_4 February ‘09

Wednesday

The day before moving on, we try to clean up around the site by picking up our patio carpet and drying it out, putting the bikes back on the bike rack, and dumping the tanks.  I’m trying to get this and more done today because the weather forecast for the morning is REALLY COLD !!!  Fact is, they are telling us it will be in the low to mid 20’s…that’s the coldest we’ve been in for a long time. 

One of the destinations that we’ve had on our books to see is going to happen this afternoon.  Abita Springs has its own brewery, Abita Springs Brew House, and it seems to be making its self quite a reputation for great beers.  They started brewing in a small store front in the middle of town and after a year of success they had to move a mile down the road.  Now after 23 years and 7 major renovations and still putting out one hell beer, they find that every Wednesday through Saturday at 2pm people start lining up for the tour through their plant.  Of course having an “Open Bar” might have something to do with it.  As you walk in the fancy doors of the tasting room, the management is there to meet.  You are handed an empty glass and instructed to go to the pull tabs at the bar and pull hard…

_There is a little chit / chat among all the beer drinkers for the first half hour and then we are asked to find a seat in front of any of the huge flat screen TV’s.  We watched a 15 minute introduction and explanation on brewing before we were led into the brewing areas to see just how this fine brew was brewed. 

_Hell, I knew all there is to know about brewing, I just wanted the free beers…(not true, but I did enjoy the free beers…).  By the way, I have found the raised homes here to be very interesting, so I wanted to put a couple more pictures here for you to see and me to remember: 

_3 February ‘09 Tuesday

Monday’s seem to be the perfect wash day (clothes that is…).  I don’t have an idea as to why, but it does, and besides, yesterday was Groundhogs Day.   What does Groundhogs Day have to do with anything…well it’s my birthday that’s what.  Actually it goes like this…  We woke to heavy rain and didn’t have any additional plans for the day.  Sooo with the laundry bag getting close to full, we decided to get the laundry done.  Once that was done we were open to do what we wanted, rain or shine.  Well we ended up just staying home and staying warm and cozy.  Louise made a wonderful stew for dinner and the only thing I can say about that is, it smelled so damn good for so long that it was hard to hold myself from eating before it was done. 

This morning we decided to “take a ride”…  After dropping by the City Hall of Abita Springs to offer our LARGE supply of Mardi Gras beads (those that were tossed to us from the floats), we stopped by the Tourist Information office.  We were looking for a place to go that we might have overlooked this last week.  After going over some maps and additional literature we decided to see some of the “Plantations” around the area.  Following the map inside of the New Orleans Plantation Parade brochure, we headed out.  Our map lead us out towards the northwest of New Orleans by about 40 miles and then follow the Mississippi River levies.  Along the way we saw quite afew of the older homes that sit from 1 foot to as high as 20 feet above the ground.  This is to give a little air-conditioning during the summer time and a little relief from the flooding waters that seem to affect this area. 

_There are 7 different Plantations on this route and try as we could, we were only able to see 4 of them.  Unfortunately, just about half of this route took us by so much heavy industrial that it about destroyed the impact of these beautiful pieces of history.  The San Francisco Plantation was totally surrounded by an 8’ cyclone fence that came as close to the mansion as 20 feet.  On one side and the back it is set against a huge industrial building, on the other side, a large parking lot.  The building and the grounds are in total disrepair and really didn’t beckon us to visit.  It’s really sad as this “Grand Mansion” was beautifully designed with elaborate Gingerbread work and was once known as the most opulent Plantation in the South.  It also had some of those "Ghost Trees" that we see here in the deep south. 

