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Cindy's April 2007 Blog
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__________________________________________________________________________ April Fools Day
Being with true friends and enjoying the laughter of old memories and new found ones made the time away from the USA an unforgettable one. (Not to mention learning that the sun circles only around the island of Jamaica) It is great to be home and sleeping in our own bed, even though we don't have room service anymore.
We thought this was hysterical and laughed till our faces hurt at the thought of her moving it in order to park in her driveway, we didn't know she would just drive across her lawn and bust a few sprinkler heads, which turned our prank into an even better story to tell at family get-togethers. Or how about the time we placed a dead bird on the top of her front door so it would land on her when she opened it (She's terrified of Birds) or maybe the time we called Pats mom and told her we were done with each other and I would be staying at her house until the divorce was final. (Sorry Guys! We let you off easy this year) This year we did something different and I mean really different. My sister, here in New Orleans, invited us to a Lakota-Sioux Sweat Lodge where we would sweat in a tepee for an hour and become one with ourselves!! This was so much more than what she had described to us in her laymans terms. You see my sister had never been to one either, so none of us were sure of what we should expect. We rode with a new friend, Billy, who has been to this ritual around eight times before. Billy didn't want to give us any impression and wanted us to judge for ourselves what we could take home from this excursion. When we arrived we were greeted by some very nice, normal people who gave us a friendly hug and made us feel very welcome. We proceeded to find out that it was a different kind of tepee and it had no hole on top which is what my sister had said. The Sweat lodge was made with hand cut willow branches that were bent to make the shape of a low tepee (Think Igloo). Heavy dark blankets, around 50 of them, were then placed on the top and the sides as not to let any light in. What looked like lava rocks were heating in a fire when we arrived and they would be placed in a hole which was dug into the center of the lodges mud floor. We counted 23 people that would enter this small dark spiritual place! I tried to put the fact that I am very claustrophobic into the back of my mind. My sister looked at me with a very strait face and said "That's small and I'm Claustrophobic!" I told her to "Shut up and don't be a wimp" and said "We would be just fine." Some of the regulars had brought various musical instruments such as leather covered drums and various hand held noise makers to take us to a more spiritual place and bring the higher power closer to us. After a few songs/chants, we all entered the tepee on our hands and knees, I was seated between two people and had a row of people in front of me. The wool of the horse hair blankets was on my back and a few nice people were practically sitting on my lap with my legs crossed Indian style (no pun intended). The fire tender brought fourteen glowing, hot lava rocks in and dumped them into the sacred hole in the tepees floor. I thought "This is a piece of cake, I can handle this!" Just as I was feeling comfortable and enjoying the prayer and spirituality of it all, they poured the water on the rocks. Just then Pat said to cover my face with the towel and don't forget to breath!! (Duh, who could forget that?) After around 10 minutes I was dripping with more water than I could possible have ever retained in my cycling days. I told myself to relax, I knew where the flap was if I needed to get out and it really was a very surreal feeling to hear everyone's prayers and feel like we are all one entity. I continued to tell myself "I will be OK!" That was until the nausea kicked in and my head started to spin, at this point I was in a full on panic attack!! I waited for this lovely woman to finish her prayer and hear the instructor announce the first round was over asking "Is every one OK?" This was my chance, I said "I gotta get out!" As I crawled my way across the cool mud of the lodge floor towards the door I thought "I'll be alright", while crossing over a few people I heard some other panicked voice ask to be let out and I thought, "Good, at least I'm not the only wimp." I made my way out and took a deep breath of nice cold 80 degree Louisiana air and soon realized my panic had went away. As I was sitting down out side the Lodge to gather my thoughts I saw the person with the other panicked voice, it was my sister! We sort of looked at each other and giggled as we sat as close to the tent as possible to continue to hear prayer and also do some praying ourselves. We waited for the others to come out, which was around 30 minutes and 28 rocks later!! It took a few minutes of silence and sucking in fresh air, before everyone started talking and sharing their experiences. We hosed the mud off, said our "Good byes" and went on our merry little way.
Thank you Billy & Teresa for a wonderful journey and good luck with yours also. Take care for now and hope to see you all soon. April 3rd 2007 My First Crabbing Experience This morning we woke up with the intentions of finding a place to kayak so that we could see the lay of the land here in Bayou country. We had seen a couple of outfitters on our way in here and had gotten some great suggestions and directions to a few of the close spots. The thing I like best about asking the locals where to find the best spots is not the places they tell us to go its the places they tell us not to go. Pat and I had our hearts set on kayaking the Atchafalaya Basin in the middle of the state, after talking with the locals they said it is so easy to get lost and no one will ever find us except for the gators! Needless to say just driving by it will have to suffice.
