Places Visited:

Louisiana: Cypress Bayou Casino near Charenton, Jeanerette, Franklin,
Morgan City, Pierre Part, Paincourtville, Bayou Signette SP & Gretna

Mississippi: Bay St Louis

This is the final travelogue for 2002 and for our Louisiana trip. We
have enjoyed being with you this year and hope you travel with us
again next year. If you are ever in the Pensacola area be sure and
give us a shout. We would like to spend some time with you.

Wednesday, December 11, 2002
We only traveled 30-miles in the motorhome. Boondocking in the parking lot of
Cypress Bayou Casino in Charenton (between the towns of Jeanerette and
Franklin off U.S. Highway 90.

We moved the motorhome 30-miles closer to home today as we are
visiting some of the small historical towns on Bayou Teche. The two
main towns on our schedule are Jeanerette and Franklin. Joyce has
picked out some plantation homes to tour, plus a driving tour of
historic Franklin. The first order of business was to locate Cypress
Bayou Casino where we planned to drop the motorhome while we took the
Saturn to do our exploring. Cypress Bayou turned out to be the
perfect place to drop our motorhome. They do not open until noon and
close at 2:00 A.M. and have a 12 acre paved and lighted parking-area.
We picked a spot on the back 40 to leave the motorhome then headed
out.

Area sugar cane farmers are in full gear harvesting cane. Sugar cane
processing plants are scattered every 10 miles or so along Rte. 182 in
this area. All available farm machinery has been pressed into duty
hauling giant trailers of sugar cane to processing plants. Factories
are working around the clock to render the cane into molasses. Liquid
molasses is barged to another factory that further refines raw
molasses into granular sugar. It is truly an awesome sight to see the
activity surrounding harvest and processing of sugar cane.

Joyce indulged me three different times today as I stopped and watched
the activity around different sugar cane processing plants. The
activity is carefully choreographed as hundreds of truckloads of cane
arrive, get in line, drive through the auger that gets a core sample
of each load to determine the sugar content thus the price per-ton.
Then the cane is dumped into giant bins. The bins feed 50' wide
conveyor belts transporting cane stalks to washing vats.

Joyce also let me watch harvesting operations on several occasions.
Last year in Arkansas I got to ride in a harvester while several rows
of cane were harvested. It is amazing what thrills me.

The historic town of Franklin was named after Benjamin Franklin.
English settlers from Virginia and the Carolinas settled in Franklin
making it an Anglo-Saxon pocket in the largely French (Acadiana). The
Anglo-Saxon influence is apparent in the architecture of the city with
its Greek Revival homes, moss-draped oaks and old-fashioned street
lamps.

Beautiful historic homes not withstanding the lasting impression I
will have of the area is the sight of huge cane trucks rumbling
through these small towns. Over 400 historical properties are within
the downtown historic district. Joyce and I slowly drove up and down
East Main Street (Rte. 182) in Franklin admiring the old plantation
homes. Main Street is a broad boulevard shaded by massive moss draped
oaks. A thin neutral ground (median) is adorned with ornamental
cast-iron street lamps complete with decorative globes, reflecting the
charm and grace of an earlier time.

The first house tour on our schedule today was the Grevemburg House.
The Grevemburg House is an 1851 Greek Revival home constructed of
cypress with 4-fluted Corinthian columns showcasing the front porches.
The local chapter of the Louisiana Historic Landmark Society has
painstakingly restored the Grevemburg House. The floors are original,
but details, like the painted "faux bois" cypress, wallpaper and
draperies are meticulous reproductions. It is furnished with an
impressive collection of period furniture and artwork.

Less than 5-miles down the road was Oaklawn Manor Plantation. It is
the current home of Louisiana governor Mike Foster. No matter if it
is the "Governor's" personal home it is open for tours. As we enter
the gate we are greeted and questioned by a state trouper. He looks
us over, takes our tag number and allows us to enter. We parked in
the "visitor's" designated space and walk up to the "Governor's
Mansion" (Oaklawn Manor Plantation) and ring the doorbell. An elderly
lady that was a family friend of the Governor greeted us and took us
on our tour. The Governor actually came in and spoke with us. He had
been bird hunting and was dressed in casual clothes. Even though we
were in his elegant home with truly aristocratic trappings he was not
putting on any airs. The inside rooms were elaborately decorated for
Christmas. The "Gov" had the house ready to do some holiday
entertaining.