_3 more miles further down the road we came upon Laura: A Creole Plantation.  This Plantation was named “Best History Tour in the US” by Lonely Planet…  Unfortunately we were so far by it before we realized it, we decided to continue on to the St Joseph Plantation.  All of the Plantations we visited were “sugar” plantations and spread out as far as you could see.  Heading towards our next plantation we found another building of high interest…a Cajun Restaurant.  Now we’re a long way from nowhere and we come across this little restaurant.  Of course we had to stop.  It is a seafood market that doubles as a Cajun restaurant at the same time.  The small restaurant is set-up off to one side as you walk into the market.  The moment the menu was presented we knew we had found “THE PLACE”.  Louise ordered a cup of rice/seafood gumbo while I ordered an appetizer of mixed seafood.  The mixed dish was battered in light and spicy flour and then deep fried.  It consisted of 6 crab/spears (the small claw with the meaty end), 4 catfish, 6 alligator chunks, hushpuppies, and something called Boudin Balls (rice, sausage, and..REALLY GOOD !!!).  All the food was really good, and there was plenty of it.  This was our first time to taste alligator and the Boudin Balls.  As I mentioned, the Boudin Balls were really good, but the alligator, well a little chewy and it kind of reminded me of chicken gizzards.  OK, back to our tour of plantations.   The St Joseph Plantation wasn’t my favorite, but it was in pretty good condition.  We only took the “grounds tour” which gave us the chance to visit the 2 desk schoolhouse,

_the small slave quarters, and of course a walk-around of the mansion.  The large manor house was built by Louisiana Creoles of French descent in 1830.  Now with time getting really short we decide to make the next one our last.  About 3 miles further down the same road we’ve been on for the afternoon, we find an incredible mansion that was set way back off of the road.  Huge OLD Oak Trees lined the walk that took you to the front entrance of the Oak Alley Plantation.

_This plantation was built sometime in the early 1700’s and then the “Big House” was completed sometime in the early 1800’s.  Jacques Telesphore Roman, a wealthy Creole sugar planter, and his wife became the original owners.  Unfortunately after a couple of years, the “Mrs.” wanted to move back home, so she left and became an absent wife.  Jacques sent for her many times but she didn’t budge until after his death.  Then after coming back and trying to run the plantation she took it into financial devastation.  Their son then took it and try as he might, his mother kept spending the monies until there was nothing…  This was a good stop as we were able to see, feel, and almost feel a part of Oak Alley (ya right…). 

_1 February ‘09 Sunday

The TV and all the radio stations that we’ve been listening to have been telling us over the last couple of weeks that today is…”SUPERBOWL SUNDAY” !!!  Well that it is, but for us and hundreds around us, it is also one of Slidell’s Mardi Gras parade days.  We were heading out the door by 10:30 this morning and on our search for the best seat on the parade route.  Slidell is about 35 minutes away and the parade wasn’t to start until 1 PM so getting there early paid off beautifully.  We found a place to park the car above the curb.  Leaving room between the car and the roadway, we placed our beach chairs for the best views and for our comfort.  While waiting for the parade to start, we walked around the parade route for about a mile and then headed back.  On our walk, we noticed a couple of businesses we’ve seen around as we arrived in Louisiana.  This business is called “Your Daiquiri Stop” (or similar name).  We weren’t too sure as to just what they sold so we went into one of them to investigate…sure enough, they sell DAIQUIRIS !!!  They have about 12 different daiquiris available and even offer added shots of rum, vodka, or just about any other liquor you might want.  They even offer drive-up service…Starbucks, you’ve got to look at expanding…  Of course business today was booming.  Finally parade time arrived and with the police escort leading, the bands, marching groups, and the large two-storied decorated trailers started flowing down main-street. 

_With this being our first Mardi Gras parade, our goal was to catch as many beads as possible.  At the end of the hour, we had accumulated about 80 necklaces, 6 stuffed animals, a whistle, and a couple of furry neckpieces.  Not a bad haul, now what do we do with them???  Well we brought them all back with us, that is for now…  Last night we stopped by the little “fish market” in Abita Springs and purchased 3 pounds of Crawfish and a couple of pounds of shrimp to go along with our bottle of Champagne for tonight’s game dinner.  Well now that the game is over (sorry Arizona) and dinner is finished, I must say it was YUMMY…

