Our first goal of this trip was to start eating crawfish. But first we had to leave the desert, cross New Mexico and Texas to get to Louisiana, a distance of 1300 miles. However, we remembered that in Junction, it is/was necessary to stop for the most delicious smoked meat (beef, ribs, brisket and sausages) along our route (mostly I-10). The city of Junction is strategically located, about half way to “Crawfish” land. So after enjoying a rack of spare ribs and getting a couple pounds of sausage” for the road”, we stopped near San Antonio for the night. Awaking the next morning we continued on toward “the promised land”, St Martinville, LA. On the way I imagines that I started to smell a ”boil” at least 100 miles west of the Louisiana border.

Arriving in St Martinville, LA, we checked into the Old Castillo B&B, chatted with the owner and found a local place mudbugs. It wasn’t long before we were sitting down with two platters (3 pounds each) of “mudbugs”, within an hour after checking in the B&B. This event reoccurred for the next 3 nights, the lunches were éttoufée and/or shrimp. Now that you know what we will be eating, here is a little info on the place where we stayed.

The name of the place is the Old Castillo B&B and is run by a descendant of an original “Cajun” (Acadian) family. The Old Castillo Bed and Breakfast, was built circa 1827 by Captain Edmond Castillo. The building is nestled next to the lazy Bayou Teche. The building is adjacent to a legendary oak tree, the Evangeline Oak. The tree is immortalized by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 1847 poem "Evangeline". Beneath the moss laden branches of this tree, Evangeline is said to have died of a broken heart when she found out her lover, Gabriel, was married.

The first French started to arrive in the area about 1763 with the Acadians coming about 1765. They had been expelled by the British, who had defeated France in the Seven Years War (1756-1763.

While in the area, we visited the farmlands west of New Iberia, Avery Island, Jefferson Island and two water bird rookeries. Avery Island is famous for making Tabasco Sauce. Jefferson Island was the home of Joseph Jefferson, a world famous actor and artist and is home to the Rip Van Winkle Gardens.

After eating our final ration of crawdads, the next morning we headed north, crossing I-10, along US 61 (The Great River Road) stopping at the Rosedown Antebellum Plantation. This plantation is truly a beautifully restored and maintained, a representation of an earlier time. We continued north on US 61 to Natchez, MS, where we spent the night.

The evening meal bears mentioning. A person at the motel recommended having supper at the Rou 61 restaurant. The seafood was good, but the highlight of the meal was a most unusual appetizer that caught our fancy. It was called a Shrimp and Alligator Sausage Cheesecake and was accompanied by a light creamy seafood sauce. We were delighted with the taste and the presentation.