It is really hard to imagine what these people have had to endure for the past two years just to get their lives back together. It is also nice on the other hand to see the rebuilding and know that they are one step closer to having a home. As we traveled further to the end of the road we met a couple of nice guys who explained to us that even at high tide the end of the road is completely covered with water.
The thick string has a piece of raw chicken at one end and a heavy rock at the other end, the chicken is then thrown about ten feet out into the water and within a few seconds it seemed the blue crab were biting. Sometimes the chicken would have one crab on it and other times we saw up to four crabs on the bait at the same time! The netter (person holding the net) then swarped, as Matt said, the crab off of the chicken and the crab was put into a deep pot. Chris told me that all he had to do was add water and seasoning to the pot and after boiling for a while they made an extravagant meal, a little hard to get to but well worth it. Matt is here in Louisiana from West Virginia working for the government to do ecological clean up due the destruction of the hurricane. Chris lives here and he is also working to clean up the water ways and remove the debris that could cause future damage. I think they both have rewarding jobs working for NRCS and I would feel good coming home at night knowing I had helped rebuild this place to even better than it was before.
Chris and Matt would throw rocks near her when she came up out of the water not to hit her, only to scare her. I think this tactic didn't work, because she eventually stole the entire piece of chicken off of the line and ate it right in front of us. Eventually Chris noticed how excited I got watching them work their magic and offered to let me try it. I tried the swarping technique and to my surprise I caught two at one time. These little buggers can snip you hard, so they taught me where to hold them so that I could show my catch. Man was that fun!! I just really can't say enough about Southern hospitality and the way perfect strangers have treated us as old friends. We are going to try and kayak this water tomorrow but we found out that the chance of rain is 40% so my fingers are crossed for some good weather, so we'll let you know. April 5th 2007 The Ogden Museum & The Circle Bar
We decided to take a suggestion by Daniel, one of the guys we met at Massey's Outfitters, and check out the Ogden Museum of Southern Arts in down town New Orleans. The museum is located in what they call the Warehouse District which is just what it sounds like. It is nestled amongst a few other museums and allot of warehouses. It's only minutes from The French Quarter and probably an area not too many tourist get to. It's a shame, as the area is filled with great buildings and cool attractions. On the first floor of the museum, a lovely four piece band consisting of all horn players started us off with a great taste of that New Orleans Jazz music the city is so famous for. The open foyer lead us to art located on the next four floors. After walking around looking at the different works displayed, we went up to the roof top deck to have a drink and check out the views. With the Abita Beer Brewery being just across the Lake, we sampled a few different types of locally brewed beer while meeting some of the museum regulars.
So good of a time, that when Pat showed me the last few pictures taken, I had a blurry recollection of them. When we arrived home at 4:30 a.m. I was ready for bed, thank God Pat paced himself, sometimes I think I take advantage of the fact that he is always the driver.
This was the agreement when our trip first
began, he drives and takes care of the outside of the camper and vehicle
and I cook and take care of the dogs, the cleaning and keep track of our
expenses. I think it's a pretty good arrangement since I love to
cook and hate to drive. My only hope is that I will still remember
how to drive when this trip comes to an end. April 9th 2007 Today we bid farewell to my family to venture out and see some more of the countryside. It's always sad, leaving your loved ones wishing you could take them with you, but then on the other hand, I was getting very eager to explore more of the unknown. We said our "Good Byes" and planned our destination for the upcoming days. It was actually only a few hours away, but still to far to keep Folsom as our home base. It took us around five hours of driving and we ended up in Iberia, Louisiana where we've settled in at the KOC Campground. When we arrived our plans were to stay for one night and tour the Tabasco Bottling Co. in the morning, then continue on our way North.
They gave us some brochures and offered their assistance if we needed directions or phone numbers for any of the local attractions. After checking into their suggestions, we've decided to stay for a couple of days to take advantage of the many local attractions. It's always great to meet Campground Owners that know the area and want to make sure their guests get a full plate of fun. April 10th 2007 Jungle Gardens and Stalking Alligators We woke up this morning to torrential down pours and gloomy skies which altered our plans a bit and kept us inside until the rain was over. It didn't let up till around three o'clock in the afternoon. We decided to try and go to Avery Island which is only six miles from the KOC Campground. Avery Island is a natural deposit of salt which is surrounded by a bayou on one side and salt marshes on the other. The salt is so dense and deep that it actually rises above the rest of the low lying land and brings the island to around 163 feet above sea level at its highest point.
