March 2023 – Adventures of Roy and Laurie

March 25, 2023

New Orleans and a few Plantations

This is the first time during our trip where we stayed at a campground that we had stayed at before. The Poche Plantation RV Park is situated about halfway between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Not only is it within a half hour drive from numerous really cool plantations but it is situated on a plantation itself. We learned this time that this plantation and many others have morphed from being slave holding plantations along the Mississippi River to land owned by the big oil refining companies and then to tourist destinations as museums of a sort. Not only would we become tourists and visit a few of these magnificent estates but we would revisit a restaurant in downtown New Orleans to reminisce about the best sandwich we have ever eaten. The locals call them “po-boys” as when there was a street car strike a hundred or so years ago the lunch spots of the era were known for yelling out “here comes one of those po-boys looking for lunch”. We got the surf and turf po-boy with fried shrimp and roast beef on a fabulously fresh foot long roll. Take a look at the wikipedia description of a po-boy; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Po%27_boy

Our first new plantation of the trip is called Destrehan Plantation. For the official introduction check out their website at https://www.destrehanplantation.org/

We took this picture just across the street from the mighty Mississippi river. Gorgeous building!

The back of the building is impressive too. During the restoration they used the original cisterns used for holding fresh water and turned them into a restroom and an elevator for handicapped access.

This plaque was neatly hidden in a garden. Glad Amoco decided to preserve the history here rather than turn the place into another refinery.

Every good tourist destination has a people greeting kitty cat. What a cutie!

Read below how these sugar kettles were used in the production of sugar cane. Destrehan Plantation had sugar as its major moneymaking crop.

We thought this placard was very interesting.

The magnolias were blooming on this mid February day and the live oaks were as spectacular as ever.

Everything around here on the Gulf of Mexico seems to revolve around oysters. Once the the living thing was turned into a fabulous po-boy sandwich, the shells were used to help make plaster for building.

Had to include this pic from inside a slave cabin.

Some pictures of the mansion from back in the day before it was restored.

Fabulous shade trees these live oaks make.

Left this picture large enough so it was legible. CRAZY stuff.

The terminology here is sad, but it is what it was so to speak:

Creole: French settlers used this term to distinguish those born in the colony of Louisiana from those born in another country or elsewhere.

Negress: A female negro

Negrillion: A child negro

Negrite: Spanish term for female negro

Mulatto: A person of mixed white and black ancestry, especially a person with one white and one black parent.

Driver: A slave of authority appointed by the master to lead and discipline field workers and maintain order in the quarters.

Dropsy: A condition with accumulation of fluid in the abdomen, chest, head or extremities.

This replica of a slave cabin here at Destrehan led our group to discuss the Great Slave Revolt of 1811. After the rebellion was put down there were three trials for groups of re-captured slaves. One of the trials was held here at Destrehan. A number of the slaves involved in the revolt also came from Destrehan. During the Civil War, the Union Army seized the plantation and established the Rost Home Colony where newly freed slaves learned trades enabling them to transition into a life of freedom.

Our tour guide as she comes out to greet us. Fabulous costumes and very knowledgeable too.

There were wax figures strategically placed throughout the property. Actually quite nicely done. This one here is of the original owner Jean Noel Destrehan. The plantation was the most successful sugar cane plantation in Louisiana. Destrehan also is credited with being the driving force toward Louisiana statehood. He was also partially responsible for creating Louisiana’s civil law of government, that is still in existence today. I lifted the following explanation from the Pearce-Trust website. To view their full description of the differences and why they are important see:
**https://www.pearse-trust.ie/blog/common-law-civil-law differences#:~:text=The%20main%20differences,may%20need%20adjudicating%20in%20court.**

“The key difference between these two legal foundations is that civil law is codified whereas common is not, at least not in the same way.
Civil law codes tend to be comprehensive and encompass the full spectrum of civil and criminal matters that may need adjudicating in court. They set out how each matter should be dealt with and what remedies should be applied, if any. And unlike their common law counterparts, civil law courts are inquisitorial, with civil law judges investigating and establishing the facts of a case before applying these against the relevant sections of the civil code to reach a verdict.
Common law systems are less structured and more organic in nature. Legislative statutes tend not to be as comprehensive as in civil law countries, so courts play an important role in developing the law. Thus, case law forms a major source of law, and, as a result, judges are more active in shaping the legal landscape. Further, common law judges act more as mediators than as investigators, presiding over an adversarial system where the parties in dispute argue their case.
In reality, however, few jurisdictions are purely using one system or the other, with common law jurisdictions reflecting aspects of civil law practice, and vice versa, often depending on historical legacies. South Africa, for example, with its British and Dutch influences, practises a mixture of the two.”

