Son of a gun, we had big fun on the bayou

April 27-May 5, 2013
Betty’s RV Park
Abbeville, Louisiana



Our plans for our first Sunday here were something I have looked forward to for a year: taking our friends, Mike and BJ, to the locally famous Whiskey River Landing bar where they hold a weekly Zydeco dance from 4-8 p.m. As luck would have it, our favorite Zydeco band, Geno Delafose and French Rockin’ Boogie were playing, and friends from Bend, Oregon were going to stop over and join us on their inaugural VW Westfalia Van road trip to the New Orleans Jazz Fest. Another couple from the park, Jim and Donnalyn, were meeting us there so we were looking forward to “having some big fun on the bayou” as Whiskey River Landing is right on the banks of the Atchafalaya Basin.



For a $10 cover charge, you get four hours of non-stop live music. Geno has a few guest musicians relieve him and his band members during the dance, so there is never a lull in the music. The dance floor is huge and looks out to the bayou.





There is a long bar that parallels the dance floor, plus another whole separate bar with open seating looking out to the dance floor. The nice thing about this configuration is we were able to get a table near the back bar where it was not crowded at all making it possible to still visit if you are not on the dance floor. Another thing that makes this a fun place is the diversity of the crowd itself. Most are here to dance and range from tattooed twenty-somethings to zydeco music lovers well into their eighties. It’s hard not to have a great time in such a lively atmosphere.

And now for the much requested video of Vic and me dancing.

My friend Pam and her husband Scott were not able to spend much time with us here as they had their five-month old Jack Russell with them and it was too warm to leave him in their van. The bar actually allows dogs inside but the owner’s fierce Chihuahua happened to be visiting so it wasn’t a good option. Pam managed to come in and enjoy the music for a short while Scott was happy to hang out with Axl down on the bayou.



The big event of the Sunday dances at Whiskey River happens during the band’s last song: the tradition is for people to dance on the bar. I was amazed this actually took place last year so I was pretty confident Mike and BJ would be able to see this wild revelry. Our friend Donnalyn had big plans to get up on that bar. BJ and I said no way. You can see how good my resolve held out. Definitely a first for me, but Donnalyn said, “speak for yourself.”  A memorable evening for sure!

One might think Mondays are pretty quiet at Betty’s, but it turns out it is a perfect evening for crawfish feeds as the garbage comes on Tuesday morning.  I was pretty happy to hear about this routine as our friends, Pam and Scott, were coming to spend the night at Betty’s and they were able to partake in Betty’s famous happy hour with crawfish and shrimp on the menu.  Suffice it to say, it was another great evening with special friends.





The rest of the week, we definitely slowed down in our quest for live music and touring around. Betty arranged for a bus trip one night to the Cypress Bayou Casino about an hour away. About 16 of us from the park signed up for the trip which was a very good deal. $7 a person included the bus ride, a free buffet dinner, live Swamp Pub music with dancing, free cocktails, and $10 credit for gambling. Of course, the secret to this being a good deal is NOT to put any more money into their machines. We came out with a loss of $5 additional dollars. Not bad for a whole evening of fun.

Our next big Cajun adventure was going to the Crawfish Festival in Breaux Bridge on Saturday. We heard about this festival last year when we were at Betty’s and made plans specifically to be here for it this year. Mike and BJ, our faithful companions, braved the crowds with us to spend a warm day in the sun near the Main Stage to see a Cajun and Zydeco dance contests, and listen to three different bands: Terry and the Zydeco Bad Boys, Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, and Geno Delafose and French Rockin’ Boogie. One amazing feature of the Louisiana festivals is the big dance floors they have at outdoor venues; these Cajuns are serious about their dancin’. 



Here is a little flavor of the Cajun dance contest:

We were surprised to see the festival included a big carnival with rides alongside the two music stages and food booths with crawfish prepared just about every way you can think of.







We brought our folding chairs and were able to have a comfy spot to retreat to after dancing or walking around the festival grounds. Of course, people watching may have been the most fun activity here, especially in terms of the outfits.






Sunday was our friend Donnalyn’s birthday. We surprised her with a special breakfast on the patio complete with mimosas. Later that afternoon we gathered for hearty appetizers and cake to complete the celebration. Several of us talked about a return trip to Whiskey River Landing that night, but by week two we were just all talk. Besides, I couldn’t top dancing on the bar for the first time (and most likely the last).






