October 10-13, 2018. I love Louisiana!  We are in a beautiful campground near a bayou just outside of Lafayette, Louisiana. There are cypress trees dripping with Spainish moss, and cypress knees that look like little aliens. The people are friendly and the food is delicious. On Thursday we visited Avery Island near New Iberia, Louisiana. Avery Island is home to the world famous Tabasco Pepper Sauce manufactured by the Mcllheney Company on this same site since 1868. We toured the factory and, as crazy as it sounds, it was fascinating. Not many people know that this island is actually a salt dome extending 8 miles underground and was a major salt mining location. The island is also home to one of the world’s most beautiful nature sanctuaries. Edward Mcllhenny helped save the snowy egret from extinction by building an aviary on Avery Island. He created Bird City on this site and raised 8 egrets there which returned every year and raised their young.  Today thousands of egrets return every Spring to this place. We saw the rookery but the birds were gone for this year. After our tour we had lunch at their cafe and enjoyed a sample plate of more yummy Louisiana cuisine.

After touring Avery Island, we returned to New Iberia.  We joined a tour of Shadows on the Teche. This 1834 plantation home overlooks Bayou Teche.  It belonged to the Weeks family and contains
80 % of the original furnishings. It was a beautiful place and well worth the visit.

Late in the afternoon we picked up Jax from doggy jail and returned to our campground near Lafayette. One more nice day in journey.

October 1-10, 2018. We left the Smokey Mountains and drove through Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi, arriving in Slidell, Louisiana on October 3. What a change of scenery!  From mountains and streams and pine forests to swamplands, live oaks with Spanish moss, and bayous. It is hot here in Louisiana and humid.  We had planned to go into New Orleans on Thursday or Friday but the heat index was 103 degrees and Pops was tired from driving for three days, so we decided to wait until Monday. Then, the Saints were in town with Drew Brees’  passing record on the line.  We couldn’t get close to New Orleans.  On Tuesday it was pouring rain, all day.  However, we did get to eat some Louisiana fine cuisine, several times, in Slidell. We had crawfish etouffee, gumbo, shrimp, boudin balls and, of course, beignets.