mission complete

Wednesday morning we woke up to thick clouds and it looked like it could start raining at anytime. The temperature was supposed to be in the mid 70's so we said "what the heck" and headed out on the bike for our last day here.

When we decided to spend some time here we had a short list of things we wanted to see and do. I wanted to see some of the countryside on the motorcycle and eat some good Cajun food. Rudee wanted to go to the area where they filmed Swamp People for TV and see an alligator.

We got all those accomplished except the alligator. Everywhere we rode we kept a look out in all the bodies of water we passed hoping to see one but no luck :-(.

Today we headed southwest towards Abbeyville, La. and US 82. This road goes south into the swamp area and eventually to the coast before turning west towards Texas. We could not go too far since we started late in the morning but this is marked as a scenic route and we wanted to take advantage of as much of it as time would allow.

We had a quick lunch in Abbeyville and headed into the swamp. We crossed over the inter coastal waterway over a large bridge and the area became less populated with only a few houses and some fishing cabins. There was a large channel of water that parallel both sides of the road and we saw lots of birds and turtles. We rode for about an hour and turned round at Pecan Point to head back. Something caught my eye next to the water a few miles before turning around and I made a mental note to check it out on the way back.

I found the spot and there it was, an alligator, sunning itself on the opposite bank. We watched for a few minutes and as soon as I fired up the Harley it jumped back into the water :-).

A few hundred feet up the road Rudee said "there's another one" and then we came upon these four. Rudee thinks it is two mothers and their youngin's but I'm not so sure, after all spring is in the air :-).

Mission complete! We not only saw one alligator but six with in 1/2 mile of each other!

Thursday will be a travel day for us. We are heading for Vicksburg, Mississippi to check out some Civil War sites. I'll keep you posted.

Courir De Mardi Gras

Saturday morning the rain started before daylight and did not end until well into the evening. About 10am our Radio Shack weather radio went off alerting us to a severe storm heading our way and they had issued tornado warnings in a nearby community. Rudee packed up a "bail out" bag and we headed for sturdier surroundings :-). We ended up at Wal Mart which had a McDonald's inside. We sat in the restaurant and waited for the worst to pass which took about an hour. We returned to the 5th wheel to find that all was well and ended up staying inside the rest of the day.

Sunday the sun was supposed to shine at least part of the day anyway :-). I decided we needed to get the bike out and Rudee agreed. The temperatures were still a little on the cool side in the mid 50's so we would have to bundle up some.

Rudee had been doing some research on Mardi Gras events and mentioned that the town of Eunice, La was having a celebration on the streets downtown. This was about 50 miles away and would be a nice ride so I pointed the bike that direction.

Eunice is about the size of our old hometown of Lebanon. They had blocked off the streets and had 2 band stands set up at either end of the business district. We walked and checked out the few vendors that were set up and eventually found our way to a small cafe for lunch. We shared an Alligator Po' Boy and enjoyed this new experience. The alligator was fried and served on a hoagy type bun with lettuce and a spicy mayonnaise spread.

With lunch over we spent some time listening to the Cajun music and watching the locals dancing.

There was also a kids parade scheduled to start at 3pm so we found a place to sit on the curb and waited for the "run" to start. I had read a little about the "Mardi Gras Run" and learned that the Cajuns would go throughout the local countryside on wagons and horse back to beg food stuffs from the local farms. The parade commemorates the return of the "Mardi Gras", which the group was called, to town where a large feast of Gumbo was prepared.

While waiting for the parade to start an elderly gentleman, Mr. Smith, sat down beside me and we began to chat. He told me he was 89 years old and had started doing the "Courir de Mardi Gras" when he was 6 years old. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courir_de_Mardi_Gras

He told me in the old days only men could make the run because there were no "facilities" for the women. Now they make accommodations for the ladies which explains the port-a-pots tied onto the wagons :-). He remembers his grandfather making the run and they would collect rice, veggies and some would even give a live chicken. He was quite an interesting character and extremely alert and fit for being 89 years old! It was a joy listening to his stories and learning the history of Mardi Gras in this area.

The parade started and the kids would throw beads at all the people lining the parade route. Everyone on the "floats" had to be in traditional Mardi Gras costumes and the kids wore colorful clothes and some had hats and masks.

We enjoyed the parade and Rudee got a nice collection of beads for the grand kids (no skin had to be exposed in the "gathering of the beads").

We headed back to the 5th wheel after the parade so we could make it before the sun dropped too low. We enjoyed our short ride and day out. The temperatures never made it out of the mid 50's but the next few days are supposed to be even better. I'll keep you posted.

"pass the Tabasco please"

Friday morning was another gray cloudy day and there was a threat of showers. Rudee had picked up a bunch of tourist fliers from the campground office and had been studying them for things to do in the area. Since we are staying for a week and the the weather is supposed to improve starting Sunday we decided to keep the bike covered and take the Dakota today.

We headed for Avery Island, home of McElhenney family and Tabasco brand hot pepper sauce.

The factory was established on this island not long after the civil war ended to produce the now familiar hot sauce developed by Mr. McElhenney. The company is still owned and operated by his decedents using the same recipe he developed all those years ago.

The factory tour was fairly short starting with the history of the company and then the process of changing peppers into sauce was explained. You do get to walk through a glassed in walkway with views of the bottling process with an occasional sign explaining what you were looking at.

The most interesting point I found in the process was learning that the pepper mash is stored for at least 3 years in used wooden barrels. They actually buy the barrels from the Jack Daniels Distillery who can only use them one time to age their bourbon. Once the mash is in the barrels the lid is put on and it has vent holes to allow gases out, to keep water and air from going back in the holes they cover them with salt. The salt is mined right here on the island and was the original business of the McElhenney family. Here are a couple of familier faces taking it easy outside the gift shop :-).

Once we were done at the factory and adjacent gift shop we drove to the Jungle Gardens which got its start as a bird sanctuary to save the dwindling number of Egrets who were being killed for their feathers to be used in ladies hats. We stopped at the visitor center but felt like the entrance fee of $8.00 was a little excessive so we passed on going into the grounds.

Looking at the map we found Cypremort State Park nearby and thought we would check it out. The park sits right on a point separating Vermillon Bay and West Cote Blanche Bay. We paid the $1.00 per person entrance fee and headed for a covered picnic table on the beach for a picnic lunch. We had some company at lunch when a couple of Grackles came by looking for a hand out and kept "yelling" at us :-).

The park is really small and consists of a beach area, fishing pier and a few rental cabins but it made a great place to enjoy our lunch. There is also a large coastal community adjacent to the park and we enjoyed driving through looking at all the homes up on stilts.

We decided to head back to the 5th wheel and made a stop at Wal Mart for groceries. We made it back home a little after 4pm and looked forward to relaxing in front of the TV. The rain never materialized but the sun only peaked out once or twice otherwise it was a pretty cloudy day. Saturday looks to be the worst day weather wise. They are predicting a 100% chance for rain and thunderstorms and we are under a flood watch. Guess we better be ready to run to high ground if need be. I'll keep you posted.