Unlike many of the antebellum homes still standing Oaklawn Manor is
constructed from locally made bricks. The massive columns are made
from pie shaped bricks. Exterior walls are 20-inches thick while
interior walls are only 18-inches thick. Original floors were of
cypress but a fire destroyed those. Mr. Barbour, an extremely wealthy
individual, purchased the property after the fire and restored the
structure. Oaklawn Manor was a magnificent structure from the
beginning but Mr. Barbour took it to even greater levels of grandeur.
He added massive intricate chandeliers. One incredibly beautiful
blown glass chandelier from an island off the coast of Italy noted for
its blown glass pieces was exceptionally impressive. The chandeliers
really look magnificent hanging from the 15' ceilings. When fire
destroyed the St. Charles Hotel in New Orleans Mr. Barbour acquired
the marble floors. On his world travels he returned with the finest
of marble mantles and fireplace parts.

Governor "Mike" has some family money of his own. He has one room he
calls his Audubon Room. The governor has collected Audubon originals.
He may have one of the largest Audubon collections anywhere. In the
Audubon Room the governor also has a beautiful collection of duck
carvings. Each of the ducks is a masterpiece. Governor & Mrs.
Foster, commissioned renowned craftsman Don Gomez to carve a complete
set of native Louisiana waterfowl to compliment the antique bird
prints by Gould, Selby and Audubon already on display. At this time
Gomez is working on a new collection entitled the "Birds of Oaklawn."
They are stored in lighted glass showcases. In the center of the room
is a magnificent life size wooden carving of a pelican feeding two
chicks. The pelicans look real. The detail is indescribable. The
docent told us that the work had been commissioned for the Capital
building but a controversy ensued about the cost. Governor "Mike"
purchased the piece and had an equally impressive glass case made to
house it. Now it is the centerpiece in his Audubon Room.

In the 35-acre yard is an aviary that houses an interesting variety of
domestic and tropical birds. The aviary was built by Warner Brothers
Studios for the filming of the movie "Drowning Pool", starring both
Paul Newman and Joann Woodward.

The 35-acre "grounds" consist mostly of beautifully mowed grass under
majestic moss draped live oak trees bordered on one side by Bayou
Tech.

Since we were boondocking in the casino parking lot we decided the
least we could do was eat supper in the casino. As it turns out the
casino has two excellent restaurants inside. One is a steak house
that is supposed to be the best in the area. The other is the "Bayou
Café" and it had a 30 to 40 minute waiting line as long as we were
there. As we stood in line we were surrounded by couples from as far
away as Houma that had driven over here for supper. We have never
found casino food to be all that great but then again most of the time
we have experienced the casino buffets. This casino does not have a
buffet. The food, service, price and atmosphere in Bayou Café make it
probably the best bet for dining within a 25-mile radius (possibly
farther since two couples with us in line drove from Houma 75-miles
away). Go figure?

Thursday, December 12, 2002
We onlytraveled 33-miles in the motorhome. Lake End Park Campground (City of
Morgan City facility) $18 per-night with GS discount. 50amp full
hookup. A nice place on the water complete with a one mile paved
walking path, picnic pavilions, plus a marina and boat ramp. It is
extremely popular on weekends and holidays and is often full during
those times.

After moving the motorhome from Cypress Bayou Casino to Morgan City's
Lake End Park and Campground we headed out on today's adventure. Joyce
had plotted a route out of Morgan City north on Louisiana 70 that
follows the east bank of a branch of the Intracoastal Waterway for
about 20-miles. All along the highway we are separated from the arm
of the Intracoastal Waterway and Atchafalaya basin by portions of the
"Great Wall" or levee system that holds the Atchafalaya in between the
east and west levee systems. Much of the levee system north of Morgan
City is steel sheet pilings in conjunction with a 20' tall earthen
levee supporting it. Highway 70 meanders along at the bottom of the
earthen levee. East of highway 70 is a series of lakes and canals.

Small communities line the highway as we head north. Water related
businesses dominate. Whether it is commercial fishing, sport fishing,
boat or ship building from commercial boats such as tugs and offshore
supply boats down to fiberglass and aluminum skiffs, everything along
highway 70 is related to water.

The community of Pierre Part is home to "Chilly's". Chilly's is a
wildly popular dance hall that actually sits on pilings over Lake
Verret. The place goes way beyond looking rustic. In fact many city
folks not into having fun with locals would roll up their windows lock
the doors and probably not even slow down when passing Chilly's. I
suspect normal "tourist" will have to muster up some moxie to actually
stop and join the fun. We have heard that in the summer this is the
place to be on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and nights. If we were
going to be here this weekend we would give you a first hand report
but alas we are moving on. It will be on our agenda for future trips.
To find the place from highway 70 follow the signs to "shell point or
shell beach or Chilly's". I think the road must be SR 10152 but I am
not sure. Chilly's is 2.5 miles down the road. We could not
determine where the name shell beach came from since all we saw was
swamp. The road was lined with house trailers and lean-too's (Joyce's
term). Near the end of the road some of the structures were more
normal framed residences. We never saw anything that resembled a
beach. In fact homes were more likely to have cypress knees in the
yard than shells. Needless to say we did not see a beach.

