Day 12 - Houma to Lake Salvador

We arrived at Houma yesterday at approximately 4:30 in the afternoon.  What a beautiful little marina!  We were the only ones there and after securing everything, we gathered up the laundry and walked to the nearest laundromat which was about 1/2 mile.  We found a restaurant down main street called Cafe Milano and enjoyed a great pizza and salad.

The only disadvantage about the marina is that it's quite close to the intercoastal and every time a barge goes by, it creates quite a wake and really rocks the boat!  We left about 9:30 AM and had a relatively short day as we are anchored just off the intercoastal in Lake Salvador.  We're preparing to go through the Harvey Lock tomorrow morning and are headed for Seabrook Marina in New Orleans where we hope to spend 2-3 days.  We've ordered a new refrigerator and it's supposed to be delivered there and they'll help us get it installed.  I have to say that I've been very concerned about the upcoming locks so I'm trying to stay calm until we get through it.  More to come tomorrow.

Morgan City to Houma, LA

We left Morgan City after staying over an extra day due to the front that came through Monday with rain and high winds. Our stayover was spent at Shannon Hardware Store buying some needed items, cleaning and then spending a wonderful evening with initially total strangers who quickly became friends. Lisa and Charile Parsiola invited us into their home in Berwick, LA after seeing us tied up at the Morgan City Docks. Some years ago, Lisa's father had made it a habit of inviting visiting sailors and boaters going through Morgan City to his house for dinner and Lisa and her husband Charlie have carried on the tradition. What wonderful people and we had dinner with the Parsiola's two out of four daughters, Lisa's mother Judy and her grandmother Belle - 4 generations at the table. To the Parsiola family, thank you again for a fantastic evening - we will remember your hospitality forever and hope our paths cross again.

                                                                    

Morgan City

So much for the weather being in our favor. A front is coming in this afternoon and the winds have been howling. We hope to leave in the morning. We had planned to finally get to Rita Mae's for dinner when the most interesting thing just happened. A lady just stopped by and invited us for dinner at her home. Her mother and 92 year old grandmother, who used to be a chef on TV for many years, will also be there along with her husband, a local physician. We are meeting the friendliest people on this trip.

And a comment about the Louisiana people we have observed so far ... while at Avery Island, watching ordinary people of ordinary means enjoy life so much and then a total stranger inviting us to her home showed us another part of America where southern hospitality is truly seen every day.

Avery Island to Morgan City

Avery Island was so interesting. It was off the beaten path and a little hard to find, but worth it. The island is owned by the McIlheney family and everyone who works at the Tabasco factory lives on the island - very inexpensively I might add as the family rents them a house at quite a reduced rate. Most of the folks working there came from parents who worked there and they're all quite cagan.

We arrived at Morgan City around 4:00 and found the last place to tie up at the dock which was a scary experience. Then after securing the boat, we rushed to eat at Rita Mae's Restaurant which is written up in Skipper Bob. Mike had eaten there 3 1/2 years ago when he brought the boat back from Florida. Anyway, since it's Sunday they were closed. So we ended up at Shoney's. Tomorrow it's off to Houma and I hope they have better facilities as I have laundry stacking up! The weather continues to be in our favor.

Bow Tie Marina to Avery Island

We stayed at Bow Tie Marina which is small but very nice and took a cab to L'Auberge Casino for dinner. Quite a place! Didn't do much gambling as I don't think it's as much fun as the old fashioned slot machines used to be. However, the dinner was great. We left late and went as far as the Mermentau River where we stayed in another gorgeous, secluded anchorage, leaving early and arrived at Avery Island about 4:00 hoping to see the Tabasco Factory before they closed. Too late so we decided to stay another day, rest up and tour the factory. Mike is such a Tabasco fan that I'm glad we did stay as it's very interesting. We plan to leave early and head for Morgan City. We're trying to figure out how to get our photos posted but having a little difficulty. Hopefully, we'll figure it out ASAP.

Taylor Outfall Bayou to Bow Tie Marina

The wind came up during the night as a cold front pushed through and we hesitated to leave however made the decision to go for it. We left at about 7:30 AM and just crossed Sabine Lake which was quite windy but not as bad as we anticipated. We'd like to get to Bow Tie Marina today so we can freshen up, clean up the boat and go out to dinner. Will add more later after we arrive. I'll sure be glad to get out of the industrial areas and into a prettier and warmer climate!

Offatts Bayou to Taylor Outfall Bayou

We left Offatts Bayou near Moody Gardens early but then had to wait at least an hour for the Galveston Railroad Bridge to lift which set us back. It was another long day and we anchored out in Taylor Outfall Bayou which is next to the Big Bayou Wildlife Management area. It was very peaceful out there and we even spotted a couple of alligators, one of which came kind of close to the boat and seemed to be checking us out.