The park is also rich in wild life ranging from alligator and snakes to white tail deer and the almost extinct Snowy Egrets. Legend has it that in the late 1800's the plumes of the Snowy Egrets were used in ladies hats and they were hunted close to extinction to fill the demand for them. When Ned heard of this, he ventured into the swamps and caught seven young Egrets and brought them back to a man-made pond where he had installed raised nests specifically to breed them. A success story to make any Naturalist proud, the Snowy Egrets have since increased into the thousands and return every year with April being the heaviest of the breeding season to raise their young.
Pat got out of the truck to get a close up shot and I couldn't just sit in there letting him have all the fun. I jumped out and was stalking up behind the little 3 footer when it lunged at Pats camera that was just feet from it's razor sharp teeth. We laughed at how when ever we would get near one and it would lunge at us, I would push Pat towards it and run the other way. We ended up spending over four hours in the Jungle Gardens seeing so many great things that we drove around it again taking as many pictures as we possibly could. We left the park at nightfall and turned in for a good nights sleep in our little cabin on wheels. April 11th 2007 Champagne's Swamp Tour & Tabasco Hot Sauce
He gave us some great directions and explained it would be a 2 hour tour where he would get us to the best parts of the swamp (He wasn't kidding). We boarded a 12 person swamp boat and off we went bumping and jumping through the water amongst all of natures creatures that live in this Bayou country.
We saw the Nutria which is basically a large, very destructive water rat that was brought to this country a hundred years ago and the Cajuns have been regretting it every since. Brain told us it ruins the swamp land and the Louisiana wildlife has a bounty on their heads.
Brian killed the motor and inched us right up to this magnificent bird as it just watched us as we floated around him. We saw a cypress tree which is said to be at least 1000 years old!! When you see nature this way, it makes you realize that mans life span is just a drop in the bucket compared to many of Gods creations.
Brian reached into the dark, murky water and grabbed the
little sucker with his bare hands, not thinking twice about it or
wondering where the momma was.
I would recommend this to anyone young or old. We even had a wonderful gentleman on the boat with us that is 92 years young and he very much enjoyed it as much as the rest of us. He was from Colorado and told us it was his first trip to the Southern part of the United States. You should have seen him light up when he held the Gator in his hand and scared his wife with it trying to get her to touch it. It just goes to show you that you're never too young to be out here enjoying the great outdoors and really gives Pat and I a warm feeling knowing if he can still do it, then we know we can do it for many more years to come. Check out the Champagne's Swamp Tour Gallery for our days photos Extreme Ice in the Bayou and New friends
The owners Ed and Michelle were on duty and Michelle blended us some cocktails. We sat around in the Southern Louisiana heat sharing stories with each other and learning more about the local area. While we were there we had the honor of meeting Jason, one of the locals who lived across the street. He was hysterically funny and we had so much in common it that was scary the way our minds all clicked together. Ed offered us some home made Cracklin to snack on. I had to explain the deep fried pork skins to Pat as he was clueless to what Ed was offering him. Seeing as how I'm from Tennessee I was familiar with the southern delicacies and these home made treats.
You see I told you it was like we were at a good friends house; Pat and I always seem to be the last to leave a good gathering. We wrapped up the night by exchanging numbers and email addresses and were given an invitation to join them for a night out on the town the next night. Jason said after sitting drinking with us all evening, he wants us to meet his girlfriend who sounds as great as he was. We will let you know what comes of this excursion as I am sure it will be some crazy fun!! April 12th 2007 Two Stepping with Hubert Maitre @ Randol's
The band was as Mildred told us, quite a sight to see, it was hard for me to understand the words they were singing with the French and Creole twang added into it but that didn't matter because the rhythm and beat was incredible. My feet did not stop moving and my fingers were snapping while I tried to clap my hands. I can't even imagine how terrible uncoordinated I must have looked to all those great dancers. We ordered some appetizers and continued to watch Hubert Maitre and his band play until we were the last people in the place.