Our final day at Betty’s was way more subdued but no less pleasant.  Mike, BJ, Vic and I drove out to Rip Van Winkle Gardens and the Jefferson House, about a twenty minute drive from the park. Vic and I had been to the gardens and café before, but did not tour the house last time. Joseph Jefferson, the primary owner of this former plantation, was best known for his adaptation of Washington Irving’s famous story, Rip Van Winkle. Jefferson performed the role over 4500 times around the world for over 40 years of his life. His former home is now a museum that doesn’t allow photos, but I can assure you it’s worth the $8 charge as each room is beautifully furnished in a combination of original and period pieces from the late 1800s that are quite elegant and unique. 






The Jefferson House and Gardens also have another intriguing story associated with their location on the top of a salt mine dome and at the shoreline of Lake Piegneur  In 1980, A Texaco gas company accidentally drilled into the salt mine causing the lake to be sucked down in a whirlpool, destroying over 65 acres of the gardens. The new owner of the Jefferson House had just built a new home for himself close to the lake. It was sucked into the lake along with four or five barges that all still reside at the bottom of the lake. Within thirty minutes, after the water filled the salt mines, a massive surge of water came in from Vermillion Bay filling in the destroyed acreage and tripling the size of the lake. This chimney is all that remains of the newly built home.



We missed the grand show of camellias at the gardens, but enjoyed a peaceful walk through the woods after a hearty lunch under the massive live oaks that grace the property.










One of the other highlights of going to the gardens is stopping to see the rookery full of egrets and roseate spoonbills near the entrance way. I posted photos of the spoonbills last year, but never was able to get a shot of one flying before. This photo sure put a smile on my face.



This time of year is mating season so the males are pinker than usual. I think of all the shorebirds we have seen in the south, the spoonbills are my favorite.



Well, wouldn’t you know when we returned, it was almost time for our last happy hour at Betty’s. Since it was Monday and some of the new campers had never tried crawfish, we had our last fling cracking open the red mud bugs. By now we were quite proficient in snapping off the claws, sucking their heads, and scooping out the tale in one smooth move. I also joined the seasoned crawfish eaters in wearing rubber gloves for easier peeling.





Departure day always seems to come too soon. I tried not to let the sadness of leaving creep into the pleasures of the day on Monday, but BJ and I had a few moments of tearing up Monday night. The extra challenge in saying goodbye this time is our plans to stay on the West Coast next winter seem to be taking hold. I am hoping our collective fun-seeking spirits will find a way to bring us together for another adventure sooner than we think.

Goodbyes to Miss Betty are never easy either. We have sure grown to love and admire her joie de vivre and ultra-friendly hospitality. The people you meet here start to feel like one big extended family. As I was sitting on the swing on her porch yesterday, I commented on how her place feels like a protected harbor in a storm. All the cares of the world seem to lie outside Betty’s when you’re communing with others at her table. This state of mind is part of the seduction of getting caught in Betty’s web, or as one camper we missed seeing this year, Marvin, explained, “the real magic is from the Jedi spell Miss Betty casts on you.”  You know you are out of the spell when you find yourself trucking down Interstate 10 to Houston, hoping to avoid costly tollbooths and gnarly traffic jams. The blessing ahead of us is plans to visit Vic’s college roommate Jim and his lovely wife Simora in Houston, whom Vic reconnected with last year after a forty year span of time slipped by. One of the best perks of this lifestyle is keeping those connections alive as we roll on down the highway.

Whooping it up at Betty’s RV Park in Cajun Country

April 21-29, 2013
Betty’s RV Park
Abbeville, Louisiana



This is our second stay at Miss Betty’s --known by many as one of the “most fun and friendliest RV parks in the country.” Judging from our experience as full-timers who have been here twice, we would have to concur. Miss Betty, owner and hostess extraordinaire, gets all the credit for making this such a friendly place to visit. Most people in the park attend the well-known nightly happy hours on her porch or deck where folks bring a snack and share stories of their life on the road. Betty makes a point to have everyone introduce themselves and instant connections are made as folks start making recommendations for places to go or things to see here or ideas for future adventures in other locales. Betty also likes to organize outings for the whole group which can range from shrimp buying trips to attending local museums or points of interest together. 



