Hampton
Inn I-10/College Drive
Baton
Rouge, Louisiana
Foggy,
Cloudy, 68 F
We
disembarked Carnival Dream easily this morning and were in our truck headed for Avery Island
by 9 a.m. I’m glad we bought the 4 wheel spinner luggage because it moves very lightly and very easily. TK and I each have two 25 inch bags, plus the a carry ons. I'm not proud of our luggage requirements--ha! The morning was foggy and quite dreary, but
warm enough for capris and sandals. Since it was Sunday, TK was able to easily
drive out of New Orleans. We got glimpses of colorful floats and parade routes. We decided months ago we would not stay for Mardi
Gras—hotels were outrageously expensive for one thing. We were in New Orleans
one year for Halloween and saw quite a parade then. The police told us the
crowds reached over 100,000 for Halloween. We had the benefit of a Halloween
night cemetery tour with “Bloody Mary” who has been featured on A&E and
other channels. There are twice as many people, at least, for Mardi Gras.
We
followed U.S. 90 West and saw miles and miles of bayou, swamp, lakes, rivers,
canals, inlets along the Cajun Coast. We even saw a “Bear Crossing” sign. The
land is flatter than Ohio! There were live oaks and cypress trees, kind of a
ghostly appearance in the fog with moss hanging from the limbs of the live
oaks. It seems like spring because some trees are already budding.
We
passed Houma, an area that boasts 52 bridges and 7 bayous converging there.
This is the Acadian area where refugees from Canada settled, aka Cajuns.
We
stopped at the newly built Morgan City Visitor Center by the Atchafalaya
River built on a bayou. TK
noticed a bald eagle fly by and perch in a tree, inviting us to take a photo. I
also spotted nutria scurrying among the trees. The volunteer there told us
the alligators are not out sunning yet—they wait till it’s warmer. Some live
under the Center’s porch.
Bald Eagle, Morgan City, Louisiana Visitor Center
As
we approached Avery Island we saw turtles sunning on logs in the water beside
the highway. Avery Island is the home of Tabasco pepper sauce. I read an
article in National Geographic years ago and wanted to go there ever since. We
paid $1 to cross the toll bridge and drove a short ways to the factory and
country gift shop.
What I learned about Tabasco Sauce:
·
The company was established after the
Civil War in 1868. Edmund McIlhenny was given some pepper seeds (now named
Capsicum frutescens, tabasco) and created the formula that is still used today.
Tabasco sauce is only made here on Avery Island, but now the peppers are grown
in South and Central America. The seeds are harvested only from pepper plants grown
on Avery Island and sent to their farmers in other countries for planting. This process is repeated every year. I hope I
am explaining this well. The tour guide said that 700 acres of pepper plants
were previously grown on Avery Island, but now only 30 acres are planted to
harvest the seeds. Actually growing the peppers for the sauce in other
countries ensures that weather and other factors like insects will not affect
the entire harvest.
·
700,000 bottles of Tabasco sauce are
made a day!! And sent to 160+ countries !
·
McIlhenny uses Jack Daniels white oak
50-gallon barrels to age their pepper mash for three years. By law, Jack
Daniels can only use their barrels once. McIlhenny can use the barrels for as
long as they last.
·
The original pepper seeds (Capsicum
frutescens) came from Mexico. When naming the sauce Edmund McIlhenny looked at
a map of Mexico and saw the State of Tabasco. Tabasco means hot and humid,
therefore the perfect name.
·
McIlhenny employs over 200 people, not
including those who work in the salt mines.
·
The peppers must be processed the same
day they are picked.
·
After being aged for 3 years, the pepper
mash is stirred for 28 days before being bottled.
Another
part of Avery Island is a wildlife refuge created by the McIlhenny family
(which still owns the factory and island today). We took a driving tour of the
island to see the wonderful cypress trees, a 300 year old live oak and others,
a row of holly shrubs that arched over the roadway, a wisteria arch (not
blooming), a fabulous pindo jelly palm, blooming red, pink, and white
camellias, and “bird city,” an open aviary with thousands of egrets.
McIlhenny Tabasco Sauce Factory
Holly Shrub Arch, Avery Island
Pindo Jelly Palm in center, Avery Island, Louisiana
Camellias, Avery Island
After
this drive, we returned to U.S. 90 West to find a Cajun restaurant recommended at
the visitor center. Much to our dismay we discovered every single non-chain
restaurant was either closed on Sunday or closed after lunch. We decided to eat
at Mel’s Diner in Lafayette because it
was already 3 p.m. and waiting until later would not be so good.
We
drove on through more bayous and swamps, more lakes and rivers. We saw
houseboats, bass boats, flat river boats, barges. I could spy little dirt roads
amongst the trees and water areas. One swamp (I need to find definitions for swamps
and bayous) was peppered with desolate looking trees for miles.
We
know the weather today in Erie ranged between -10 F and -1 F. Kentucky and
Tennessee had snow. Snow storms or snowy
cold weather is in the forecast from the South to Northeast for the next few
days. I really do not want to drive in areas we don’t know, with drivers who
are not used to snowy icy weather. I told TK I didn’t think that we needed to
do a marathon drive. So we decided to stop in Baton Rouge for the night and strategize. Since it is 68 F right
here, I hoped he would decide to stay here for another day, but he said we will
drive to Alabama and then north, starting tomorrow morning.
TK’s Take:
He wondered how people got around before the highways were built. He also remarked about so many casinos—even one
in a Pilot gas station!
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