In a society where everything is becoming disposable, including our heritage, this area has been untouched by the passing of time. When ever I hear about Louisiana it is usually about New Orleans and Marti Gras, don't get me wrong, Marti Gras is something to enjoy at least once in your life time, but the rest of this state is where the real delight has come from for us. The people are friendly, helpful and the way the alphabet rolls off their tongue is something I could listen to for hours. April 13th 2007 Cajun Hot Sauce Festival & Jaryd Lane Today was the beginning of the Cajun Hot Sauce Festival here in New Iberia and we attended to enjoy the festivities. The gate opened at five o'clock with a variety of things to see and do. They had a pretty big outdoor fair and some rides typical of a local county fair, under the enclosure were lots of venders so we could bring home a souvenir, plenty of food and lots of hot sauce. We walked around for a while checking out the food items and the two of us non fish eaters enjoyed some fried catfish with fresh made potato chips. Some times we just have to step out of the box realizing that trying new things will often surprise and delight us.
At 9 o'clock, national recording star Billy Currington began his show, we were really surprised at the big names and awesome talent they had at this festival. When I think of how small the town of New Iberia Louisiana is, I didn't think this would be such an awesome event. It was really well run and everyone seemed to have such a good time. At one point, while waiting for the next act to come on, the whole crowd was dancing the hustle together. That has to be really hard to get a couple thousand people to sway together let alone do the same dance move.
Just as we thought the night was coming to an end we had the delight of another band that started at 11 pm. We had heard of Jamie Bergeron & The Kickin' Cajuns band from numerous people whom all said they loved them and I can see why. The first thing that caught my eye about this band was a little boy that was playing the accordion which was as big as him. He was probably around five years young and he was already a showman, tapping his toes and kickin' up his leg when he hit a certain note. That was just an enjoyable distraction to the rest of the talent that was on the stage. Wow!! Kickin' is a great name for them.
By the time we got home I was exhausted and we are debating on weather to stay another day and go to the Cajun Hot Sauce Festival tonight to see what they might have in store for us. Tonight's main headliner is Percy Sledge, who doesn't love his music?!? April 14th 2007 We got up this morning and headed down to the Cajun Hot Sauce Festival a little to early. When we arrived people were still setting up for the day, getting ready for the afternoons excitement. We decided to venture out for a while and give them some time before things start rolling. We ended up going to see Ed and Michelle to spend some time with them before we left on Monday. Ed and Michelle asked us if we wanted to go into downtown Iberia to see what the downtown had to offer. We would also get a chance to meet some of the people we had been hearing stories about while playing pool and getting to know each other at their little bar. The 4 of us went to a couple of places which were their favorites and met some of their good friends. We ended up ordering some pizza for dinner which was delivered right to the bar and after our bellies were full, we called it a night with plans for having a cook out on Sunday. April 15th 2007 Sunday around noon I called Michelle and asked her what to bring for the cook out and her reply was "don't bring nutin' we have plenty" When we arrived at Extreme Frozen Ice, there was a line of cars wrapped around the building to get a nice frosty beverage. Michelle was busy keeping her customers happy while Ed got the feast started. Ed had some BBQ chicken, Polish sausage, pork tenderloin, and one of my favorite things was the Boudin, which is a Louisiana special. Boudin is a casing that looks like kielbasa stuffed with a sausage kind of meat and a seasoned white rice. We also had some rice dressing (Yum), beans and all the beverages you wanted. We hung out and played pool with some new friends and called it a night around 11pm finding very hard to say "Good Bye", reassuring each other that we would stay in touch.
I find this area extremely hard to leave because it just seems like such a perfect fit for Pat and myself. I could just see us sitting out on our front porch swing, enjoying the sunsets and the Louisiana weather, while our friends and family are playing horse shoes in the yard and enjoying time spent with us. I need to remember that we have more places to see and people to meet before our journey is over. We are heading out this morning to find another favorite place, but this one I will always remember. April 16th 2007 Somehow today after driving all day long I just happened to doze of for a minute or two and BAM! We are in the wrong state. I wake up at the point as we are crossing the state line and I see "Welcome to Mississippi" Much to my surprise, Pat says in the few minutes that I was sleeping he got lost?!? We decided to make the best of it and stay at a place close by.
