On the road to Cajun country
March 9th
On Wednesday, around 5 in the morning, we were woken by a huge thunderstorm. The streets in Kenner near where were staying flooded, not being able to drain off the water quickly enough and there were downed tree limbs strewn about the roads. We took our time packing up, and watched the return landing of the space shuttle Discovery (that we had seen launch two weeks before) on the news before leaving. Before joining the scenic route that follows the Mississippi River known as Plantation Alley, we crossed a bridge that gave us a view of the levees (mounds of earth or concrete) that protect the towns from flooding when the rivers rise. We passed beautiful old plantation homes as well as oil refineries as we followed the river towards Baton Rouge. Along the road, we visited Laura Plantation, a sugar plantation ran by a Creole family (Creole is a term that was used to describe French-blooded people who were born in a colony in the New World)- the animated guide told us stories and legends associated with the plantation, that were recorded in Laura’s memoirs- this is the plantation where the stories of Compair Lapin et Piti-Bonhomme Godron known today as Br’er Rabbit and the Little Tar-Baby were recorded. We stopped in front of the Oaks Plantation next door to take a picture of the gorgeous alley of oaks that lead up to the impressive home.
The next stop on our tour was an African American history museum which was unfortunately closed due to budget cuts. We also found out that the campground we had reserved for the next four nights was closed due to flooding from the night before so we sat on the steps of the museum with our netbooks looking for another solution for the evening. We chose a campground in the heart of Cajun country, at Lake Fausse Pointe State Park. When we arrived late that afternoon, we found a beautiful spot, surrounded on three sides by water. A pesky armadillo kept rustling through our spot, but luckily we didn’t have any alligator visits.
Tags: BIG TRIP 2011, In English 2005-2006, Louisiana
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