken too?
Reminds me of the old Australian recipe for Galah (a type of parrot) Soup: Put a rock and a Galah in a pot of boiling water......cook until the rock is tender.....throw out the Galah...eat the rock.
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Old 01-21-2013, 01:27 PM   #32
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If you have a lot of travel time and are a fan of history you might enjoy taking the Old Spanish Trail (OST) which extends from St. Augistine to San Diego.









1929 Travel log index

Old Spanish Trail Centennial
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Old 01-21-2013, 03:16 PM   #33
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Here you go. The best looking turtle soup I could find in Google images has a little spilled on the side of the cup, unfortunately, but imagine that the spilled soup wasn't there. Now, imagine pouring a teaspoon or tablespoon of sherry from a crystal decanter on top of the soup. Finally, imagine sipping hot turtle soup. Hits the spot, doesn't it? You are now in heaven.
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Old 01-21-2013, 08:25 PM   #34
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Fine. I will definitely have it, and even try to talk DW into having a taste. I have even looked up a recipe to see how they make it. See the following, which also has a photo: Creole Turtle Soup Recipe | Nola Cuisine

The above site says that a good soup should have cubed meat, not ground meat. The latter is "cheating". Interesting!

Now, suppose they leave out the turtle meat, and put in some nutria meat. How do you know that that doesn't make it even better?

See, it's all about prejudice, which I am constantly fighting so that I do not miss out on something that may be very worthwhile.
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Old 01-21-2013, 08:35 PM   #35
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If you have a lot of travel time and are a fan of history you might enjoy taking the Old Spanish Trail (OST) which extends from St. Augistine to San Diego.

Ah - so that's where I-10 comes from!
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Old 01-21-2013, 08:43 PM   #36
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Ah - so that's where I-10 comes from!
Yep. Look at all the exits...
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Old 01-21-2013, 08:45 PM   #37
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Fine. I will definitely have it, and even try to talk DW into having a taste. I have even looked up a recipe to see how they make it. See the following, which also has a photo: Creole Turtle Soup Recipe | Nola Cuisine

The above site says that a good soup should have cubed meat, not ground meat. The latter is "cheating". Interesting!
I got a kick out of the comments, people butchering their own turtles. I think my Dad used to say something like 'catch a turtle at sunrise, cut off it's head, and it doesn't die until sundown' - and those people talk about the thing walking around long after being 'killed'.

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Old 01-22-2013, 07:26 AM   #38
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Lot's to see and do in while driving thru southern Texas, depending on what you like. If you are into history, you might want to drive up to San Antonio (about 2 hours north from Corpus Christi) and see the Alamo. While you are there you can check out the river walk too.
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Old 01-22-2013, 08:58 AM   #39
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Heading from west to east:

ON Padre Island, at the base of the Causeway, is a restaraunt/local dive called "Snoopy's". Good seafood, a lot of local fishermen/shrimpers stop ther on their way home. Has a HUGE fireplace in the cener of it which makes it nice and cozy on a chilly day.
Not much for epicurian delights as you move up the coast (although it is a birder's paradise with the largest whooping crane colony, roseate spoonbills, etc.)
Just south of Lafayette, La is Avery Island (where Tabasco Sauce is made). Beautiful gardens (the camellias are peaking just about now) and the alleged source of all nutrias in the U.S. due to a failed fur farm.
Lots of Plantations to view along the River Road between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Pretty drive, and would recommend taking a tour of one or two.
When you get to New Orleans, you have a world of options - the aforementioned turtle soup (it is truely great), barbequed shrimp (you can get good versions of both at Mandina's, but be forewarned that they leave the heads on the shrimp, which freaks out my DW), chargrilled oysters on the half shell (Drago's in Metaire). For more traditional fare, Deanie's serves a great platter of fried shrimp - maybe about 2 dozen per plate, each done to perfection.

Just some of my favorite places.
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Old 01-22-2013, 09:27 AM   #40
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Nice and timely thread, as my next RV trip will be along this part of the Gulf Coast. It's just part of the itinerary that will go through Armadillo Amarillo, TX, and will eventually end up in Anchorage.

And I just happened to also think of Tabasco and its garden and just mark them down as a stop.

We have been to NO once several years ago, but recently read somewhere that Lafayette and Baton Rouge are perhaps better places for Creole cuisine. Please recommend more places to eat.
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