The Atchafalaya River Basin in southern Louisiana is the worlds largest swamp, with over three hundred species of wildlife and over one hundred species of aquatic animals. It acts as a relief valve for the Mississippi River, taking about a third of the rivers water as it approaches the Gulf of Mexico.
It is also the home of Acadiana, the heartland of Cajun and Creole cultures. We are here to say “Laisses les bons temp rouler”…..”Let the Good Times Roll.”
221 miles south of Shreveport, our gps led us into Parkside RV park, site 38. It’s located in the town of Broussard, Louisiana, near the local sports complex. It’s a fairly new park,and so the sites are wide and private, with asphalt roads and sites throughout. We’re located on a bend in the interior road with a designated pet area on one side and a large triangular patch of grass on the other. Sasha loves it! The field behind us is sugar cane and just beyond that is the local airport.
Our first stop in Broussard was at the Vermillion Cultural Center, showcasing artifacts, houses, and history of Cajun people and their arrival in Louisiana. This typical Creole house has been restored but is original to this area.
The grounds of the Cultural Center are a magnificent example of the area almost 300 years ago.
The Broussard House belonged to the grandson of Joseph Broussard, the leader of the first group of 200 Acadiens that immigrated to southern Louisiana in 1763 after being deported by Britain from what is now called Nova Scotia.
Every Sunday afternoon a local Zydeco band plays and sings, much to the enjoyment of locals. It seemed as if everyone knew everyone and all were having a good time!
A walk through the required gift shop gave us this:
After a taste of Cajun culture, it was time for some Cajun food.
A crawdad pot pie smothered in fried crawdad tails was ordered, and should have been shared, but, oh no, we ordered more…
Fried catfish and shrimp etouffe left us with another meal at home!
Next day we booked a tour with Champagne (pronounced “sha pon” hereabouts) Cajun Swamp Tours. We didn’t expect much since the boatride was an hour and a half circle of Lake Martin a few miles away. We were surprised!
Way back in this protected hollow, a group of bird eggs caught our eye.
What a ride!
A plate lunch from Joyces Grocery in St Martinsville sent us on our way with four servings of roast beef, corn and rice. With a bottle of water: $9.00.
A picture of the moon resulted in a strange phenomenon. The moon is pretty, but just above it and to the right are three small “poofs” of what appear to be clouds. At the moment that I snapped the photo, those were three distinct, sharp, bright lights that immediately disappeared. I dunno….
Every morning about 9:30 a helicopter lifts off from the nearby airport and makes three or four trips south to the Gulf of Mexico.
We’ve since found out that it’s ferrying crews to offshore oil platforms.
The town of Abbeville, about 30 miles southwest is considered to be the beating heart of Acadiana, so we had to visit!
We were a bit surprised, thinking that the much ballyhooed town square was a shoppers paradise, but finding a quaint, quiet, cool area instead. Very nice since the temp was about 90 F with 80% humidity!
Sidewalk trees look as if they have been poured into the concrete!
This is sugar cane territory and Steens is a big name in retail sugar. These “barrels” were once used in the open pot method of producing sugar, where the cane juice is boiled in open pots. Now the cut cane is sent to Texas for crushing, and the juice returned to Abbeville for processing and packaging. Makes no sense to me, but…
Notable for history,
And the annual omelet cook off where every November 5,000 eggs are stirred into a huge omelet!
On the way back to the trailer, we passed through the town of Crowley, where a magnificent old house grabbed our attention.
Just west of Lafayette, the small town of Rayne competes for attention.
What’s next in this part of the world?
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