We have decided that it might be better for all of us to go ahead and put Lucy out of her misery while also saving money on the vet payment. Pat thought of it so I went along with it. There was no struggle and it seemed painless enough. We will miss her, especially Luca for they were best friends. April 17th 2007
After we looked at the picture, we just kind of ran with it and I think the story fits the photo perfectly. The dogs are actually doing very well; especially Lucy. I have really tried to keep her thyroid pill exactly 12 hours apart which has brought her energy level up and she is even putting weight back on. We hung out by the campsite today and I made a great dinner on the open grill that is stationary on the site. There is something about those heavy wrought-iron grill grates and those real charcoal briquettes which makes everything taste that much better. We played some cards outside and had a bonfire until the rain drops ran us inside. By that point, we were both ready for bed anyway. I guess falling asleep and getting lost wasn't that bad after all. April 18th 2007 Heading North Along The Back Roads
We woke up this morning to more rain and decided that it was time to head North and maybe get back on track to our original destination of Arkansas. We found some great back roads that we're filled with eye candy for the curious. Many times I would say "Pat just turn around so we can see that house again" The places we drove through have been untouched for decades and are still very much lived in by everything from goats, cats, dogs, donkeys, and we even saw a rooster in the front doorway of one house. Unfortunately the road was so narrow that we didn't have the room to back track and take as many pictures as I would have liked to, so I guess you'll have to take my word for it. After a day of driving, we ended up at a beautiful campground that I think Pat was afraid of. He said he hated to go this far out of the way just to stay one night. Little did he know that this long trek into never land was the route I had chosen to get us North when I first looked at the map this morning. I like to take the tiniest little grey lines that are shown on the map with the most turns to them, in the shortest span. These roads always seem to have the most to offer for us photo nuts and friendliest people to meet along the way. After a big dinner under my belt, a long walk with the very healthy and alive dogs made every thing settle and I'm ready for bed. Good day all, and we'll talk soon. I did want to say thank you to all of the people that have emailed us telling us they enjoy the site. It really means a lot to us that we can share some of our best experiences with you all. Just an added side note I'm sure that anyone that has been on our site has seen the picture of our Sunline camper. I must admit that I have never seen one with the decals/logos that we have, and ours is quite unusual looking. Our truck is also a little different with the A.R.E. Utility Bed Cover on it which makes it look like a work vehicle. I cannot count the times that we have been asked if we sold camper parts for General RV or if we did repairs on campers. I will guesstimate and say 15 people have asked a repair question. Now Pat and I are both very new to this tow behind camper thing, and the most we know is what we read on forums and such. This makes our opinion on how people should repair things pretty much useless to whomever asks us.
We had a very nice guy ask us just today "So do you both kayak?", after the guy walked away Pat said "Here's your sign!" I can honestly say that at least twice a day someone asks us where we rented our camper from and that is no exaggeration. Every time we here that we say "Man, if our sponsors only knew how many times a day we talk about them" I just wanted to share that little tid-bit of info that we get a kick out of every time we hear it. April 22nd 2007
We have spent some time kayaking on the lake which is really eerie in the early morning when the dew has not quite burned off the water yet. It reminds me of a Friday the 13th movie the way the smoky dew surrounds me as I paddle through the dark tannic water. The lake used to be a river and back in the 60's the state dammed it and flooded the area. Many of the old cypress knees are still sticking up out of the water as testament to the drier swamp land that used to lie here. A couple of times I would hit a tree stump that was not visible from above water, scaring the daylights out of me. There is something about the unknown under belly of dark water that keeps my mind racing about what could be under there and what monster could possibly eat me while no one is looking.
We were sitting by the fire one night and the camper full of fisherman next door offered to share their venison stew with us. I must say to this date, that has got to be the best fire side dinner we have had yet. The meat was so tender and rich and the broth was very thick and filling with lots of fresh vegetables. Our neighbor Don also offered us some great suggestions on where to go in the area to see the best wild life and the lay of the land here in Arkansas and Missouri. He even gave us his name and home phone number, telling us that he would volunteer his services as a tour guide around his neck of the woods when we get a little farther North.
