The Steamtug Blog

On the weekend, I got out and toured around the local area and bayous. No I know what John Foggerty was singing about all those years ago…  I drove down to the coast and saw the oil rigs dotted along the skyline in the Gulf of Mexico, had lunch with Forrest Gumps brother, visited the oldest wooden bridge in Louisiana, saw Loggerhead turtles in the swamp and ran away from an alligator! The Calcasieu River runs down from Lake Charles back into the Gulf of Mexico, and I thought it would be a orientation for me to drive down and see the golf. But instead of a driving range, found a diving range with loads of oil rigs across the horizon out in the sea and realised it’s all about Gulf! To get across the river required going across on a ferry because there is no bridge, and as I drove down that way, the skies filled with thick black clouds that got heavier the closer I got to the sea until they ripped apart and dropped rain so heavy it was impossible to see the road. The poor deckhands on the ferry where there directing cars onto the deck only wearing t-shirts and I felt sorry for them, but remembered that is was till around 35 degrees despite the rain. From the ferry I drove East along the highway as the rain cleared and a bolt of lightning disappeared behind the trees directly ahead, ending in a ground shaking BOOM that sounded almost at the same time it flashed. Woo… that was close! Not much further on, and the roads were completely dry. I stopped at a small roadside convienience store because I needed petrol, in the town of Grand Chinere which only had 3 houses. I commented about the massive rain system I had just experienced only 20 minutes back, yet the road here was dry. The lady with a very heavy southern accent admitted that was typical of summer storms in those parts. Anyway, she could only sell me gas, but it was liquid when it went into the petrol tank! I turned around and drove back West the way I had come and reached the town of Creole. Here on the corner of the highway where I could go straight back to Cameron, the name of the parish my plant is in, or turn right and head North back to Lake Charles. Right on the corner was a roadside dinner that was surrounded by so many cars there were no empty parking spots. Hmmmm, it must be good and since it was lunchtime anyway, I decided to go inside and meet the locals. I thought maybe they would look at me like I was a strange out of towner and start a fight, but they were fine.The place was packed with people who all talked like Forest Gump and on the menu was shrimp (of course), catfish, oyster, frog and gator! I kid you not!!!

The Oldest bridge in Louisiana?

Lorraine? Build a bridge outtuv ha…. The Lorraine bridge is the last wooden bridge over the bayou in Louisiana. After falling into disrepair, it was closed down in 1998 due to safety concerns. It was recently rebuilt using money raised by the local community of Hayes, and they resisted plans of modernisation using new materials, after the locals all jacked up so it was re-built using the same wood as the original and still looks like a nice old bridge surrounded by woods of oak and pine with wood duck and wood peckers! It surrounds a small lake area and as I was crouching beside the waters edge looking for platypus, I saw a big turtle coming up for air. Apparently its a loggerhead, and my local boys tell me they are good eating! I also saw a huge eel swim by and another big fish slowly slinking by like a semi submerged submarine on patrol. The I heard the water make a loud splash behind me, and thought Crikey!!! That might be an angry alligator with a hankerin’ for aussie! So I hightailed it out of there!

Rum in ya tum!

7 miles back towards the I-10 interstate was a new rum distillery offering free tastings! How could a sailor boy resist. With so much sugar cane grown in the region, and couple of smart local boys got together in 2012 and establish Bayou Rum near the town of Welsh. Their sales have steadily grown till they installed a second copper pot still, and on the tour I learned they are about to go to 24 hour per day operation, running a night shift. They age their rum in old bourbon barrels which are only allowed to be used once in the bourbon industry, so they are used her for maturing the rum for 3 years. The rum comes out with a distinct bourbon taste which makes it interesting. On the wall of the distillery is a great mural which had been painted by the grandson of the old moon shiner that used to live on the bayou many years ago. Well, I brought a bottle of their spiced rum and I am going to finish off here and sip a couple before bed! Seeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeya!