Places Visited:
Louisiana: Bayou Signette SP, Gretna, New Orleans, Barataria, Lafitte,
Gibson, Houma, Grand Isle, Bourg, Larose, Cut off, Galliano, Golden
Meadow, Leeville, Bayou Laforuche & Port Fourchon

Thursday, November 21, 2002
Bayou Segnette State Park near New Orleans (30-amps, water with
central dump) $12.00

Joyce planned for us to head south to the end of Louisiana highway 45.
Most people would wonder why on earth would anyone want to leave
metropolitan New Orleans to drive to the end of highway 45. Good
question. If you locate highway 45 on a map you will see that it
leaves metropolitan New Orleans and drops south into an unimaginably
large swamp. Two communities are located at the terminus of highway
45 Barataria and Lafitte. They are a world apart from the hustle and
bustle of cosmopolitan New Orleans. The towns of Barataria and
Lafitte are fishing communities now. Almost everyone owns a shrimp
boat. Those that don't have shrimp boats either operate crab
operations or work as fishing guides. The wildlife in this area is
incredible. We visited several marinas where we watched fishing
guides returning with fishing parties and loads of fish. Everyone had
limits of redfish. Barataria and Lafitte are fishing communities now
but that is not how they have always made their living, more on that
later.

At the absolute end of the road (highway 45) is a large marina with
cabins and a few RV sites. They can be reached at 504-689-2013 and
look like the best RV sites available. Another nearby marina is
Lafitte C-Way Marina 504-689-3148, they also has a few RV-sites. Joyce
and I were looking for a spot to park the motorhome when we return to
this area in either May or September. May is the start of shrimping
season and early September is when they harvest the annual quota of
alligator. Both times promise considerable activity.

One of our guidebooks "Louisiana off the beaten path" recommended
dining at either Voleo's or Boutte's local Cajun seafood restaurants.
Although we checked out both restaurants Joyce selected Boutte's for
lunch and it was a good selection. If you ever venture down to this
area stop by and try one of these places. We can vouch for Boutte's
but Voleo's looked like it would also be a good place to experience
local cuisine.

We also visited the Louisiana State Marine Fisheries Museum in
Lafitte. The docent running the museum was in his 80s and had spent
his entire life earning a living on the water in southern Louisiana.
He had been a shrimper, crabber, trapped mink, nutria and muskrat in
addition to oystering. We were the only people in the museum and he
gave us his full attention explaining in detail how all the equipment
worked. The museum could not have a better docent.

He told us about how a sizable group of individuals, mainly Filipino
and Chinese families, used to live about 30-miles south of Lafitte out
in the middle of the marsh in a community built on pilings. This
community was called Manila Village. The residents used to dry shrimp
and fish on the raised platforms before salting them for market. Huts,
stores, and docks were connected by wooden walkways above the pilings.
Everything was fine until hurricane Betsy. In the aftermath of
hurricane Betsy nothing remained of their stilt community. It was
never rebuilt. The surviving family members resettled in coastal
communities.

Yesterday I told you about visiting Chalmette and giving you a little
history about Andrew Jackson and the Battle of New Orleans. As
usually happens some General in this case Andrew Jackson got the bulk
of the credit in this battle but there was someone else that deserved
much of the credit for this incredible victory. That person was Jean
Lafitte. It was probably his ignominious past that prevented the
public adulation he richly deserved for his part in the decisive
victory.

The many islands, shallow bays and winding bayous of this area
30-miles south of New Orleans attracted some unsavory types. French
maps from circa 1729 name the area "Barataria," French for
fraudulence, illegality, or "dishonesty at sea." (Remember we are
visiting the communities of Barataria and Lafitte) Smugglers existed
as part of business in early Louisiana. Privateers, operating under
"letters of marque," roamed the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico.

"Letters of Marque" is a License or commission formerly granted by a
government to a private person to fit out an armed ship or privateer
to capture an enemy's ships and merchandise in time of war, or in
reprisal for damage done. Letters of marque fell into disuse
following the abolition of privateering by the Declaration of Paris
in 1856.