A little farther east on highway 70 is the Rainbow Inn Barroom and
dance hall. We understand that they regularly have bands but do not
seem to have a fixed schedule. If you happen by and see cars in the
lot stop in and ask what is coming up. Wednesday through Saturday
nights are supposed to be the open nights but it is best to call
504-252-8069. Look closely on highway-70 for the Rainbow Inn you
should be able to spot the building as you pass through Pierre Part.

Highway-70 north out of Morgan City is through swamp. This swamp
produces much of the "wild" crawfish consumed in the state. Local
connoisseurs know the difference between wild and cultivated crawfish
and as you might suspect some of these true Cajuns must have one or
the other.

Somewhere between Pierre Part and Paincourtville roadside vendors were
selling "spillway" crabs. Only a local would know what a "spillway"
crab is. I suspect that around here "spillway" crabs are far superior
taste wise than normal "run-of-the-mill" blue crabs.

In the small community of Paincourtville we turned south on Louisiana
highway 1. By the time we reach Paincourtville we have exited
30-miles of swamp and have popped out into sugar cane country once
again. Besides being totally surrounded by thousands of acres of
sugar cane Paincourtville has one of the most stunningly beautiful
Catholic Churches anywhere. St. Elizabeth's is magnificent Gothic
architecture. It has beautiful stained-glass windows imported from
France. For those so inclined there is supposed to be a fantastic
mural on the ceiling. To see it you will need to call the priest and
make arrangements 504-369-7398.

Napoleonville is another nondescript sugar cane community. It is home
to Madewood Plantation Home and Cajun Corner Café. Madewood is now
operating as a Bed and Breakfast plus it is also open for daily tours.
Madewood is one of the largest and certainly one of the most
magnificent of all Antebellum homes and is considered to be the
quintessential Greek Revival home. Construction started in 1846 by a
sugar cane planter with over 3,000 acres in cultivation. Like Oaklawn
Manor Madewood is constructed of locally made bricks. Slaves, skilled
in the art of making bricks from local clay, were responsible for
making bricks at each plantation. Interior and exterior walls are
over 20 inches thick. Interior walls are covered by stucco. 6
massive fluted Corinthian Columns showcase the front of Madewood with
ornate scrolls decorating the column's crown. The back porch has
6-square columns with no decorations. Several interior fluted columns
with exquisitely carved leaves adorning the crowns share duty in the
foyer area between the front door and the spectacular semi-spiral
staircase. Waterford crystal chandeliers hang from 15-foot ceilings.
Madewood is proud of the fact that two movies have been filmed there
"Sister, Sister" and "A Woman Called Moses".

The Cajun Corner Café is famous for its pure Norman Rockwell exterior.
Originally built as the Bank of Napoleonville in 1895 the
corner-facing entrance is what sets the place off. It is often used
in videos and movies. We wanted to eat in the café just for the
experience. The lunch special was meat pie with macaroni & cheese,
baked beans and a green salad for $3.95. It is unbelievable that in
2002 you can purchase a lunch like this for $3.95. I was surprised
when the waiter did not dip his hand into the cooler and retrieve one
of those 5-cent glass bottle cokes. I guess that was expecting too
much?

It started raining as we left Napoleonville. That put a damper on
sightseeing the remainder of the day so we headed back to the
motorhome.

Friday, December 13, 2002

We traveled 77-miles in the motorhome. Bayou Segnette State Park Westwego
(New Orleans) $12 per-night for 50-amps and water with central dump
station, paved interior roads and pads.

We had a rather uneventful drive from Morgan City to New Orleans on
highway-90. The highlight of our trip was stopping off for a few
minutes in Gibson (near Houma) at Hideaway Ponds RV-Park to visit with
friends from our Thanksgiving feast. Stanley & Virgie were there to
meet us but Jim & Charlotte and Bob & Tina had headed north to spend
Christmas with family. After a short visit we were on the road again.
When we pulled into Bayou Segnette SP we asked the clerk if by chance
Larry Gobin was in the park. Yes, he is on site #93. We are on #97.
Larry is a virtual friend (Larry has monitored RV-Talk an e-mail group
that discusses RV'ing, for years). He has been receiving our
travelogues and we have communicated via e-mail but never really met
face to face.

We had been looking forward to eating lunch at Common Ground in Gretna
and sharing one of their bread pudding deserts so you know where we
went for lunch. My Oh My it was worth the wait.