As usual, most of the restoration was flawless but they did incorporate some plexiglass so we could view some of the original substructure.

One of the more fabulous views of a live oak tree on the grounds. Some of the bigger branches actually lay on the ground and root themselves in the soil. Others are carefully propped up by man-made structures.

Back at Poche Plantation we had a nice meal at their country restaurant. The elder lady that owns the place had quite the personality. She was glad to turn on her “air conditioning” for us even though it was early February. Check out the engineering involved below:

We ended our stay in the area by revisiting the site of the world’s best sandwich. Not only did we drive over an hour each way to find our po-boy masterpiece but we had to cut through cities of refineries that were many city blocks long in each direction. On the left is the Valero refinery and the right is a Shell refinery.

Last time we were here the line was wrapped around the block. Got lucky this time around.

The Surf & Turf Po-Boy at Domilise’s in downtown New Orleans puts batter fried shrimp and roast beef on a home made hoagie roll. The sauce is to die for. There are only a few tables in the joint so we were invited by a nice young couple from Chicago to join them for lunch. Fabulous food and wonderful people here in the Big Easy. Good eats right there!! Even a local beer called NOLA, which stands for New Orleans, LA

March 18, 2023

Biloxi, Mississippi and, Beauvoir, the last home of Jefferson Davis.

As we “blew through” the states of Mississippi and Alabama on our last go round we made an effort to check out a few historical and touristy spots. We did spend an evening taking money from one of the local casinos. The gulf coast of Mississippi has loads of high end casino buildings with their accommodations versus the Louisiana version of a casino which is every gas station. The main attraction in Biloxi was the last home of Jefferson Davis, the president of the short lived Confederacy. The house is named “Beauvoir” or French for beautiful view. As it is situated across the road from the Gulf of Mexico we agree that the views from the front porch were indeed beautiful. After Davis’ death his widow eventually willed the entire estate to the United Confederate Veterans. One stipulation of the sale was that all Confederate veterans and families could live there for as long as they lived. Evidently, the last few folks died or were transferred to another facility in 1957. Now it is a museum open to the public and well worth the visit. Over 700 of the vets are buried in the cemetery on the grounds. An interesting read can be found at https://www.visitbeauvoir.org/about-beauvoir

Beauvoir is a wonderful old building with a view from the porch of the Gulf of Mexico.

One of two cottages that have been rebuilt due to hurricane damage

A recent addition to the estate is the Jefferson Davis Museum and Library.

After the house tour we got a brief tour of the cemetery that is the final resting place to some 700 Confederate soldiers and their families.

This tree shows no respect for the dead and their tombstone. The name of the deceased is Wood. Very ironic we think.

Jefferson Davis is buried in Richmond, VA but his father is buried here at Beauvoir.

As we are in the south here these lovely floor to ceiling windows could be opened up in the sweltering summer months to allow the breezes to waft in from the Gulf.

Thinking of all the hours of painstaking work to carve all this detail into the ceilings. Well, much of it was done by slaves of the original owner back in 1848.

The golden harp is one of only a few of its make in the world. They did not allow us to pluck any strings?

“What they called the “dry well” is pictured here. It was used as a root cellar of sorts. It stayed much cooler in the well than outside so food stuffs were stored there including leftovers from each meal to be eaten at an upcoming meal. Is this why kids don’t like leftovers?

This grandfather clock was built in the late 1700s and is the oldest piece that decorates the home called Beauvoir.

A first edition of Davis’ book titled “Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government”. He wrote this book in the 1870s while living at Beauvoir. It was released in 1881. He did not own the property yet but was generously given time to “relax” and compose by the wealthy author Sarah Ellis Dorsey. As she was dying of cancer she decided to will the entire property to Davis upon her death. Evidently she also helped him with certain aspects of the book.

March 16, 2023March 17, 2023

Dauphin Island, Alabama

The word “Dauphin” is a French word for the “heir apparent” to the throne. It literally means Dolphin in French but, hey, we have all heard dolphins are pretty smart. It’s original name was “Massacre Island” as the first Europeans to see the island in the 16th century found a huge pile of human skeletons. Turns out the pile was just a rearranged cemetery of the Mississippian Tribe after one of the areas many hurricanes.

There was a really nice bicycle path from our campground on one end of the island to the public beach and pier on the other side. About a 7 mile ride each way. The live oaks make for a fabulous backdrop for a daily bike ride.

Attached to our campground was a 164 acre Audubon Bird Sanctuary. The many trails through the sanctuary made for a full day of hiking.

We noticed a squatter bird on this Osprey nest. Hope he clears out before one of those big osprey notices.

We found this egret admiring its reflection in the water.

Not sure who would sit here and feed the alligators but we are believers in Darwinism.