Back to the story- In 1808 Jean and Pierre Lafitte, organized the
smugglers and privateers with headquarters in this area. From here
and nearby Barataria Bay these "Baratarians" spent several years
raiding Spanish shipping in the Gulf of Mexico. They used the Indian
shell middens in this area for storehouses while Jean and Pierre sold
merchandise to merchants and plantation owners.

During the War of 1812 British Generals contacted the Baratarians and
offered them $30,000 for their services. Jean Lafitte stalled the
negotiations in order to get word to General Andrew Jackson. (General
Jackson was east of New Orleans and needed time to move his troops
into position to defend New Orleans). Lafitte and his men then
provided cannon, guns, ammunition and the pirates themselves to help
defend New Orleans. Afterwards, the Baratarians were given pardons
and many settled in the area. Their family names are still seen along
the bayous and bays.

Friday, November 22, 2002
Bayou Segnette State Park near New Orleans (30-amps, water with
central dump) $12.00

Joyce wanted to go to New Orleans and ride the St. Charles Street
trolley from Canal Street through the Garden District past Audubon
Park, Loyola and Tulane University so that is what we did. Near the
end we got off and experienced lunch at Camellia Grill. Camellia
Grill is a "locals" favorite and a fun place to have a hamburger or
breakfast any hour of the day. It is a fun experience with all seats
at a counter - no tables. The waiters and chefs put on a continuous
show. The Camellia Grill is not where you want to go for the
quintessential New Orleans meal. It is where you want to go to get a
light lunch with entertainment. After lunch and a little
window-shopping we boarded the trolley and returned to Canal Street.
Those of you familiar with New Orleans will understand riding the
trolley through the Garden District and out St. Charles for others it
will require a little explaining.

The homes, churches, restaurants, parks and universities up and down
St. Charles Street are all something to see. The St. Charles Street
Trolley is reputed to be the oldest continuously operating trolley in
the world. It operates over much of the run in a wide median. The
slow ride gives ample opportunity to enjoy the spectator sport of
rubbernecking. Tourist and locals alike enjoy gawking at all the
opulence bordering St. Charles Street.

In the beginning New Orleans was settled by the French. That
settlement became known as the "Vieux Carre" or "French Quarter". The
plans for the "French Quarter" were drawn up in Paris and laid out on
the banks of the Mississippi River. The streets were and still are
"old world" narrow. As other nationalities joined the French on the
banks of the Mississippi they created "subdivisions" of their own.
Canal Street was an extremely broad "neutral" area that separated the
"Americans" from the French. This "neutral" area is where the two
gathered to trade with each other. Are you getting the idea that they
didn't mingle?

Now back to the ride down St. Charles Street through the Garden
District. The American's subdivision was the Garden District. The
Americans were wealthy merchants and built ostentatious homes. Now
many of the homes are over 100 years old and are still magnificent.

Now I hope you understand why the trolley ride out St. Charles Street
is so much fun.

We arrive back at Bayou Segnette State Park long after dark. As we
pass the boat ramp in the park we notice all of the vehicles with
boat-trailers in the parking lot. I am not talking about one or two
but well over 100 vehicles with boat-trailers attached. I was beside
myself with curiosity. Where were all these people? What were they
doing in the dead of night out in those boats? We have seen boats
leaving the boat ramp loaded with materials to build duck blinds, are
they spending the night in duck blinds? We saw another man with a
washing machine loaded on his bass boat. That was puzzling but seeing
as how we were in Cajun country nothing should come as a surprise so
we shrugged it off. As luck would have it a ranger happened by and
explained that these people had "camps" out on the lake. Some of the
"camps" were houseboats while others were structures on pilings. It
seems when the weekend comes they head out to those camps until Monday
morning. Now I have a mission. I want to visit one of those camps. I
want to see them first hand.

That about sums up the day except for the ferry rides across the
Mississippi and back.