_29/30 January ‘09

What can you say about New Orleans that hasn’t already been said ???  If it involves having a great time, then New Orleans is the place…if its Mardi Gras time, then you are really going to have a blast.  Guess what…ITS MARDI GRAS time and we’re really having a blast!!!  We are camped on the opposite side of Lake Pontchartrain as New Orleans so that means we either take I-12 to Slidell and then I-10 into New Orleans or make the 24 mile drive across the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway.  That causeway is amazing.  Like I just wrote, it is 24 miles long, 4 lanes wide (2 & 2 with water dividing), 65 MPH (and everyone does it…), and a toll of $3 total.  It also saves us about 15-20 minutes travel time vs. I-10/I-12.  Our first drive into N.O. was no big deal.  We just plugged our destination into our GPS and drove directly into our parking lot.  For $16 we had a full day enjoying the town.  Our first destination was to the “French Quarter”, but especially to Café du Monde.  You all know how much I enjoy coffee, and you also know how much I enjoy my pastries,

_well with Café du Monde specializes in both…  The trademark coffee with chicory and the delicious beignets are just more than I could ask for.  Fact is, we did this for two mornings in a row !!!  New Orleans also has something else that I’ve never seen in other cities.  They have two National Parks and they both are located in the French Quarter.  One of these is the New Orleans Jazz National Historic Park.  We just happened to walk in just prior to some Jazz musicians holding a jam session.  Not only did they play their music, they explained the many different types of New Orleans jazz and how it developed.  It was very entertaining and interesting.  Over the last two days that we went into New Orleans we walked the French Quarter from one end to the other at least 3 times.

_In 1962 Louise and I passed through New Orleans just after I was discharged from the Navy.  One of the restaurants that we enjoyed is still here...The Court of Two Sisters. 

_Its amazing, it hasn't changed much.  We also took in an amazing IMAX presentation on New Orleans prior to and after Hurricane Katrina.  That was a terrible disaster to this area, and there is still a lot of evidence from the storm showing up constantly as we travel through the area.  Well we also found another “Free Ferry” to ride.  This one would take us across the Mississippi River to Algiers Point and back in about 10 minutes total…well, it’s free.  We just had two things we wanted…1) Take another Free Ferry.  2) Take a ride on the Mississippi.

_Whenever you go to New Orleans, you’ve got to make it to Bourbon Street, and that’s what we did.  We haven’t been there at night yet, but the afternoon that we were there, we had a great time. 

_We did a little people watching, stepping inside to listen to some music at different places, and enjoying the architecture of the old buildings (especially the wrought iron balconies).  One afternoon, with the sun warming us comfortably, we took a walk around Jackson Square

_to listen to a “sidewalk jazz group” playing to the crowd.  It’s amazing just how good these kids are…they have great technique, and great sound, and they work the masses to perfection. 

_The one disappointment was the French Market.  I don’t know, maybe it was the economy, but it doesn’t hold a candle to Pikes Place Market in Seattle. 

_27 January ‘09 Tuesday

What a day…  Louise found a company that advertizes that they have “The Best Swamp” tours in Louisiana, so we made our call.

_For less than $20 each we (and 10 others) were put aboard a small flat bottomed swamp boat and headed out into the Honey Island swamp.

_For 2 hours we were in the bayous of the Honey Island Swamp and experiencing Louisiana’s wetlands and wildlife.  Some of the wildlife that we saw included the alligator,

_ egrets,

_ heron,

_ water moccasin, turtles,

_nutrias,

_and the un-seeable.  The swamp was named after a special tree here…  The Tupelo Tree. 

_The Tupelo Tree seems to be attractive to the honeybee that build their hives deep in the base of the tree.  The “natives” will make their way there at the time that the hive has the largest amount of honey available, and using some of the hanging moss from the area, start a smudge pot.  As the bees were over-come, the harvest would begin….thus, Honey Island Swamp.  Our guide had so many tales of the area and his life here in the bayous of Louisiana that our time with him was a real treat.  He also must be some “chef”…, he told us what to look forward to eating and he always told us just how all the foods were prepared for the best flavors.  What a treat.  Fact is, after our tour I just had to find the “guides choice” for our lunch for which we were more than ready.  It turned out to be “Dickey D’s”.  As we walked in, I wanted to make sure that they knew that “Cajun Encounters” had sent us, and the first thing they said was…well I’m sure that you will want to have a cup of our “Gumbo”.  Well hell yes, and I’ll also have an Oyster Po-Boy as well…  Now we’re eatin…  Following lunch, Louise and I went back to the bridge were we launched for our swamp tour and launched our kayak.

