Tuesday, December 1, 2015

On To Abbeville: Trouble Beaucoup

Tuesday, December 1st is a travel day. Wayne and I were up early and I had this Hank Williams song earworming in my head:

Jambalaya and a crawfish pie and film gumbo
'Cause tonight I'm gonna see my ma cher amio
Pick guitar, fill fruit jar and be gay-o
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou

Goodbye, Joe, me gotta go, me-o, my-o
Me gotta go, pole the pirogue down the bayou
Oh my John, the sweetest one, me-o, my-o
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou

Jambalaya and a crawfish pie and film gumbo
'Cause tonight I'm gonna see my ma cher amio
Pick guitar, fill fruit jar and be gay-o
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou

Thibodaux, Fontaineaux, the place is buzzin'
Kinfolk come to see my John by the dozen
Dressed in style and go hog wild, me-o, my-o
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou

Jambalaya and a crawfish pie and film gumbo
'Cause tonight I'm gonna see my ma cher amio
Pick guitar, fill fruit jar and be gay-o
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou

Settle down far from town, get me a pirogue
Oh, I'll catch all the fish in the bayou
Swap my mon to buy my John what he need-o
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou

Jambalaya and a crawfish pie and film gumbo
'Cause tonight I'm gonna see my ma cher amio
Pick guitar, fill fruit jar and be gay-o
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou

I've become pretty excited about getting across the Mississippi River and into Louisiana. We've been in the deep south for fifteen months now and I am ready to travel. We wanted an early start for our 330+ mile drive from Gulf Shores to Abbeville, Louisiana. The six of us (Charlie, Joyce, Pam, Ernie, Wayne and me) have a one week reservation at Betty's RV Park where we hope to discover and explore the "lesser known" parts of Louisiana's Cajun Country.

By 8 a.m., we were ready to try our modification to the tow set up on the truck ignition. We hope this will stop the miles from accruing as we tow. Everything looked good as we pulled away. The sound of our truck alarm stopped us. Darn. The key fob was not in the truck when it was being moved. Wayne had been suspect this might happen and he made the fix right away by placing the fob inside the truck and we pulled away without further incident. We probably woke everyone who might still be sleeping in the campground.

Selfie stick in hand, photos to share. 
The skies were overcast as we traveled west through Mobile and into Mississippi. Pam, Joyce and I exchanged text messages and compared mile marker numbers. The new selfie sticks got a workout as we snapped selfies, posted them to Facebook and laughed at one another. Everything was going well. Wayne pulled off the highway to refuel -- as did Ernie. Each made the usual equipment check -- everything looked good. More miles were put behind us as we crossed into Louisiana. Rain from the west finally reached us and the temperature began dropping -- five, ten, then fifteen degrees. Our luck was changing.

A text from Pam reported that a passing driver got Ernie's attention and pointed back toward the Jeep they tow behind the motorhome. The next exit was five miles ahead. Ernie made the exit and went into a Walmart parking lot. Pam's pictures tell it best...





Wayne and I did not pull off the interstate with Pam and Ernie as we were too close when we realized their situation. Pam posted the pictures and we were horrified. Joyce and Charlie were farther back and pulled off to offer assistance.  Rain continued as we drove through Baton Rouge and then across the Atchafalaya Basin. Road work on the bridge caused a traffic jam on the eastbound lanes for several miles. Pam sent word that the repair was made and they were rolling again.


We stopped at the Atchafalaya Basin Visitors Center for a dog walk. The rain continued and I was cold so the walk was brief. We ate a snack and got back on the road.

The Atchafalaya Basin is the largest swamp in the country and at 96,100 feet, the bridge over it is among the ten longest roadway bridges in the world. The longest continuous roadway bridge over water in the world is Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, also in Louisiana.  For eight of it's total 24 miles, land cannot be seen in any direction.

Along about 3 o'clock our pleasant journey had become tiring and we all were anxious to reach our destination.  Once we reached our exit, we still faced a long drive made much worse by horrific road conditions. Having lived in Louisiana, we've heard all the reasons (or excuses) for the bad roads... ranging from politics to soil conditions. Whatever the reasons, the roads are simply awful. The noise and the shaking was nerve wracking... and the rain continued.

Hoping to reach Betty's RV Park before dusk, we had even more incentive to arrive early when Joyce reported that Betty called Charlie to notify us that a birthday party had been planned for another campground guest. Betty's homemade gumbo would be served. Oh my goodness. We were thrilled and kept bumping along... finally through traffic congestion in Lafayette and then Maurice. Nearly there. That darn rain just won't stop.

Within 1/4 mile of our destination an unexpected split in the road forced an unanticipated decision and ours was the wrong one. The mistake caused us to go make two left turns and come into Betty's RV Park from the opposite direction. Mistaking the entrance for an exit, we turned hard into the next driveway.  Uh oh. Too sharp. And too late. And there's no backing up. The coach wheels sank quickly through the green grass and into the mud.

More pictures to tell another story of our trouble beaucoup.

Couldn't make that sharp turn. Hard rain here all day caused the earth to become a bog.
Our front wheels sank fast into the grassy yard in front of Betty's RV Park. 

From Webster's Dictionary....  adjective beau·coup \ˈbō-(ˌ)kü\
Definition of BEAUCOUP:  slang: great in quantity or amount : manymuch (we're in trouble beaucoup)

A wrecker came quickly and pulled us, from the rear, back into the road where Wayne recovered and got us parked into the campsite Betty had designated for us.  The rain just kept on coming. The wrecker bill was $50. We expected it to be more.

Settled into our sites at Betty's RV Park.
Left to right: Charlie & Joyce, Pam & Ernie, Wayne and me.

Those who've visited Betty's RV Park know that Happy Hour is held on Betty's porch every afternoon and after our harrowing travel experience, we all honestly needed a bit of libation. Our mishap caused the entire happy hour and gumbo feast to be delayed though we didn't realize it until much later.

Bernie (the birthday boy) and his Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey.    "It cures what ails you."
In addition to meeting Betty, we met Bernie and Dodo, Gloria and JC and Dan and Merlene. After gumbo, we had butter pecan ice cream and cake. Such a nice ending to a terrible afternoon.

Betty's homemade gumbo served on the porch.  Best I've ever tasted. 
Dan plays music. Here he's singing "Happy Birthday" to Bernie. 

Left to right: Gloria, J.C. and Betty. 

Wayne, me, Dan, Merlene and Gloria on the far side of the table. Charlie in the blue shirt. 

Joyce liked Betty's gumbo too. 
The three other couples at Betty's Happy Hour that evening answered our every question about what to see and do during our week here. Armed with an fist full of brochures, we're ready to "have big fun on the bayou"...

Oh yes, one more thing. That little problem we had in Betty's yard would be fixed by a local yard guy for a mere $275 payment.  Sometimes we just have beaucoup trouble.

1 comment:

  1. The tire problem with the Jeep is exactly why everyone should have tire pressure monitors on their motorhome and toad.

    ReplyDelete