Saturday, November 23, 2002
Bayou Segnette State Park near New Orleans (30-amps, water with
central dump) $12.00

We had several things on the agenda today. Everything revolved around
the FSU (Florida State Seminoles) football game on TV beginning at
2:30 this afternoon. Only one team showed up for this game and it was
NOT FSU. There is not much to tell you other than I watched the game
with some other FSU fans from the Pensacola area in Kabby's Sports Bar
and Grill located in the Riverwalk mall in New Orleans. I met Bill
Eddins and his wife. Bill is a local attorney in Pensacola; in fact
he is now a rather famous attorney. Bill is the attorney appointed to
be the arbitrator in the nationally televised trial of the two King
brothers that were recently tried for murdering their father. After
the brothers were convicted the trial judge had second thoughts and
ruled that the boys did not get a fair trial. At that point the judge
decided to send the case to arbitration, something that is not at all
normal. In arbitration rather than going through another jury trial
of the boys the defense and prosecution get together with the
arbitrator and decide what to do. Bill Eddins was that arbitrator. He
could not talk about anything concerning what went on in the
arbitration. Bill and his wife were great conversationalist as well
as fellow RV'ers. If any of our friends in Pensacola spot Bill on the
street please tell him that we enjoyed watching the football game with
him and his wife. Thanks in advance.

After the disastrous FSU football game Joyce and I headed to Mike
Anderson's (in the Riverwalk food court) for supper. As we were
headed out of Riverwalk we ran into Barry Koncan who is from
Pensacola. Barry and I worked together at CNET. Those of you that
know Barry tell him that we enjoyed getting caught up on CNET news.
Again, thanks in advance.

I got a bit ahead of myself with the football game. Actually, we had
a good day going until that game.

Before heading to New Orleans and Riverwalk this morning we stopped by
the Westwego Museum. Westwego is actually the name of a city across
the river from New Orleans. As you might suspect the name Westwego
needs some explaining.

The community was "Salaville" until the railroad was constructed from
"Salaville" to El Paso, Texas. At one time individuals and freight
could ride a railroad from the east coast to New Orleans but no
further. Back in the early days there were no bridges across the
Mississippi River. Then the Rail Road constructed a rail line from
the west side of the river that transported goods and individuals
west. That railroad had its genesis in "Salaville". As the train
would pull away from the station everyone would shout "Westwego". When
the town incorporated in the early 1900s they decided to drop
Salaville and instead incorporated under-Westwego. Now you know how
this town ended up with such an unlikely moniker.

Before the railroad "Salaville" was a fishing village along a canal
that connected the Mississippi River's Westbank to Bayou Segnette and
the Gulf of Mexico. The community received a large influx of new
settlers after the 1893 hurricane that destroyed their fishing
community at Cheniere Caminada near Grand Isle (approximately 50-miles
south of here).

The Westwego Historical Museum is one of the best small city museums
we have seen in our ramblings around the country. For a small place
they have but together a remarkable pictorial history, complete with a
stuffed 12' alligator, a variety of pelts plus a video conversation
with elderly residents as they recalled some of the areas history.
Then we went into the "old store" in the next room. The "old store"
is remarkable because it is really an old store that used to service
the area. We loved it! It was a general store right out of the
1930s. It just so happens that the old general store originally
housed in the building was purchased by the museum lock stock and
building. It is now part of the museum. Items are still on the shelf
just like they were back in the 1930s. A variety of bottled soft
drinks were still on the shelf waiting to be put in the cooler. Most
of the soft drinks were brands of root beer that no longer exist. It
was a true walk through history. This is one you really should do.

This is our last day in the New Orleans area and I thought I should
pass on some information to RV'ers. Three bridges cross the
Mississippi River in New Orleans they are the: I-310 bridge, the US
highway-90 or Huey P. Long bridge from New Orleans to Bridge City, and
the Business US highway-90 bridge from down town New Orleans to
Algiers/Gretna. On you map the Huey P. Long Bridge is the middle
bridge. A word of caution about the Huey P. Long Bridge is in order.
It is an OLD bridge and the lanes are extremely narrow. Driving our
Saturn across that bridge was exciting. Driving a motorhome across
that bridge would put new meaning into the term EXCITEMENT. That is
not to say it cannot be done because it can. Eighteen-wheelers,
garbage trucks and other large vehicles do it. The bridge is probably
4-miles long because of the long approaches on both sides. Remember
this bridge has to get high enough in the air to allow ocean going
freighters and tankers to cross underneath, that is to say it is
several hundred feet above the river. Go for it if you have an extra
dose of MOXIE. If you are of the more timid persuasion I would
suggest one of the other bridges.