Around 5:30 we noticed that an automobile was in front of Larry's
Class "A". Joyce and I ambled over to meet them. Larry answered the
door with a Hi Mike!! He was exiting the park as we were checking in
and put two and two together (a TREK pulling a Saturn). We spent
about 3 hours sharing experiences with Larry and his lovely wife
Cindy.

One of the stories Larry shared with us after being prodded by Cindy
was their grand entrance to New Orleans. On their way into New
Orleans from the east on I-10 they both knew there were two bridges
across the Mississippi--the business highway-90 bridge and the Huey P.
Long Highway-90 Bridge. Both Larry and Cindy had read my recent
travelogue warning about the Huey P. Long Bridge. They knew which
bridge to AVOID and which bridge they wanted to navigate. To make a
good story short they took the wrong exit and ------ and, you guessed
it, they ended up going across the Huey P. Long Bridge. Now that they
have done it they say it is every bit as exciting as I had described.
Hold on, the story gets better. On the west side of the Huey P. Long
Bridge is a traffic circle with VERY CONFUSING signs (I know they are
confusing because we have circled that very traffic circle more than
once trying to determine where we needed to get out of the circle)
anyway ----- BINGO they exited the traffic circle and headed back
across ------- (drum roll)----the Huey P. Long Bridge! Once back on
the New Orleans side of the Bridge is was decision time. They both
know that Bayou Segnette State Park (their destination) is about
3-miles from the foot of the Huey P. Long Bridge and that dreadful
traffic circle. However, they are now certain that they are NOT going
to get to Bayou Segnette State Park via the Huey P. Long Bridge. From
the New Orleans side of the Huey P. Long Bridge they decided to drive
through New Orleans and cross on the business highway-90 bridge. They
arrived in Bayou Segnette State Park about 45-minutes later. Now they
have a really good experience to share with everyone. They have done
the Huey P. Long Bridge twice in one day and lived to tell about it.
Congratulations go to Larry and Cindy they have proved that it can be
done! In fact they can both laugh about it NOW!

Larry & Cindy, I hope that the two of you can continue to laugh about
your adventure and thanks for sharing it with us. It was priceless!

Twice today we have been privileged to visit with friends. Does it
get any better?

Saturday, December 14, 2002
Wetraveled 80-miles in the motorhome. We boondocked in the parking lot
of Casino Magic in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

We drove U.S. highway-90 out of New Orleans and into Bay St. Louis,
Mississippi. The drive was much more scenic this time. The last time
we traveled this way a month ago tons and tons of trash was piled
along the road as a result of the two tropical storms that passed
through the area in October. That sight was depressing. Mattresses,
couches, dressers, rugs you name it were piled along the highway. This
time all of that had been removed and the place looked much better.
For those of you that are not familiar with the aftermath of
hurricanes it takes a LONG time for government to remove all of the
debris.

The highlight of the highway-90 trip was crossing those two extremely
narrow bridges. They are narrow but nothing for a stepper! Do not
let me scare you. They can be done in a motorhome easily because
there is not much traffic. If you do happen to meet a large vehicle
coming the other way rest assured they will slow down to a crawl just
like you. I know this for a fact!

Instead of staying in the Casino Magic RV-Park we decide to boondock
in the parking lot of the Casino with about 10 other units. The
weather is nice and we saw no reason to pay for a spot in the RV-Park.

Virtual friends Gloria and Jerry Gill (Duncanglo is Gloria's virtual
address) are staying in the Casino Magic RV-Park. We met Gloria on
RV-Talk and have communicated about RV'ing for the last year or so.
Today we actually put faces with the e-mail friends. They are on
their way to spend the winter in Mexico. Don't we all wish we were
going with them? They had tickets to the Brenda Lee Show tonight at
Casino Magic. It is a sold out show so we opted for enjoying the
other entertainment that is always at Casino Magic. It was a premier
Rock and Roll band and as good as most entertainment that you would
pay for.

Gloria and Jerry are heading into New Orleans tomorrow and are going
to spend a few days at the RV-Park on the Naval Support Activity in
Algiers directly across the river from the French Quarter. We warned
them about taking the wrong bridge across the river and told them how
easy it could happen. We showed them on a map where the signs on I-10
would be confusing. They paid close attention and vowed that they
would not repeat Larry and Cindy's trick!

Sunday, December 15, 200

We traveled 147-miles in the motorhome. Parked at home in Pensacola

Now that we are back in Pensacola we are going to spend some time with
our Son, Daughter-in-Law and our Grandson. Joyce wants to baby sit
around the clock.

I received e-mail from Gloria today saying that she and Jerry had made
it across the river on the right bridge. I am happy for them.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Mike & Joyce Hendrix