The Louisiana Bayou

On the road again, just leaving Natchez, we are on US Highway 61 the river road, which runs through the Delta and blues country of Mississippi.  We are headed to Louisiana and the Atchafalaya Heritage Area just west of Baton Rouge.   So far, it’s been a great trip; Clarksdale, the Blues Museum, Vicksburg, and Natchez.   We must come back to this area on a motorcycle. 

As we cross the Mississippi state line into Louisiana, we stop at a state line casino for some bad fried chicken.   Well, this must be the hiccup of the trip, but we were so hungry and not willing to find something better.  Surprising what a little hot sauce will do.  It wasn't bad then.  Plus, I was so hungry cardboard would have tasted good with a bit of hot sauce on it.

   

As we make a right-hand turn in Baton Rouge, we cross the mighty Mississippi, the granddaddy of all rivers.  Most of the water that falls between the eastern slope of the Rockies and the western hill of the Appalachians flow through this river.   It’s hard to imagine.  It's big and wide it looks almost like a lake.  The barge traffic, once you get this far down the river, looks congested even for a river this large.

After crossing the Mississippi traveling on Interstate 10, you enter the Atchafalaya Heritage Area; this is a large area between the Mississippi and the Upper and Lower Grand Rivers.  This area creates a geographical and social region that is like no other in the United States.  This is Cajun Country. This area initially settled by the French before Louisiana was sold to the United States by Napoleon.   This Bayou region is made up of small rivers, lakes, and islands.   It has an eerie and unsettling feeling at times, some say haunted.   When people talk, you know that this is a unique place like no other in America.  An American-French Accent that is hard to understand sometimes.   People here have learned to talk regularly once discovering that you are from outside the bayou.   It is much like a foreign country in that respect.

The area surrounding the Bayou is agricultural, with the largest town of Lafayette on its western boundary.  The Ragin Cajun is the mascot for the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.   We stayed at Lake Fausse Pointe State Park on the edge of the Bayou.  Driving in the Bayou can be disorientating, having to drive all directions on Islands, to cross bridges, to get to a location in the opposite direction.  Yes, it felt this way, making many turns to get to a destination on a particular island.

Lake Fausse Pointe State Park was a great place to camp and to use as a staging ground to tour the Bayou.  The camp spaces on the water had their own boat dock.  I have never seen this before. We were here for 3 days hiking the trails at the park several times. The trails wind through islands with interconnected bridges.   There are Armadillos everywhere.   I could see a B movie being filmed here called the attack of the Armadillos.  

The Highlight of our trip was the Tabasco Plant and Jungle Gardens on Avery Island.    We first went to the Jungle Gardens, started by Mr. McIlhenny, the original producer of Tabasco.  The gardens span 170 acres of semitropical foliage.   Along with the gardens, you will see alligators and Egrets.  It is a beautiful place.    After the Gardens we went to the plant itself, with a free tour it gives you the history of Tabasco along with viewing the production lines.   It is still owned by the family.   There are 136 shareholders with an estimated worth of over 1 billion dollars.   Along with the Tabasco store, it is a must-see if you are in the area.

When visiting New Orleans and the Bayou Country, one has to understand the food, some of the best in the world.   I love to eat, and I have found no better place to do it other than Louisiana.   It must be the French Cuisine tied with an abundance of great ingredients.  Oysters as big as a fist, crawfish etouffee, gumbo, fish, and the Po’boys.  Oh, the Po’boys good French bread stuffed with all kinds of deliciousness.   One place that we stopped was typical fare the Qwik Stop Cafe.  We grabbed lunch for the road, and this place is Cajun all the way.  The catfish tasted like it was swimming in the water yesterday.

Well, our trip through the Deep South is winding down it’s time to head home to Tennessee.  In my mind, I would love to spend the winter months in this area.   If it happens, I don’t know, but it is fun to dream.  We will be back, you hear….!!!