We woke to a cold windy morning. We head out to go exploring within a 30/40 mile radius of our home base. We'd driven about 30 miles when the truck started to make strange noises. We pulled into a Home Depot parking lot to have a look. We always carry spare filters with us so Bob changes the fuel filter right there. As we are not familiar with all the different fuel stations we don't know if we're always getting good quality diesel. A sheriff stops to see if we are OK as Bob is half under the hood. As we are now getting accustomed to, we tell our story, where we're from, where we're going etc.,he wishes us well, gives us directions to the local Dodge dealer and tells us to call 911 and ask for the sheriff if we need anything.
The Dodge dealer can't help us, too busy, so we call Coys in Gonzales where we were 2 days ago. As we start our drive back, old Bertha seems to be running better so we decide to continue on our drive. So glad we did as the truck seemed fine and the engine light eventually went out too.
We are driving along highway 61 which is "sort of" by the Mississippi River. There are fields of sugar cane along the highway with huge oil refineries in the background.
We have spent so much of our time traveling through small communities, making a point of by-passing larger cities. Now we are in this busy, non stop corridor between Baron Rouge and New Orleans. The interesting thing about being here is it gives you a real good look at life in this part of the south. We find "crackling" for Bob at a corner gas station that is made at a local shop. Tried to buy it there but they didn't sell retail.
We are now heading into the waterways between Lakes Maurepas and Pontchartrain traveling on the elevated Hwy 55, the old Hwy 51 with the Amtrak rail line to our right. Ahead of us we see the two roadways coming close together at a town called Manchac. Over the bridge is an old and well known restaurant called Middendorfs. So many places we have discovered were told to us by the ladies at the Welcome Center the day we first entered Louisiana. The parking lot at the restaurant is filled with vehicles from Texas, Mississippi, Iowa, Florida and now even BC:). Our waitress recommended the seafood platter to share with a bowl of shrimp gumbo. We had prawns, oysters, the best Catfish:), and a stuffed crab shell, which Bob got to eat all by himself. It was all delicious, good fresh bread, seafood cocktail and tartar sauce. It turns out our waitress is from Venice La. where we plan to go to finish our Mississippi River trip. She is pleased to think we are going there. She tells us that the people are friendly, the shrimp off the trawlers are cheap, but they are still recovering from Katrina. Buras and Venice were the first places that the eye of Katrina first touched land on Aug 29, 2005.
We are truly getting into Bayou country. We have our trip into New Orleans to do and then we will be going further south. An air boat trip into the swamps is on our agenda. I am trying to get over my disgust of alligators. It is difficult. Can't even go to the bathroom without a reminder, lol...this the door handle in the ladies room!
We wind our way home through small communities, many set on waterways. A mixture of the old shacks set right on the bayou and huge brick homes situated on acres of beautiful cleared land shaded by huge live oaks hanging with the moss beards
Also another thing unique to Louisiana is the fact that so much of the southern state is situated below sea level so graves are often set above ground with concrete crypts. Anyone that ever saw Easy Rider would remember the cemetary scene in New Orleans among the graves.
Back to our camp at our new home at Cabelas, lol...we are still so full from our lunch that dinner is not on the menu for tonight. A great way to spend a cold day. The sun was shining and brought some warmth with it. The wind did die down but temperatures only peaked at 57deg (13/14 C). I know that is quite balmy for a November day but we are 'southerners' now and need warmer temps, :)
Tomorrow it's going to warm up by 10 degrees and then another 10 degrees the next day. Life is good.
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