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Day 38 Merryville LA


 Goodbye Texas — hello Louisiana!

The sleep at the red cloud RV park was sparse and I was left wondering what could possibly be causing the train whistle to Echo in this flat area. It’s a mystery for sure.

You’re probably wondering why I am posting a picture of the road. It’s because it was such a pleasure to ride. After hundreds of miles of chip seal it was quite a treat. Even if it only lasted for 20 of our 50 miles.

Texas wept the closer we got to the border. Not the “girl, fix your face” kind of weeping but a soft “how could you leave me “crying. It was warm enough that it wasn’t uncomfortable.


We crossed the Sabine River and were officially in Louisiana with a scant 7 miles to go to get to the Maryville Historical Museum who is hosting us for the night. The jambalaya was already underway when we arrived. We got a tour of an 1885’s cabin which belonged to the grandmother of one of our hosts. Her children played in it as youngsters and it has since been restored

  History has it that “Uncle Webb” moved into the cabin after the death of his parents. He was a delivery rider for the Postal Service who worked six days a week at $100 per year. The cabin was simple — a rope bed, a pie safe, a kitchen table and a woodstove, and a fireplace made of mud and straw as well as the chimney. You could see daylight through the outside boards, and his family said he’d wake up with frost on his chest in the winter. He lived there until 1960.



After that we went in for dinner. The historical society went all out to give us an authentic Cajun dinner. The food was mostly donated by the Louisiana seafood association.  It was incredible and included étouffée, jambalaya, catfish, alligator, fried oysters, Boudin, and salad. It was more than we could eat… And then there was dessert. Bananas foster put me over the top. And in the morning they are making us breakfast. Lord help me!


Things I learned today:

  • Alligator and oysters taste the same if they are fried
  • Cowboy crack is real
  • Duct tape is not an effective long-term watch repair strategy
  • Today has to be October 32 because to acknowledge it could be November 1 is the same as acknowledging this epic trip will end this month.



Comments

  1. AnonymousNovember 3, 2022 at 5:08 AM

    Wow. Louisiana! And you are not wanting the trip to end...that is so amazing. I continue to be ever so impressed by you...not that I wasn't before anyway. Debbie

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousNovember 4, 2022 at 2:08 PM

    I love every bit of this narrative! Thanks so much for sharing. Jennifer V.

    ReplyDelete

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