_Our guide had pointed out a small passage that he said that he couldn’t get his flat-bottomed boat into, but with our kayak we would see some great “bayou”.  We paddled through that part of Honey Island for over an hour before coming back out.  Fortunately it was easy to follow in and out.  Coming out, we had a slight current that kind of pushed us and gave us a quiet glide through the swamps…pretty cool…

_With daylight starting to fade we headed back towards the coach.  There is a brewery here in Abita Springs and we’ve been told that “if you’d like a good beer”, this was the place.  Well we stopped.  Fortunately they offered a very good IPA so we were well satisfied.  It happens that this place we walked into was not the brewery but the bar/restaurant, so that means that now we’ve got to visit the “Brewery”…too bad isn’t it?  After enjoying a good refreshing beer, we headed out the door to head home.  In the same parking lot of the pub is a small fish monger.  As we walked by, I saw that he was advertizing “fresh and tasty crawdad”.  Well after the last exposure to crawdads I wasn’t too excited to try another “tasty crawdad”, but after giving it a quick thought and knowing that now we’re in Louisiana instead of California, I should at least try a “sample”…  Well after the sample and after a great conversation with Howdy,

_I walked out with my 2# of crawdad.  I must say that now that I’ve tasted the real thing I’m really livin… 

_26 January ‘09

Monday

With the rainy weather we went through on Saturday and Sunday morning, we arrived with a couple of very dirty vehicles, so the first thing this morning was to “bucket wash” both of them.  No sooner had I finished and Louise had the afternoon scheduled out for us.  We drove out to Slidell to have lunch and see the sites around the area.  For some reason we’ve found the bayou’s to be intriguing and inviting and for that reason we headed out a gravel road that was signed to be Big Branch Marsh and Native Wildlife Reserve.

_At the end of the road we found a small boat launch that lead deep into the marsh and then into Lake Pontchartrain.  It also gave us the first chance to see a sign making us aware of Manatee’s being in the area…would that be a blast to see one of those in the wild.  Down the road, we found the Fontainebleau State Park.  Not only was this state park on Lake Pontchartrain, but it was large, it had one of the best looking campgrounds, and an absolutely beautiful beach for all to enjoy.

_This must be one of the real hot spots for the locals during the Spring and Summer times.  At one time this large park and a much larger area surrounding it was the private holdings of Bernard de Marigny.  He built the Fontainebleau Plantation in 1828 and used it as his summer residence and sugar mill while his main residence was still maintained in New Orleans. 

_25 January ‘09 Sunday

Our drive out of Port Arthur took us up to Hwy 10, into Louisiana traveling over the Atchafalaya Basin.

_Long after the Indians had settled this area, some very tough and early Europeans also settled here.  These peoples were called “Acadiens” and they were those that were forced into the deep swamplands of the Mississippi River Delta.  They lived a life of solitude and once a week a boat would come by and hold a Catholic service for them.  School boats were also used for many years to take the children to the one room school houses.  Living was tough and got even tougher when the “Flood of 1927” hit.  Then the need for a bridge to cross the 18 miles of the swamp was needed.  This changed the lives of those in the swamp, and also changed the lives of those that lived outside of the basin.  It took 10 years to build the “Swamp Expressway”.  It was finally completed in 1972 when the pile drivers would pound the poles 148 feet into the 95 feet of muck and 6 feet of hard sand to make it work.  As you cross the expressway today, you see the “camps” that now host the hunters and fishermen.  18 miles through a swamp, that is an amazing accomplishment.  Prior to hitting Lafayette, we turned south at Crowley and headed down to New Iberia.  Just south of there is a small island of Avery.  Avery Island is the home of the McIlhenny Company which is the company that found the taste that has made its self around the world…TABASCO. 

_Unfortunately we arrived on a Sunday and the factory is shut down, but on the positive side, we were able to make “a” tour.  It was definitely a good tour, and we did learn a lot from it.  Next time we would love to see the factory in action.   After a turn in the Tabasco store, we were back on the road.  We found another Wal-Mart in Breaux Bridge before continuing the next morning to Abita Springs and our new home for 10 days.