So Close To The East Coast

First and foremost I would like to apologise for how long it has been since updating the blog, but we’re not going to. The last two weeks have been a traveling whirlwind and we will get you up to speed very soon.

Saying goodbye to Texas was easier than either of us expected because it did not take long to cross the border into Louisiana and we had no idea when we actually said goodbye to Texas. Another gargantuan seven-hour drive was just what we needed, NOT. The destination we selected, however, proved itself worthy of our patronage and our first stop in Louisiana was a place called Lafayette. This small metropolis is known for its live music, great Cajun and Creole cuisine and swamp dwelling animals. Among other things we were drawn to this place because it is the where Tabasco sauce was born and is still the only bottling plant for the world famous and instantly recognizable McIlhenny product.

The worlds biggest Tabasco bottle.

Our first order of business was to get settled in a cozy RV park and get set for another night below freezing. All we can say is thank god we have top quality sleeping bags and we both know we are pushing their boundaries as some nights on our adventure have been cold enough to shorten any mans…well you get the picture. After figuring out how to get to Avery Island, the home of the McIlnenney family for generations, we arrived at one of the Lafayette areas biggest attractions. The factory tour was free, our wallets were grateful, and explained some of the history and pulled apart almost all the mysteries of Tabasco sauce. The peppers are treated with salt taken from the Avery Island salt mines, regardless of where in the world the peppers are grown, and then left in oak whiskey barrels to mature for three years. Once the mash is ready it is stirred constantly for 28 days and bottled in the trademark red capped, foil sealed bottles that have become synonymous with the brand.

Cooling our tongues after the sample bar. 

After the factory tour there was a gift shop offering samples of all the Tobasco products. Needless to say, due to the fact we have been deprived of Mt. Barker chicken products for so long, we were craving the burn and proceeded to sample everything they had on offer. Our personal favourite was their latest invention. An earthy chipotle pepper sauce that had an amazing BBQ feel to it. All you chili lovers should really look out for this, we could not get enough of it and after blasting our tongues into oblivion we had to save them with some jalapeno ice cream [which was actually pretty damn good]. The aftermath of the Tabasco factory left us feeling satisfied and in need of a change of pace to allow our tongues to cool down before our first taste of Louisiana cuisine. The rest of the afternoon was spent driving through Avery Island’s Jungle Gardens, which were nothing spectacular, and becoming acquainted with a local snack known as boudin balls, a very satisfying mix of spices, pork and rice deep fried to a deep golden brown.

Louisiana Swampland

Not satisfied with the lack of local wildlife at the Jungle Gardens we headed to our first swamp experience with hopes of seeing gators galore. The day was really overcast and quite windy so our chances were dashed before we even arrived at our starting point. For two and a half hours we were driven through the calm waters of the lake and swamp with flora and fauna being pointed out along the way. Plenty of birds were eyeing us suspiciously and we did see one tiny alligator, but the highlight of it all was being driven around for two hours and doing nothing other than soak up the scenery. Some of the trees in the swamp, which has been devastated by logging in times gone by, are over 500 years old and some of the birds looked more than a little weird.

A Cajun / Creole Feast

The day would be completed with our first Louisiana dining experience and even though we did not know what to expect it was kind of a good thing we had low expectations. The food was ok, but nothing special. The alligator was tasty, the bbq prawns’ sauce was disappointing [un-shelling these was not much fun either], the jambalaya was horribly bland, but the chicken and sausage gumbo was very delicious. Overall we tried a few of Louisiana’s most recognizable dishes and were happy we did, but we really felt this place did not do the food justice so we are still on the look out for a quality southern cuisine establishment.