Look closely to see the alligator tail in the middle left and no, it is not chasing this poor floating turtle nearby. Notice the algae that tortoise must swim through.

Wish we were here to see this great sea turtle birthing area in action.

Our hike this day included many lessons in the local flora. Laurie is admiring a sassafras tree. Its leaves are shaped a bit like an oak tree back home and its magnificent shade coverage rivals the live oaks found everywhere down south.

A short walk from our campground was Fort Gaines. This fort was completed in 1848 and occupied by Confederate forces for the first part of the Civil War. The Union troops captured it during the Battle of Mobile Bay in 1864.

This would be an interesting way to “start your day” unless it’s high tide.

The original railway is still attached to the ceiling. It was used to move the ultra heavy ammo for the cannons to different cannon locations.

There was a smallish museum within the walls of the fort. Lots of cool relics as well as much war correspondence from Confederate soldiers.

One of the first torpedoes used in naval war. The Battle of Mobile Bay and Union Admiral David Farragut are given credit for the famous saying “damned the torpedoes and full speed ahead” Did not know that.

Confederate (not counterfeit, or is it?) money was not worth too much as the war dragged on:

There is a construction boom on the island as these “foundations” are found everywhere in varying states of completion.

Below shows the public beach at the far end of the island. Many folks were spending this cool January day fishing and yes, even surfing. Our bike ride down the 7 mile path was very pleasant.

Below, find pictures of two other Lance travel trailers. They were both in spots next to ours. Awwwwh.

March 15, 2023

Jekyll Island…Did Not Find Hyde Island:)

One of the gorgeous sights to see all around Jekyll island.

We have long heard of Jekyll Island and yearned to see its fabulous beaches with wonderful scenery and temperatures. The time had come. Our friends Karen and Sam bought a house there a number of years back so they can spend winters down there and rent it out in the summertime. The entire Island is considered a Georgia State Park. This means no one can buy land there. If you buy a house you lease the land. The amount of land that has already been developed is all that can be developed. No more businesses or homes unless they are replacing an existing one of the same size. The entire island is about 7 miles long and 3 miles wide with a wonderful bicycle path all the way around the perimeter. We had to pay $8 per day as a fee to cross the bridge to the state park. We parked our camper right in Karen’s driveway and stayed in her “in-law-apartment” for 3 nights. She took us on a long bike ride each day. She has become very knowledgeable about the area and its history.

We ended up just squeezing our rig between all the really nice vegetation.

This beach had a fantastic amount of driftwood, hence its name.

This sea bird was king of the driftwood for the moment.

The bird is named an anhinga. Very cool to watch it in action. They are called the “snake bird” as when it dives for a meal only its neck is visible above the surface looking like a water snake.

This secluded spot is called the “Rookery”. There were egrets and herons galore. All those little white specks are egrets. The heron blend in color-wise so are tough to see.

Here is a short video clip of the pod of dolphins we encountered while riding our bikes near the beach:

We took a nice bike ride every day we were there. Along with the continuous bike path circumnavigating the island are many “offshoots” from one side of the island to the other. Sooooo cool.

Karen pointed out this fabulous eagles nest in the background. Who is it rooting for in the super bowl?

All over the island these poor trees have just a bit of a windswept haircut. Cool.

Here is a fabulous artifact. During the Spanish American War in 1899, these rotating cannon bases were placed on the shore of the island. The possibility of a Spanish incursion there was minimal but the old Civil War era cannons were just collecting dust so why not. As the war lasted only 9 months, they were never used and the actual cannon were removed around 1900. Interesting the bases were left there to rust into oblivion.

The Jekyll Island Club, with all of its turn of the century charm warmly invites its guests, and non-guests like us, to tour its clubhouse and fabulous grounds. We did not take part in any horse drawn carriage rides this time around.

There was a closed door 10 day conference of the country’s financial leaders in 1910. Much groundwork was laid for the 1913 creation of the Federal Reserve. Most of the discussion revolved around how to set interest rates.

We pedaled into the parking lot of a Georgia 4-H club and found the main building open so we took a look around. Nice that folks are not so paranoid here about visitors. Not sure why I chose to be Laurie’s parrot but why not. No nicer shoulder to stand on in the world, for me that is.

As Jekyll Island is a golf mecca of sorts, most of the island’s water towers are shaped and painted like a golf ball sitting on a tee.

We will leave you with a short video of a not so active armadillo I saw when riding the 20 mile loop around the island’s bike trail. We have seen many of these reptile-like creatures over the years but they are always dead on the side of the road. Nice to see one in action.

We will end this post with a family pic of my cousin Wendy and her husband John. We stopped by their place in Dothan, Alabama directly after visiting Jekyll Island. A nice dinner was had along with much conversation regarding our currently overlapping lives, at least for a day:)