Sunday, November 24, 2002
We drove 60 miles from Bayou Segnette SP near New Orleans to Gibson (15-mile NW of
Houma). Hideaway Ponds Recreational Resort (50-amps, water, sewage and
cable) $20.25.

We moved the motorhome 60-miles west from Westwego to Gibson. It was
an uneventful drive. Hideaway Ponds Recreational Resort is an RMI
park and hoards of locals were spending the weekend enjoying the park.
When we arrived there was activity everywhere. Many snowbirds were
already settled in for the winter. Our neighbors told us about a
"fais do do" at the Jolly Inn in Houma. The "fais do do" started
around 4:00 and lasted until 8:00. Those of you that follow our
travels know that we do not miss anything that promises a good time.

This "fais do do" was the best we have experienced. It was great!
Although Joyce and I enjoyed ourselves dancing a group of locals that
we shared a table with adopted us. Many of the other locals at the
dance came by to speak with us and made us feel like we were one of
them. It helps when you are sharing a table with people that know
everyone in town. Cajuns have more fun than anyone we know and these
were no exception. A group of young men (17 to 18 years old) were
dancing with girls their own age and with their grandmothers. There
is absolutely nothing like watching an 18-year old boy doing a jig
with his 75-year old grandmother.

We were planning to stay in this area for 3 or 4 days. Now we think
we may stay longer.

Monday, November 25, 2002
Hideaway Ponds Recreational Resort (50-amps, water, sewage and cable)
$20.25.

Joyce had planned for us to drive to Grand Isle, Louisiana today.
Grand Isle is a 95-mile drive through Houma, Bourg, Larose, Cut Off,
Galliano, Golden Meadow, Leeville, Port Fourchon and finally at the
end of Louisiana highway-1 is Grand Isle. It is a drive like no
other. The entire drive is along one bayou after another. The
farther south we drive the more commercial activity we see. By the
time we approach the town of Gold Meadow shrimp boats line both sides
of Bayou Lafourche. Push boats are pushing barges up and down the
bayou. Natural gas processing plants dot the entire length of
highway-1. The closer we get to the Gulf more and more facilities
appear that service the offshore gas and oil rigs in the Gulf just
south of here. Large crew boats, supply boats, helicopters and such
are busily transporting men and supplies to the off shore operations.

Louisiana highway-1 runs down the west side of Bayou Lafourche while
Louisiana highway-308 runs up and down the east bank of the Bayou. The
highways are constructed very close to the bayou on the natural levy.
Construction down here is within a block or so of the bayou because
any farther than that away from the bayou is in the marsh. Communities
along the bayou tend to be a block or so wide and stretch several
miles down both sides of the bayou. These communities spring up where
there is enough solid ground to support buildings.

There is no doubt about how Golden Meadow got its name. Like
"Brunswick and the Golden Isles" the moniker for the area surrounding
Brunswick, Georgia the landscape around "Golden Meadow" is golden
marsh. As far as the eye can see around Golden Meadow is a marsh that
is not only golden in color this time of year but provides a "golden"
bounty of sealift.

After leaving the community of Golden Meadow we still have 32-miles
till we reach Grand Isle. From Golden Meadow to Port Fourchon some
15-miles distant the only ground above the water table is highway-1.
It appears to me that highway-1 was built upon dredge spoil from the
many navigable bayous. Golden marsh grass is visible to the horizon
on both the east and west sides of the highway. To the south is Port
Fourchon perched on a splinter of high ground. Everything in Port
Fourchon is connected tenuously to this high ground. Between Golden
Meadow and Port Fourchon are several "pullouts" where there is enough
high ground to pull a vehicle off the highway. These "pullouts" are
well used by individuals that are either fishing in the bayou or
throwing a cast net for shrimp. Shrimp move with the tide so locals
with cast nets just stand in an open place and cast their net into the
bayou getting 3 to 5 nice shrimp per cast. Most were only throwing 6
to 8' nets so they were not expending the energy we associate with
heaving a 10' or 12' net. We stopped to watch these cast net
shrimpers for a while and decided that they were gathering dinner in
short order.

