My second post on haveyoubeenhere to recap our vanlife journey so far brings me to Louisiana, to our favorite place we’ve been to so far, Fontainebleau State Park.
Having left New Mexico with our emotional batteries somewhat recharged, and having gained a little clarity on what our future would look like, we set out for Texas. I had intended to spend a week or so in Texas, but the weather was terrible and I opted to press on to Louisiana a little earlier than expected.
Fontainebleau State Park was nearby to some family we wanted to visit, but not so close that we would have felt obligated to spend a whole lot of time running around. We still felt we needed time in quiet and solitude. We didn’t have a campground reservation made, but we were lucky enough to get a campsite for a few days once we got there.
We figured that we’d spend those few days, and if we didn’t like the vibes at the park we could always leave and visit another. There are plenty of campgrounds in the area. We weren’t expecting to be so blown away by the beauty and peace of the park, however.
We ended up spending the next 14 days there (the maximum consecutive stay) by moving from campsite to campsite as one opened up for a day or a few. Then we left and went to another park for a week (I’ll share that one in my next post) and returned to camp for another week and a half. All in all, we camped in 5 different spaces there. But let’s talk about the park.
The park is on the site of an old sugar mill, and parts of the structure are still standing, being slowly reclaimed by time and mother nature. My wife and I love old structures, so we took many a stroll past this one.
The highlight for many people might be the beach. And it might be the place we spent the most time. It was 10 minutes walk from the camping area, and in the morning hours there tended to be no other people out. So we had the beach all to ourselves. There were lots of little tucked away areas to enjoy just outside of the main beach area. And directly adjacent to the beach was a pond with wildlife ranging from birds to turtles to alligators. Every walk down there was magical in some way.
Another thing we loved about the park were the majestic Southern Live Oaks. These trees were huge, and covered in shaggy Spanish Moss and Resurrection Ferns. Some were even a good 5 or 6 feet in diameter with long branches sprawling and falling down to the ground under their own immense weight. We were constantly in awe of these old trees.
Hiking trails offered lots of other places and terrain to discover and there were always birds to enjoy on the way. Later in the month, as spring was beginning, we were treated to new flowers blooming every day.
All of this was a very welcome change from New Mexico. Where New Mexico allowed us time for clarity, this park nourished our spirits, and helped us to discover what we want out of the next phase of our lives. We were intending to continue working in the fitness industry for quite a while longer. But after reflection, we know that we will be happier doing other things and that those things may have a more positive impact on the world at large. We’re still putting the pieces together on that one.
I’ll be looking forward to the next time I can return and enjoy this magnificent park. And I’ll wonder what lessons it will have for me should I sit on it’s sandy beach in quiet and solitude again.
Fontainebleau State Park, Mandeville, LA, USA
This place is absolutely magical. Situated on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana it has so.e of the most imaging beach sunsets and incredible wildlife to enjoy.
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