DEC. 27, Saturday, Preparations for departure
It was overcast again this morning; it rained overnight and right now it’s muggy and hot. Spent the day packing and getting ready for tomorrow.
We had happy hour with our friends then relaxed in the evening at home.
DEC. 28, Leave for Lafayette, LA
W got up to rain this morning, of course! While I dumped, Val had one last session of Tai-Chi with Dennis then we said our goodbyes and left Abita Springs. Drove south on hwy 59 to I-12 then south again on hwy 190, across the causeway which cost us $12 (it wasn’t there the last time we were here); then it was across New Orleans and onto Hwy 90 all the way to Broussard, just south of Lafayette. We drove through beautiful country side, bayous and manicures farm land.
We stopped for lunch at a truck stop with a casino but we didn’t go in. We finally arrived at our destination, MAXI CAMPGROUND( a CCUSA), in Broussard, 9 miles south of Lafayette. We paid $11 a night. After setting up, we got a call from my brother Andre saying that they were in Lafayette and would be over later. That is a surprise we weren’t expecting and it is wonderful. He and Claudette arrived about an hour later and we had a nice visit before turning in. They spent the night with us of course.
N 30* 08” 59”
W 91* 57’ 05”
Alt. 42 feet
Distance today: 297 KM at an average speed of 45.5 MPH in 5 hours total.
DEC. 29, sightseeing
We got up to a beautiful sunshine and a warm day (65*F) Just perfect for sightseeing! We went out for breakfast then began our tours. We first drove to Lafayette National Park which was closed on Mondays so we didn’t get to see the inside of the buildings. We then drove to the Acadian Village which is a replica of a village back in the 1800’s. This too was closed for the season but we did walk around and took a few pictures. All the building were locked, of course. It was interesting, too bad it was closed.
We then drove to New Iberia and Avery Island where we saw the “Jungle Gardens” owned by the Mc Ilhenny family, who also own the “TABASCO” hot spice. The garden was the highlight of our day. We drove on a pre-determined 5 miles road and made numerous stops to look around. We saw a couple of small alligators, Azelia and Camellia flower bushes, an old Buddha statue from China, bamboo jungle, Palm trees gardens, and a bird sanctuary for Egrets which were almost extinct in the early 1900’s. We did a lot of walking and had a marvelous time. Afterwards, we visited the TABASCO plant where it is made and bottled. It began with a film showing the process, we were given two small bottle of green and red Tabasco then walked in a hallway with a glass separating the factory from us That was disappointing because we couldn’t talk to the workers. All we could see was the bottling process. From here, we went to the Store where we tried Spicy ice cream then different Tabasco sauce.
We tried another tourist sight but again it was closed so we gave up and came home, had dinner, visited for a while then Andre and Claudette left for their hotel. They are leaving early tomorrow for Baton Rouge and more sightseeing.
We made plans to get together for New Years!
DEC. 30, Tuesday, Lafayette
We got up to another sunny day. We went to town and stopped at the info centre which turned out to be very well done with a small bayou and a wooden walkway. There were lots of fish and turtles in the lake. We drove into town and looked around the downtown and saw the old Cathedral built in 1821. We went inside and it turned out to be very simple but beautifully awesome. Outside was an “old live oak” which turned out to be over 500 years old. WOW!
We then went to Wal-Mart and picked up groceries then came home to put all away.
I caught up to my pictures and blog.
DEC. 31, Wednesday, Last day of 2008
Another year gone by! I am writing this early as I want to post it before the new year. It is a sunny day but a bit cooler, a cold front is coming down from the north. We are awaiting my brother’s arrival so we can go celebrate the New-Year. I will tell you all about it on my next write up.
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE and WISH YOU ALL A PROSPEROUS 2009!
See you all in 2009 and enjoy the new pictures in folder #32
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