Finally! On January 16, after some last minute servicing (Big Red was only there from Dec. 16 on...) we drove off from Buda, TX to spend the night in the Houston area, visit sister, Janet, and pick up Moe the cat, a.k.a. King of the Road.
On the road again! First stop: Coushatta Red Shoes RV Resort at Grand Casino Coushatta in Kinder, LA. Yes, we lost more than we made, but we had fun doing it! We also toured around the area.
Bayou Bridge
Rice field
Irrigation canal for the rice fields
Lake Charles Waterfront Park
But, by far the neatest and most enjoyable sight in the Louisiana countryside was our visit to the McIlhenny Tabasco Factory on Avery Island. Not only is it fun to see the production process and all those bottles whipping through the various machines, but the whole property is beautiful, and very in keeping with the environment.
The gate keeper collecting our entrance fee ($2, I think!).
The original production plant, with appropriate new wing, visible on the right end.
During our tour we received a miniature bottle of each Tabasco flavor, but we still hit the gift store to stock up on larger sizes for Holden! Not only do they have a great selection of Tabasco products and related items, they have a great little snack bar, where we bought etoufee (crawfish stew) and spicy steamed sausages to enjoy on the large outdoor patio. There's even fun stuff for kids, too.
The McIlhennys were very environmentally conscious, setting aside land as a sanctuary for snowy egrets, and building an area on Avery Island called The Jungle Garden.
Next thing we did was head to NOLA (New Orleans, LA). Believe it or not, there's a really nice rv resort in the French Quarter, which is only 3 blocks from Bourbon Street.
Our visit was just before Mardi Gras, but people were already decorating for the big event.
We happened upon a great (and free!), concert given in St. Louis Cathedral by the excellent Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra; a history of classical music in Louisiana through to the advent of jazz, with such featured composers as Dvorak, von Suppe and Jelly Roll Morton. Other than that we spent our time eating fabulous food (be sure to try MiLa, a restaurant in the Renaissance New Orleans Pere Marquette Hotel at 817 Common St.), trolleying around the Garden District and walking, walking, walking!
Had a drink at the riverfront Westin Hotel, as we enjoyed the view.
Adieu to the French Quarter and time to hit the road again. Please join us in our next post as we head through Florida to the Keys.
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