To make our time here even more of a delight, our good friends from Newton, Illinois (whom we have spent the past three winters with in Florida) have also joined us for their first experience of “getting caught in Betty’s web”—one of the park’s catch phrases. No pun intended. The first night Mike and BJ arrived, Miss Betty held a crawfish and shrimp boil. Each person or couple orders their own serving and the food is delivered from a local establishment during happy hour. 
 




 
Later that same night, we headed up the road about thirty miles to Lafayette to attend opening night of Festival International.  Two of our favorite bands from last year were playing: Geno Delafose and Keith Frank.


 
  The first show on Scene Lafayette was put on by a local favorite: Gena Delafose
 

 
After a short break with a lot of announcements in French, Keith Frank and his Zydeco band performed for about an hour and a half. He is another big favorite locally as the crowd about doubled in size and many of the festival-goers knew all the words to his big hits.

Mike and BJ were real troupers in coming along after a long day's drive, happy hour, and the crawfish boil. The music did not disappoint and judging by the look on their faces, they seemed to be having a good time.
 

 
The next day, I made a pot of jambalaya to celebrate Mike and BJs arrival, which we had for a late lunch on Betty's porch. That night we took it easy and played cards after happy hour knowing we had a big weekend ahead.



No trip to this area is complete with stopping in for a po'-boy or some turtle piquant stew at the historic Suire’s Grocery and Café. (And, yes, to those who are observant, Vic is sporting a beard!)
 

 
 


I had never tried the turtle stew as they only make it on Fridays, a 31-year-old tradition. so I went for this unique menu choice. Mike joined me in the adventure, but I think next time we will stick to their tried and true po'-boys.


Betty organized a trip for those interested to tour Martin Accordions in Lafayette for later that afternoon. About sixteen of us from the park went where we were joined by a Road Scholar group (formerly ElderHostel) for a memorable two hour presentation that was more of a private concert than a tour.
 

 
Junior Martin is one of the top accordion-makers in Louisiana. Not only did we learn about how he and his family make a diatonic accordion, the presentation included the history of Cajun music as well as distinctions between it and Zydeco. His daughter, Penny, presented most of the information about their finely crafted accordions.
 

 

 
To demonstrate the evolving styles to our group, Junior (fondly referred to by his daughter as Papa) played the steel and acoustic guitar, his daughter Penny played the bass guitar, steel triangle, and washboard, and his very talented grandson Joel sang in French and played several different accordions. What a treat!  Perhaps the best part was hearing about their family commitment to keeping Cajun music traditions alive. 
 

 


Since we were already in Lafayette when our two hour program at Martin Accordions was over, we headed to a popular Cajun food spot called the Blue Dog Café to listen to some jazz music and get a bite to eat. We ended the evening with a first for all of us--a drive-through daiquiri experience.



The next day we had big plans with a 6:30 am departure to get in line at Café Des Amis in Breaux Bridge for their weekly Zydeco Breakfast. This event was one of our most memorable highlights from our visit here last year so we were really looking forward to sharing it with Mike and BJ, and another couple whom we had the pleasure of first meeting last year at Betty’s, Jim and Donnalyn.  This is a popular place, so you have to get there early if you want to be on the dance floor when the music starts at 8:30! Too fun.



You might recall a similar video of this dancer on our blog last year.  He seems to be at all the local Zydeco performances and is quite fun to watch (and dance with!).  I wanted to include a video of Vic and me dancing, but by the time I remembered, the dance floor was too crowded to get a good shot. I promise I will have one on the next post.

After a robust morning of dancing to Zydeco and eating a Cajun breakfast, we headed back to the park for a three-hour break before venturing out to our late afternoon and evening festivities. Next up was a stop at Touchet’s, a local bar in Maurice where they have a Cajun jam session every other Saturday afternoon. After the high energy sound of Zydeco, the Cajun jammers seemed a little slow but we enjoyed the local color and friendly atmosphere of Touchet’s.



The final plan for the night was to return to Festival International in Lafayette to walk around the festival grounds and see grammy award-winning Cajun music performed by Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet.

International Festival, supposedly the largest free music festival in the United States,  had six stages of musical performances going on that night. Aside from the fantastic music, we enjoyed the various sights and sounds of the festival. . .






especially the people watching.













On Sunday, Mike made a pancake breakfast for us all to restore our energy before our next big event: a four-hour Zydeco dance at Angelle’s Whiskey River Landing. To add to the excitement, one of my closest friends and her husband, going back to high school days, came to join us on their way to the New Orleans Jazz Fest. Let the good times roll, indeed.