Ron uses his skills to paint lovely pictures of wild life onto Turkey feathers. I had never seen one of these type of paintings before. His wife Brenda was trying to explain it to me when she finally said she would have here husband bring some over to show us. Ron also frames them into old barn wood frames that he makes himself. I was really delighted when he offered to give me the one that first caught my eye. I am trying to figure out how I can frame it and hang it in the camper without loosing it over the bumpy roads that we have been traveling down in this neck of the woods. (Velcro!!) We are headed out this morning and I'm not sure what our destination is at this point. We have heard so many good things about Arkansas that I think we might be hear for a little longer than planned. Gee that's a surprise! April 23rd 2007 Rise and shine at 6 am and ready to take a long float down the Caddo. The Caddo River is located in the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains and it has quite a bit of flow to it even though the outfitters explained to us that it has been very dry in this neck of the woods this year. We put in our kayaks around 10:30 am due to the fact that we love to talk any ones ears off that will listen and blue eyed Ron and his mom were happy to oblige us. Ron spotted our car for us and said "Have a good time and call if you need anything."
Within the first 100 yards of the Caddo River, we landed on a large gravel road , or at least that's what it seemed like it to me. I had to inch worm my way across the rocks, while the whole time trying to keep my kayak going strait as not to tip over. At this point in our trip, Pat and I have not been on any rivers with any fun, tricky, fairly fast water to really challenge our kayaking skills. Although this river by no means was real difficult, I have not been seasoned yet to ride with the water, instead of acting like I'm trying to relocate the hundred year old flow of the rapids! I swear Pat and his camera caught some of the dumbest looking faces that I have ever made, and I didn't even know I was making them. When we got off the water I looked through the photos and I had tears rolling down my face. Ha! None of you will ever see them though, or my husband will be seriously hurt. All in all, it was a great river with lots of laughs and some challenging areas of rock jumping and hair curdling screams. April 24th 2007 Happy Birthday to Me
On our trip down the Caddo River, I saw so many big fish, I would like to try my hand at the skill that so many people enjoy here in Arkansas. We were headed into a bigger city than Daisy (population 118) when we had to stop to get fuel along the way. In this road side station was displayed the largest assortment of fishing stuff I have ever seen in a gas station, not that gas station fishing displays are a common occurrence in most states. I asked the lady behind the counter if she fished and she said "Every chance I get, I absolutely love it."
Actually I was talking with someone at the bar when Pat ran inside and said "Cindy, come outside quick, you have got to see this!" This is when I was introduced to Sonny standing next to his home/motorcycle. This bike has so many side bags on it, its a wonder he doesn't have Wide Load strapped to the back of it. He said sometimes when he needs to dry his clothes, he just straps them to the various bags and they fly around behind him as he's riding down the road! We ended up all staying at the same campground and since it was starting to rain when we pulled in, we offered him our couch. He declined stating that he needed to get used to adapting to what ever Mother Nature might throw at him for his upcoming journey around the US. I went to bed earlier than I ever have on my B-Day, which was very uneventful and just the way I wanted it. I guess I am getting older and more laid back with each passing year! (WOW! that's pretty obvious) April 25th 2007
The first thing on my mind was poor Sonny, I am sure that he is soaked to the bone. After an hour the rain let up to just a light drizzle and I needed to take the dogs out for a walk. I stopped by Sonny's and got the low down on the rain intake. He explained to me that his tent became a literal water bed, floating on two inches of water throughout the night. He said "At one point, I was playing in the puddles under my tent and just began to laugh out loud." I can't even imagine how miserable that must have been, although I couldn't tell by his chipper attitude. We invited him over for some breakfast and a chance to sit somewhere warm and dry.
We went outside with him and checked out all of the gadgets he had installed on his bike to make his journey more comfortable and brought him back inside to show him all the add-on's on our rolling gypsy wagon. It was at that time that we said our "Good Byes and Good Lucks" and Sonny rolled off down the road on his journey. We took off for a nature ride around Hot Springs National Park because by this point it looked like the nasty weather might clear up. No such luck! By the time that we got back to our camper and ate lunch, it has started to down poor again. I am starting to think that Arkansas could be considered a rain forest if it weren't so cold in the winter here. Hopefully Sonny had made it somewhere warm and dry before the rain hit again. I guess we will try our hand at fishing tomorrow instead. April 26th 2007 Downtown Hot Springs We woke up this morning with sheer determination to see this area of Arkansas, weather it rained or not. It was our lucky day because the weather stayed clear for us all day giving us time to check out the infamous downtown Bath area on main street. Most of the Baths are being refurbished right now and after speaking to one of the workers he jokingly laughed saying "It will take 5 more years at the speed we're going."