Beignets and Coffee New Orleans Style

The next day we were headed for New Orleans, or N’awlins depending on how thick your accent is, and had scheduled a tour for the very same day. The tour guide was very informative and really explained the history of New Orleans and the surrounding area incredibly well. This part of the city is bustling with activity and the buildings are a throw back to what was cool centuries ago. The square in front of the church and old priest’s accommodation was very picturesque and you could not help but feel the history oozing from every street corner in a place like this. There is, however, a dark side to New Orleans and even five years after the events of Katrina this is still a city very much on the mend. The RV park we were staying at had a shuttle bus driven by a New Orleans police officer who made it very obvious areas outside of the French Quarter is still not safe for locals, let alone tourists. The French Quarter itself is across the road from some of the worst projects in the area and the driver also pointed out ‘you hoos’ standing on the borders of the French Quarter who spot tourists leaving the area and let their friends know to come and collect their prize. This is definitely a place you want to be on your toes and from impromptu street poets wanting to serenade you for a cost or people wanting to guess where you got your shoes from there is always someone looking to get after what you have.

With a line this long it had to be good.

We did not let this deter our expeditions as we managed to wander the quarter incident free for almost two days and get accustomed to what the locals do. We made a few stops for coffee at Café Du Mont, which specializes is coffee mixed with chicory and also offers beignets, delicious traditional French donuts smothered in icing sugar, that are so very addictive when fresh. Another thing on our to do list was the infamous po boy sandwich. These monsters are a long French baguette cut in half stuffed with baked ham, roast beef, potato frites and gravy. The modern day equivalents have any variety, meat or filling you can think of. These N’Awlins sandwiches are an amazingly satisfying and messy meal that was so very worth it. After lunch we were rolling around the streets because walking was out of the question, but we could not say goodbye to the French Quarter so soon. We still had to get up close and personal with a ‘real jazz’ band.

The 726 Jazz band.

This was to take place in a historic building called Preservation Hall, which has been an institution in New Orleans since the 1920s or 30s. We arrived an hour and a half before the doors opened and we were surprisingly not the first people there. Within 20 minutes the line was bigger and minutes before the door opened the line disappeared around the corner. The old mantra of ‘if the line is this long it HAS to be good’ is definitely true at Preservation Hall. The band was incredibly tight and every member was a master of his or her respective instrument. The songs were delivered with passion and soul like we have never experienced and Will Smith, the singer slash front man slash trumpet player for the 726 Jazz Band, had a voice that demanded your ears’ attention even before he launched into the lyrics. The venue was a perfect reminder of the history that surrounded us in the French Quarter and being in such an intimate venue and hearing such talented musos go about their craft was exactly what we came to New Orleans for.

A manatee. Seriously strange and slow.

Leaving New Orleans after such a wicked taste of live music was hard and even though we would have loved to stay and listen to more the road was calling once again. Our destination was Tallahassee, Florida, which is getting closer and closer to the east coast and we are both so excited to be close to accomplishing our goal of driving across the United States. To think we were chilling on a beach in San Diego not long ago and in under a week, by the time you read this, we will be lazing in the Miami sunshine. The gravity of this accomplishment has not even begun to sink in yet, but we know it will probably kick in when we arrive in New York on January 26 and hand the keys back for our RV. Tallahassee was a quick stop before heading further south in Florida and we made the most of our time by heading to Wakulla Springs, the worlds deepest freshwater spring, and getting outdoors before the madness of more American big cities. Getting there was easy and once there we were told there were some manatees grazing in the main spring and these things are certainly one strange creature. Think of underwater cows crossed with dolphins and you can imagine what they look and move like. They have the speed of an underwater steam roller, but can definitely move when confronted with a boat of tourists, and the mobility of a fridge in a small apartment building. The manatees were an unexpected surprise, but we also saw plenty of alligators, something we did not see on our swamp tour, and plenty of turtles as well so it was nice to see all the things we should have seen in Louisiana in Florida, but no hard feelings of course.

Christmas came and went quickly and was filled with champagne, luxuries like bacon, cheese, mushrooms and a new season of entourage to help the day cruise by, which you will hear about in greater detail in the next entry. On boxing day we headed to Raymond James stadium to see the Tampa Bay Buccaneers take on the Seattle Seahawks and being at the game was really entertaining and had all our attention not been turned to keeping our extremities from freezing the game would have been more of a spectacle. After Tampa we were bound for St. Petersburg before touching down on the coast of the Atlantic in Miami to complete our transcontinental road trip and get closer to our ultimate objective, New York.

‘Till next time,

Antoinette and James.