Today we packed up and said “so long” to Patrick and Bryan. We had such a fun time camping with them in Louisiana. 

Actually, let’s back up to there. We spent a week in Eunice, Louisiana at the Lakeview RV Park and Beach. Originally, the plan was just to visit again and stock up on boudin. Then, I found out there was a Boudin festival in Scott, so we made sure to include that in our stay. How could we not?

About a week before our arrival at Lakeview, we got an email telling us about the “Boot Brew” festival that was taking place right in the campground. So, we modified our plans a little bit and went to Scott on Friday evening for the Boudin Festival. 

We had a great time at the Boudin Festival hearing Cajun music, tasting all the boudin from different vendors, and checking out the local artisan booths. 

That left us free on Saturday for the home-brewers festival called Boot Brew. Our wrist bands got us into the tasting garden where about 10 brewers offered tastes of their wares. Many of the booths offered a seltzer or cider, so I made it my duty to taste those! We compared notes, voted for our favorites, ate jambalaya, and enjoyed the live music and crowd interaction. 

One of Patrick’s favorites was a Mexican Lager with a spicy salted rim. I really liked the apple cider with hibiscus and citrus. Normally I’m not into hibiscus but that was a really lovely twist. I also liked the malty “See You Later Alligator,” while Tony went back for a few samples of the porter served by Fullabull Brews. 

By the way, we also chatted with John and Cara from Fullabull in the campground later, and they told us they are thinking about buying an RV. Of course we think that’s a great idea! 

When we had enough fun, we headed back to our campsites. Surprisingly (haha) everyone took a little nap. We had slow-cooked short ribs so we enjoyed a rice and ribs dinner, then began the painful process of packing up camp. Anything we didn’t need overnight got loaded and packed up to make the morning easier. 

Saturday nights are hopping at Lakeview RV Park, with Cajun barn dances. If you camp there, or rent a cabin, your entrance is included. Otherwise, just a $10 wrist band gets you in to the party. I suspect a lot of locals spend their Saturday nights there!

OK, so back to today. We finished packing up and gave our hugs and farewells. We both headed north, but Bryan and Patrick soon turned off to their next destination. Patrick grew up in that area so they have a lot of memories and family to keep them company.

Our destination was a Harvest Host in Been Wheeler, Texas. It was nearly a 300-mile drive so we didn’t want to start out too late. 

The drive was pretty much uneventful. We stopped for gas at a Love’s in Mansfield, Louisiana. While the pumps were not very roomy, there was parking on the adjacent road. We parked and went inside for coffee and a snack. Then we found a way to the pumps and filled up the gas tank.

We don’t have to make as many gas stops with the Ram 2500 as we did with the Ram 1500. In a way that’s good, but it also means more looking for rest stops or wide spots on the road for potty stops!

On the other hand, it also means less travel center junk food, so that’s a bonus. We’ve been taking more advantage of our ability to access the kitchen and bathroom in the Mini Lite 2205s, and making our lunches, and our afternoon coffee, in a rest area instead of a gas station. 

We did see that the Love’s in Mansfield has an RV Stop. We’ve seen these full-hookup sites in a couple other locations, and they were off to the side but in the same lot as the rest of the travel center. In Mansfield, the RV parking is across a small street, so nicely separated from the rest of the station. Which is good because, as I said, the lot was kind of small overall.