Pat and I were going to go into the only bath house that is still in use today and has actually never closed its doors since the beginning of the Miracle cures of the Hot Springs began. After entering the lobby, which was beautiful, we viewed some pictures of an elderly lady (70's) scrubbing people while in the tub. Now don't get me wrong, I always loved going to my Grandma's house and taking a bath in her huge claw foot tub and having her scrub the dirt rings off of my little Tomboy body; adding lemon to my hair to make it really clean and smell nice, however, I put a stop to that at the ripe old age of 8. This made my decision to not indulge in the reasonably priced scrub and massage that was being offered. Pat and I continued on our sight seeing tour until the hunger got the best of us, which is usually every 2 1/2 hours for me and we walked back to the camper and had lunch. We were back on the road again to find our next destination.
April 27th 2007
After my 4 hour attempt at just learning how to cast yesterday, I saw eight fish, non of which were interested in my stinky cat fish bait. I guess Rome wasn't built in a day. My only fear is that Pat will catch the first fish and I will never hear the end of it. This and I'm so competitive, that I don't think Pat even knows there is a major Fishing competition between the two of us.
April 28th 2007 Petit Jean & Cedar Falls
I always make fun of Pat for the readiness that he always displays in times of need, but when it comes down to it, he sure does come in handy. When we were on the trail, Pat said "Wait just a minute, stand still" he pulled out the bug spray and removed a tick from the back of my leg. (TICKS LOVE ME) That's my MacGyver, always ready to take on the challenges of this world.
Actually, for the first hour we sat on different sides of the river due to the fact that I was afraid and refused to cross the tricky rock hopping which was the only way to the other side. I saw to many people fall into that six inches of rushing water for me to take that chance. After around an hour of evil eyes and hand gestures telling me to "CROSS NOW", Pat finally figured out my weakness. He reached into my backpack, which he had slyly took with him to the other side, and brought out the food. With that luring me across, I quickly got up enough courage to brave the narrow crossing and made it over without incident. His first response was "I knew you would cross for a sandwich." We sat and relaxed for a couple of hours and decided to head back just as it was getting dark. The hike back up the mountain was a great work out while picking two more ticks off on the way. April 29th 2007 Catching the First Fish!!
Within the first 5 minutes I had caught a big, big, big branch. I was struggling to get it off the line and Pat yells after his first cast "I got one!!" Man was I glad and mad at the same time. All of this hard work and thinking like a fish and trying to see what a fish might see while giving fish kisses to try and really get the angler in me to come out and BAM, Pat got the first fish. Below you can see why my disappointment turned into hysterical laughter in just a short breath. I couldn't believe it when he told me to get the camera?? I thought, "You want to show people that you actually caught that thing? I think we saw people using a fish that size as bait at the last place we fished at."
I had to put an arrow in the picture so you would know where to look to see the fish!! I didn't want to burst Pat's bubble, but I couldn't believe the fish could open it's mouth big enough to get the hook in there?!? I honestly think he must have snagged it, but I didn't want to tell him that, I'll just let him have his fun till I show him what a real fish looks like. April 30th 2007
Make Sure to check out the new Photo Galleries for tons of cool pictures from Champagne's Swamp Tour and our Avery Island adventures Need Unlimited photo storage- FREE Trial of Smugmug
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This
was a very challenging, beautiful experience and I would love to do it
over and over again until I can enjoy the grandeur, yet simplicity of it
all. We hope to find other sweat lodges like this while we are on
the road if at all possible. I would do this again in a minute, as
you know the old saying," You have to face your fears before you can
concur them." 
Our
new friends Matt and Chris were on the side of the road fishing or so we
thought. Actually they were doing what they called Crabbing.
This consists of a long thick string, a big piece of raw chicken, a rock
and a net. 
The
weather here in the New Orleans area has turned pretty chilly and windy
on us so the kayaking is out until it gets above 50 degrees again.
I guess its not as bad as some of the weather our family is having back
in Michigan, we spoke to them yesterday and they told us it went from 70
degrees one day, to 6" of snow the next!?!? 
While
getting to know the locals, they informed us that we had an open
invitation to an after hours party by the museum director. This
was located in the
This 3 story building had a funky little first floor watering hole in the wall named '
At our arrival to the
The Marsh family first started
mining salt here in 1818 and before that Native Indians used the salt as
a natural resource. The Avery Island salt mine is still in use
today as well as the
After spending over a month in
Florida, we couldn't believe we hadn't seen one Alligator?! The
Bayou is different and the Jungle Gardens of Avery Island are a haven
for them. Within minutes of driving into the sanctuary, we had
spotted dozens of them.
