Chapter 50...The Big Easy

...The 550 mile drive from San Antonio, Texas to New Orleans , Louisiana went smoothly enough (no fatalities)... Traveler's tip:  When entering Louisiana from another state (by road) advise all on board passengers that you are entering the Bayou State, and reassure them that you have NOT driven off the road during a moment of inattention.  All passengers not thus forewarned will assume that you are driving them through a plowed farmer's field, with the sole intent of loosening their teeth for later resale...  

...There are potholes on Interstate 10 in Louisiana that are larger than bomb craters...  I fully suspect that no one has ever driven the full 70 MPH allowed speed except in a rented or borrowed vehicle... 

..."Hey, Beaudreau, kin I borrow yer Mercury to run up to Baton Rouge for a couple hours???"

..."Why shore you can, Cletus.  Jes' bring her back full of gas"

(Hours later...)

..."Howdy Clete...How'd she run???"

..."Fine as frog's hair, Beau.  Thanks fer loanin' her to me"

..."Cletus, did ya fill er up like I ast ya to???"

..."Well, suh, I tried to, I rilly did Beaudreau, but the dad gummed gas tank fell off somewheres on the Interstate..,"

...Bayou country....

...Nothing fell off the Beast, and the Jeep (miraculously) remained attached.  We arrived rattled, but safely at the Lake Ponchartrain RV Park and Marina.  As this was a home game weekend for the New Orleans Saints, the French Quarter RV Resort was sold out entirely...

...Ponchartrain Landing...

...Too tired to venture downtown for the evening (damn, I'm getting old), we went to the on-premises restaurant The Lighthouse.  We had incredible Cajun oysters, tequila beverages and a fabulous seafood bisque.  Throughout our dinner we listened to an authentic zydeco band who were great!!!

...Typical Zydeco group...notice there is an accordion, bass guitar, rhythm guitar, washboard and drummer...

...For those who haven't experienced it, Zydeco music makes it virtually impossible to sit still...the fast beat rhythm is absolutely contagious!!!

Factoid:  Many credit the invention of this uniquely Cajun music genre to a 1920's group named the ZYDECO SKILLET LICKERS... 

...The following day we took a taxi to the French Quarter...

...The French Quarter...the oldest section of the Big Easy...

...Here, we had three distinct missions, to wit:  

1. Go to Central Grocery near Jackson and eat a MUFFULETTA sandwich...

...A muffuletta...Basically, an Italian cold cut sub on an Italian roll with a green olive relish and vinegar & oil dressing...

2. Stop by Cafe du Monde...

...to have beignets and coffee....

...Beignets are basically deep fried pastries served with heaps of powdered sugar...They're delicious!!!

3. Go to the Olde N'awlins Cookery and get a few orders of crawfish étouffée to take back to the coach...

...This is considered by the local Cajuns to be the best étouffée in town...Your Captain fully agrees...

....Fir the uninitiated reader, here is a crawfish (actually a cray fish)..,

...Why, yes, Louis, the crawfish DOES look like a miniature LOBSTER!!!  (It's really much tastier).

...Your Captain waiting in line...

...The Cimmodorable at Jackson Square...

...After imbibing the obligatory Pat O'Brians HURRICANE, we caught a taxi back to the coach...

...(We've never been here during Mardi Gras, but on THIS particular Sunday, the Quarter was literally packed with drunken humanity, Cowboy and Saints fans alike were getting schnockered at an alarming rate...)

...Once safely back aboard the Beast, we watched a bit of football on TV and soon began to feel the combined effects of muffuletta, beignet, chicory coffee, and Hurricane overdose...  The planned étouffée dinner was thus postponed...

...We pledged to arise early and depart the Bayou to head to the old home sod...Florida...