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Published: January 20th 2008
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Ready to go The week of Labor Day 2007 Melanie Brumfield’s parents went on a Caribbean Cruise. Melanie and Poppy were not invited! Melanie’s two sisters stayed at home in Tennessee. Melanie said she could not stay with them because they would kill her! Sometimes we all exaggerate don’t we? After a short discussion Poppy and Melanie decided to go on their very own cruise on land.
We packed and loaded our stuff into Poppy’s car, a 2006 Scion xB “box car” and headed for south Louisiana where Poppy spent some years working for a “Doodle Bugging” company looking for oil. That is slang for seismograph prospecting. We planned on seeing some friends from long ago, some not seen in thirty plus years and a few even longer than that.
On our way to New Orleans we were over taken by Melanie’s parents, the real cruisers while in traffic on the twin spans south of Slidell La. Only one span had been rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina passed through. We gossiped a little while then the lane they were in moved faster than ours and they just left us. We were in the middle of Lake Ponchatrain on a strip of concrete. I tried to
convince Mels that it was trembling because of the traffic, didn’t work, so we went on to the “Big Easy” and crossed the Mississippi River on the GNO bridge into Gretna on the West Bank, the locals call it the best bank. We found a restaurant and pigged out on shrimp and oysters, fried of course.
After this leisurely lunch and much talk with the owner and others we got back on the road. The plan was to go as far south as we could by car. Leaving Gretna we travel to Terrytown and on to Belle Chase. There we catch Louisiana Highway number 23. We stay on this road all the way to Venice. There we take an unnamed road to a place called Tidewater.
On our way south we pass through several small towns, or villages. They are Jesuit Bend, Naomi, Myrtle Grove, West Point La Hatche, Diamond, Port Sulphur, Nairn, Empire, (Good place to go fishing) Buras, Triumph, Boothville, and then Venice and Tidewater. At Tidewater the pavement just ends! We were greeted by a big sign that said “Welcome to the Gulf of Mexico, you are as far south as you can go in Louisiana.
In route we saw many sites. There were many large houses along the way. I know, a house is a house, they are everywhere. The impressive part about these houses is that behind them you can see the levee of the Mississippi River. The levee is an awesome site in itself. I think “how can he go to sleep at night.” As we watch and think about living there we see an ocean going freighter heading out to see! The muddy Mississippi water is much higher than the house. We are not looking at a trapper shack, no. These are half million dollar homes.
All along the highway, on the river side we see many plants relating to the oil industry. The refineries and production facilities are helping this country with the fuel we need.
We also see farming, corn and beans and gardens. The citrus groves are there but were heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina. The oranges and lemons are beautiful and the oranges and satsumas taste great.
After admiring the gulf for a while we headed back north. At Point La Hatche we crossed the river to the east bank on a free ferry. The get
on and get off ramps of the ferry are not designed for the Scion xB but we were able to get on and off. You know, of course, we had to get out of the car and ride in the mist and spray on the river. Melanie did not seem to notice any thing except that she was on a ferry boat on the Mississippi River!
We left the ferry and headed north on the east bank. We go through more small towns, Davant, Phoenix, Carlisle, Bertrandville and Dalcour. The next town, Port Nickols, there is another ferry to get us back to the best bank. I drive right past the entrance headed for a town called Braithwaite. Carmin, our GPS thingy keeps telling me to go back but I am still looking ahead for the ferry. Finally I look at the map, then do what Carmin says and go back to the ferry. After another adventure getting on and off the ferry boat we back on the west bank in Gretna.
We locate a nice hotel very near the ferry and check in and start thinking food again. We are told where a place called L’il Rays is and head out again. L’il Rays is right where it is supposed to be and soon we seated in a sports bar restaurant looking at a menu. Now L’il Rays is another sports bar restaurant place. The waiters and waitresses have on New Orleans Saints football jerseys for their uniforms. TV sets are placed where you can watch at least one from anywhere you are seated.
We are seated and get our drinks and menus. The menu again is heavy on the fried food side which was great for both of us. The starter turned out to be something else. Melanie was having trouble deciding on what to have. Our waitress suggested “Corn and Crab Soup” for her with the promise to replace it with anything on the list if Mels did not like it. After her first taste she was reluctant to even let me taste it! We had another run in with this soup later in the trip so stay tuned. After another “bate” of shrimp and oysters we went back to our hotel and to watch L S U beat up on some other team.
At half time we remembered a pillow that just had to be in the bed was still in the truck. So Poppy gets to go for it. Coming back through the lobby, filled with football watchers, I discover it is a “Hello Kitty” or some such; everyone was quiet until the clerk started laughing and making fun. I moved quickly while saying it was not mine. No one believed, judging from the laughter of the crowd.
The following morning we left Belle Chase and headed west toward Raceland and Bayou Lafourche. Say it “ bye aah la foosh” This part of Louisiana is big sugar cane growing plantations. This is another water way to the gulf. There is a highway, La. #1, that runs along side the bayou, and ends at Grand Isle State Park. Along the route we see beautiful home with well manicures lawns on the west side and the bayou with boats moored all along on the east side of the road.
We are going to a town named Cut Off to visit a friend of long ago, a man I worked with from 1953 to 1956 and had seen only a few times since, the last being about 30 years ago. We go through Mathews, La Rose and then to Cut Off. At La Rose we cross the Intracoastal Waterway. This waterway runs from Brownsville Texas to New Jersey and a lot of freight is hauled along it on barges and in ships.
In Cut Off we go the home of Gloria and Harry Danos, good friends of long ago. We drive right to their home. It is still as I remember it, the neat yard, fresh looking paint, no clutter just like before. We walk to the door and are greeted by Mrs. Danos, Gloria, whose hair is a different color than before, (mine is too). It is obvious that she has no idea who we are but invites us in anyway. Once in side she continued with small talk until I put my hands on her shoulders and said “Miss Gloria the last time you saw me you were at my house in Hattiesburg, MS.” She then said “Robert Russell” and the hugging started.
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