Brian
told us to sit in the front of the boat as we would get the best
pictures from there. He brought us so close to some alligators
that we could have reached out and touched them. At one point, Pat
had his camera inches from the snout of a 10' Gator!! 
Brian
also brought us to an area which was a breeding ground for the gator and
he knew the babies would be plentiful in this protected area of
the swamp. With a bit of work and allot of bulldozing his boat
through the thick brush, we got close enough to catch a crying baby
gator.
He
let us all hold the little guy and showed us how they can't really bite
enough to hurt at this young age. This trip was filled with local
info from Brian that you wont read in a book and can only be seen first
hand.
After
our exciting swamp tour, we stopped at a quaint little roadside bar
called Extreme Frozen Ice for a frozen daiquiri. Fortunately we
had picked the right spot to stop at again, feeling like we just walked
into our good friends living room.
After
a few hours of fun, we had talked with Ed and Michelle about their
family and the ages and antics of their two girls. After a few
phone calls from the girls I realized that they were probably missing
their mom and dad and I asked them when they usually closed, granted it
was around 9:30pm at this point. To our shock they said they usually
closed at 6 pm!! 
We started our morning with
updating the web site and organizing photos and such. We spoke
with Jason and asked about plans for the night and unfortunately he had
to work late. We ended up going to the office at the
When we got to Randol's the
dance floor was packed with two steppin, side steppin, twirlin' and
swirlin' dancers all stomping their feet to the sounds of Hubert Maitre
and his band. This was a little intimidating at first since I
enjoy dancing but I can't imagine getting up there with them.
We did meet a nice couple who
could cut-a-rug with the rest of them and they filled us in on a few
places to see some of the culture and rich Louisiana heritage. I
walked out of there saying to Pat how I could stay here in Louisiana for
a really long time and would love to be a Cajun even if for just a day
or two. The traditions that are being passed down through the
generations are something to really be proud of. 
The night got started with a
home town entertainer named
Billy sang my favorite song by
him, Must be Doing Something Right, and I could just visualize him
rolling around on the beach with his shirt off. (The Video!!) By
this point the floor was so packed with people singing and dancing and
screaming that we went up into the bleachers so we could get some photos
with out peoples heads in the way. He puts on a good show and the
crowd really loved him and knew all the words to his songs.
The
The
other question we get is, "How long have you rented the camper for?", or
"Would you please explain the decals on your camper because we have some
friends that would like to rent one like it?" 
For
the past few days we have done nothing but relax. We have spent a couple
of nights sitting out by the fire, eating some good grub and meeting
some new friends. The
Our
other neighbor struck up a conversation with us and we found out they
have a very interesting hobby which I can't even imagine how steady of a
hand it would require. 
I was awakened this morning by
my husband singing his rendition of 'Happy Birthday to Maw' in my ear
around 7 am. I turn 41 today and man am I excited - NOT! We
usually go on vacation for our B-Days, however this year it just didn't
seem appropriate. Pat asked me what I wanted for my big day and my
reply was a fishing pole. 
Woke up this morning listening
to the same torrential down pouring rain that we fell asleep to last
night. 
After a couple of hours of just
talking and learning about the places he has been, including Japan,
Australia, Samoa, all over Europe and a few stories of his native
country Denmark, we realized that the three of us are a lot alike.
Sonny had also sold his business and his personal belongings to tour
North America, having no set time to accomplish this task.
Fortunately
they have accurately reconstructed the
Our
trip today was an interesting one which I must say kept me wide awake
for the entire drive. (Very unusual) We took Hwy 7 North, and drove
along this scenic road the entire way to our next campsite. This
road/trail has got to be one of the best roads we have been on yet.
I find myself saying over and over "SLOW DOWN" to which Pat
replies, "I'm only going 25!" I have this extreme fear of us
flipping over and I can just see us rolling down the side of the
mountain with me thinking "Is this mile going to be my last memory?"
We only drove 4 hours until we found a nice spot right on the Fourche
LaFave River. The
We
had a big breakfast this morning with the hopes of getting to
This
morning I am going to catch a fish!! We have moved camp sites to a
great location right on the lake. This is where I am going to hone
in on the fishes mentality and try and think like they think.
Within a few hours I come to a conclusion that the fish are thinking
"Stay away from her" so I am moving on to something else for now.
We decided to take another short hike to see a bridge that was built in
the 1930's by the
