Jambalaya, Crawfish Pie, Fillet Gumbo -- Me Oh My Oh

Marina at Lake Charles, LA

Jay's Post: We were a couple of days east of Port Arthur when we arrived at the Calcasieu Lock. When we radioed the "Lock Master" for permission to past through the lock we were informed it was closed during the weekdays to boat traffic. We decided rather than wait for the weekend, we would head North up the Calcasieu River for the City of Lake Charles. We ended up staying nine days in this beautiful town with its recently rebuilt marina, park and boardwalk.

That is one hot pepper

While here, we drove to Avery Island and toured the Tabasco Factory. Avery Island sits atop an elevated salt dome that extends eight miles beneath the earth's surface.  Tabasco Pepper Sauce had its beginnings in 1868 with Edmund Mcllhenny. Here the peppers were grown by Edmund Mcllhenny that went into making the sauce. Once harvested, the peppers are mashed, mixed with vinegar and stored for three or more years in wooden barrels. In addition to the original Tabasco Pepper Sauce, today this privately owned company produces a family of flavors which include Tabasco Sweet & Spicy, Tabasco Garlic, Tabasco Habanero, Tabasco Green Pepper, Tabasco Chipotle, Tabasco Soy Sauce, Tabasco Steak Sauce, Tabasco Raspberry, etc. At their General Store, in addition to all their sauces, they sell t-shirts, lights, souvenir spoons and glasses, towels, clocks, aprons, books all with the Tabasco logo. The most unusual item was Tabasco ice cream!

While at Avery Island we also drove through “The Jungle Gardens”. It was here that in 1895 Edward

Note the t-shirt and interesting trees

Mcllhenny built an aviary and captured eight wild snowy egrets. After raising their hatchlings he released them so they could migrate. The egrets returned the next spring and their offspring every year since. Today thousand of egrets and herons return to this rookery now called “Bird City”. “The Jungle Gardens” are home to the largest collection of camellias and azaleas. Oak trees with Spanish Moss dangling down from their limbs are prominent throughout the park. Also, within the park can be found deer, rabbits, armadillos, possums, squirrels, racoons, turtles, and alligators.

Vicksburg Union Line

Vicksburg Battlegrounds

Later we drove to Mississippi to tour the Vicksburg battle field.This is one of the more remarkable campaigns of the American Civil War. The Union troops assailed this Rebel stronghold on May 19 and 22, 1863 but were repulsed with such great loss that Maj. General Ulysses S. Grant determined to lay siege to the city to avoid further loss of life. Both soldiers and civilians alike endured the privations of siege before Lt. General John Pemberton’s surrendered his forces on July 4, 1863 after a prolonged siege operations of 54 days. This was the culmination of one of the most brilliant military campaigns of the war. With the loss of Pemberton’s army and this vital stronghold on the Mississippi, the Confederacy was effectively split in half. Grant's successes in the West boosted his reputation, leading ultimately to his appointment as General-in-Chief of the Union armies. Union causalities: 806 killed, 3940 wounded. Confederate causalities: 805 killed, 1938 wounded.

USS Cairo

Imagine our surprise when while touring the battlefield we found the USS Cairo Museum. The USS Cairo (prounounced Care-o) was a City-class ironclad gunboat constructed for the Union Navy by James Buchanan Eads during the Civil War. She was the lead ship of the City-class gunboats (sometimes also called the Cairo class) and was named for Cairo, Illinois. On 12 December 1862, in the Yazoo River near Vicksburg , the Cairo was the first ship sunk by a naval mine. There was no loss of life. Over the years the gunboat was forgotten and her watery grave was slowly covered by a shroud of silt and sand. Impacted in mud, Cairo became a time capsule in which her unique, historical artifacts were preserved against corrosion and biological degradation. Her whereabouts became a matter of speculation as members of the crew died and local residents were unsure of the location. Studying Civil War maps, Edwin C. Bearss of Vicksburg National Military Park set out to search for the lost ship using a simple magnetic compass. It was found in 1956. In 1960, numerous artifacts were recovered from the ship, including the pilothouse, and an 8-inch cannon. Eventually, the gunboat was salvaged from the bottom of the river in December 1964.

After enjoying Lake Charles and the surrounding area, we found it very difficult to leave, but after nine days it was time to move on.

USS Cairo's engine room

Lake Charles, LA

This is a really fun fountain

Peggy's Post: Lake Charles has a beautiful waterfront park and walking trails adjacent to the "Bord du lac" marina which is within walking distance of the civic center and the updated downtown area. This was a wonderful surprise since we weren't planning to come here ... and we were disappointed to have our travel plans disrupted by the work on the lock. So we made an attitude adjustment and went to "Plan B" and had a great time. Another happy surprise was the marina was only $10 a night (we opted for no electricity).

Plus, we found out there was a Cajun music and food festival: "Grand Reveil Acadie"' the weekend we were here! So we took advantage of the free film documentary “Against the Tide”, the history of the Acadian people and how they came to Louisiana, which played at the civic center with the director present to introduce the film. Also we enjoyed the Cajun bands, watching the dancing, and especially enjoyed sampling the Cajun food (jambalaya, gumbo etc). I even tried Alligator on a stick and frog legs.

You would love alligator on a stick!

During that same weekend we were able to attend the broadcast of the General Conference of our church. The talks were uplifting, the music by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir was outstanding and we were were introduced to three new apostles. What a wonderful spiritual treat!

We were also told of a great buffet at hotel "Isle of Capri", so on Monday off we went and we were rewarded with wonderful spread and a senior discount! Special thanks goes to John (for the freshly caught 27 inch red fish), Archie and Nikki (for the Boudin, a Cajun sausage, and for befriending us), and to Sweet Treats (for the excellent cookies).