Highway-1 travels south until it reaches Port Fourchon where it dog
legs to the east for 15-miles to Grand Isle. Leaving Port Fourchon we
are still surrounded by the golden marsh but now we can see in the
distance and a thin chenier to the south of us. Chenier is a French
term meaning an oak grove. Wherever you have an oak grove you have a
bit of high ground of necessity high enough to support a grove of live
oak trees. These oak covered "cheniers" appear as islands in the sea
of surrounding marsh grass.

As we near Grand Isle the Port of Fourchon marina appears complete
with an impressive looking charter fishing fleet and the ubiquitous
shrimp boats. The marina complex also has an acceptable RV-park and
motel. In fact if we were to return to this area (unlikely) we would
probably stay in this RV Park, as it is the best we have seen down
here. If you are interested the Fourchon Marina 504-396-2792 operates
the RV Park.

Grand Isle is Louisiana's Beach. Now that we have seen it we know why
Louisianan's like to visit the Florida Panhandle beaches. Of
necessity the homes on Grand Isle are all on pilings 12 or so feet
above the ground. For those of you not familiar with southern
Louisiana the houses and mobile homes are on these pilings up in the
air because they are in hurricane alley. Hurricanes frequent this
area and push walls of water ashore. It is imperative for homes to be
above the high water. Most of these homes and trailers survive
hurricanes so long as they are up on those pilings and safe from the
water. Grand Isle looks surprisingly good since we all know a
hurricane came ashore just west of here about a month ago. There was
no visible trash on the streets waiting to be picked up.

While driving through Grand Isle proper we saw the flashing lights of
a police car with several other city cars gathered around. Then we
spot several men with the familiar "catch poles" we recognize from TV
shows like "Crocodile Hunter". We pull over and grab the video
camera. A five-foot alligator is holed up in a 12' length of concrete
culvert. A skinny young man around 20-years old has the catchpole
with a loop of rope on one end. A burly man has another pole and is
down on his hands and knees trying to poke the alligator and shove him
out the end of the culvert where the skinny man is waiting. The
alligator is hissing inside the culvert and not at all liking being
poked. The skinny man is down on his hands and knees looking into the
business end of the culvert. There was a spirited discussion
concerning the IQ of the skinny fellow looking into the culvert.
Several of us are staking out automobile hoods we are going to jump on
when that 'gator comes flying out of the culvert. Directly all hell
breaks loose as the gator comes out the end of the culvert where the
skinny guy is. The skinny guy has the loop around the 'gators neck.
There is a lot of fast and furious action until the big burly guy
races from the other side of the culvert and helps subdue the 5'4"
alligator. They talked about some good 'gator meat but in the end the
alligator was loaded into a pickup truck and hauled back to the swamp
and released. Now tell me where else you can just happen upon action
like that?

The ride back home is just as interesting as the as the trip down. We
remain amazed at the number of shrimp boats that line miles and miles
of the bayou. We absolutely love the banana plants growing along the
bayou, the ancient live oak trees, the antebellum mansions, sugar cane
fields, the roadside vendors peddling satsumas & kumquats, and the
plethora of drawbridges scattered up and down the bayous.

A friend from Pensacola sent us e-mail last night commenting about our
last travelogue, as he signed off he told us to keep on "passing a
good time"? I got a kick out of that because you have to be familiar
with this area to understand "passing a good time". In this area of
Louisiana if you ask someone how he or she are doing the answer will
more than likely be "passing a good time". The moniker of the
RV-Resort we are staying in is "passing a good time". "Passing a
good time" is common vernacular among adults. The habit is easy to
acquire. Joyce and I are even getting into the habit. Thanks to
Jules for reminding us to keep "passing a good time". We will do that
for all of you.

Mike & Joyce Hendrix