We debated at length about which route to take from Galveston east. All the major roads went either into downtown Houston, were toll roads or surface streets. We finally decided on Highway 146 through Texas City, La Porte, and Baytown, before connecting with TX 330 which took us directly to I 10 east, and so we were on our way!
Through Beaumont, Lake Charles, and Orange, where I 10 was closed a few weeks ago due to flooding of the Sabine River, we headed into Louisiana.
Yeah, those spots are raindrops! It was coming down pretty good as we crossed the Sabine. Welcome to Louisiana!
We've been concerned about a peculiar wear pattern on one front tire on the motorhome, so we stopped at Commercial Tire of Louisiana to have it checked, since they are a truck and Michelin specialist. Daniel explained the reasons behind the wear pattern and showed us documentation that proved the situation was unusual but not a reason for concern. We made arrangement to have Commercial Tire rotate and balance the motorhome tires next week, and headed to the rv park.
Having only had yogurt, granola bars, and cheese sticks to eat all day, we decided to go our for our usual "travel day dinner". The restaurant of choice was Randol's. We met a couple in South Dakota in 2014 who are natives of Lafayette, and they recommended Randol's above all others in town. Let me tell you, they were correct!
The restaurant's menu revolves around seafood prepared Cajun style. From the opening time of 5 pm to 6 pm, during crawfish season, the special of the house is boiled crawfish with a Cajun rub. We ordered five pounds (that's how they're sold) with all the fix in's, which included corn, sausage, and potatoes. The young lady serving us gave us a bit of a lesson on how to eat them, but we were fortunate to meet Steve, sitting at the table just behind us with his daughter, who is a native of this area and gave us a thorough lesson on twisting off the tail, breaking the claws, and sucking the heads (yechh). The first two procedures were much like eating miniature lobsters, but the head part was kinda weird. It seems that much of the flavor of the mudbug is located in the fat in the head, which liquifies during cooking, and is sucked out after the tail disappears. OK, enough of that. Not something we would make a habit, but definitely a satisfying experience, and one more thing to strike off the bucket list!
The interior of Randol's is homey, with large tables and families and friends.
Bad photo, I know, but it's the best I could get of the stage and dance floor in the southern part of the building. Seems that every night, about 7, a local band performs for dancing and listening pleasure. And this ain't Mozart! Thursday night Donny Broussard and his band were the featured group, and they did a mellow Cajun, which means that they didn't use a fiddle or a washboard. Nonetheless, a great listen, and we ate, drank iced sweet tea, and clapped along for hours!
Go to www.randols.com to hear a snippet of Cajun music.
One of our interests as we travel is "collecting" state capitols. Baton Rouge, just 60 miles east of Lafayette is the Capitol of Louisiana, so we took off this morning to check it out. The "new" Capitol, a monument to one of the South's last old-time politicians Huey Long, was built in just 14 months in 1932. The "Old" Capitol, known as "The Castle" because of its turreted exterior, was relegated to a support role. The Capitol building is the tallest state capitol in the country at 450 feet high with 34 stories. We intended to visit the observation deck on the 27th floor, but the elevator to that floor choose just that moment to trap us and two visitors from London on the 24th floor. It would not proceed any higher! Fortunately the door opened and we got out!
The Main Entrance, know as the Memorial Hall due to the statues of historical figures placed about and the display of all the flags that have flown over Louisiana, including the present day U.S. flag, the Spanish Castile and Leon flag, the French Bourbon flag, the British Union flag, Spanish Bourbon flag, French try-color flag, the 15-star U.S. flag, Republic of West Florida flag, 3rd National Confederate flag, and the Louisiana state flag.
One of the more fascinating statues is the "Father of Louisiana", Jean Baptiste Lemoyne, Sieur de Bienville. In 1698, Bienville, and his brother Iberville, led a French expedition to the Gulf of Mexico hoping to establish a colony. While sailing up the Mississippi River, they spotted a red pole, marking the boundary between two Native American tribes. They called the place Baton Rouge, which means "Red Stick". Bienville found a Native American trading center located in a curve of the Mississippi River near a large lake that was protected from the tidal waves near the shore. He named the place Nouvelle Orleans "New Orleans" in honor of the Duke of Orleans, an act that earned Bienville the governorship of the colony. The colony was never very successful due to the fact that the upper-class noblemen that had accompanied Bienville to the New World refused to work. Bienville is known for his tenacious ability to persevere against long odds. He returned to France in 1743 and never returned. His legacies remain.
An interesting note to the Capitol Building has to do with the "assassination" of Huey P. Long, at the time a state senator on the brink of launching a presidential bid against President Roosevelt.
Disappointed at not being able to get a birds-eye view of Baton Rouge from the Capitol Observation deck, we toured the Senate chamber. In the ceiling, a pencil-sized splinter of wood is buried, a remnant of the 1970 explosion that occurred on a Sunday afternoon when the Legislature was not in session.
Two blocks away from the Capitol complex lies the area known as Old Spanishtown. An area of narrow one way streets and old houses, it is the home of the Old Spanishtown Market. Celebrating more than 100 years of service in a building that is over 130 years old, the Market is indeed a full service neighborhood market, as well as an iconic local eatery, with a variety of specialty sandwiches, burgers, and Po Boys.
The Market showcases local artists work, and provides a place for the exchange of local gossip, as well as great food! We enjoyed a couple of burgers, the Chef's Fav and the Fiesta, and they were unlike any we've ever had. And that's a good thing!
The rain stopped for a few minutes and we walked around the block admiring the well kept neighborhood.
We hope to explore more of this Heritage Area.
Back at camp, Sasha and I took a stroll around the local swamp. Replete with frogs and Cypress, but no 'gators, it is an awesome microcosm of the larger swamp.
That is a amazing swamp right there in the camp! I'd still be on the lookout for gators, though. So, crawfish isn't going to be on the daily menu?
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