Louisiana

Heading west on I-10 we reached Louisiana and drove through Baton Rouge, shortly after reaching the 10 mile Basin Bridge which crosses bayous, rivers, and lakes – a very different view. We overnighted at the Slidell Wal-Mart and then continued to LaFayette, our base for exploring the Cajun country. Having heard on the news that former President Bill Clinton would speak at Country Cuisine Restaurant in LaFayette at 2:00 p.m. on his cross-Louisiana campaign for Hillary, we went there immediately after parking the coach. We arrived to find a crowd outside the small restaurant as well as a fire truck and police cars with an ambulance arriving shortly. (Both the fire truck and ambulance were unrelated to Clinton’s visit and soon left). Crowds continued to gather and the sun beat down as the minutes ticked by past 2:00. The secret service said 25 minutes more; after that interval passed, they said 10 minutes. That too passed and eventually, unannounced, the motorcade of Louisiana State Troopers and 2 bullet proof tan Chevy Suburbans pulled into the circular driveway in front of the restaurant. Clinton was quickly escorted inside the restaurant by the secret service, much to the disappointment of the crowd outside. His short 3 point speech, audible outdoors, made the case for why Louisianans should vote for Hillary. Then Clinton came outside, spoke with the media, and circled the perimeter of the crowd shaking hands much to the delight of the people. For quite a while, we could see only Clinton’s white hair over the throngs of people, but finally George was able to speak to him and shake his hand. George made a complimentary comment to him about his presidency. Cameras were flashing and sunglass-clad secret service agents flanked Clinton as he moved through the crowds. As soon as they could get a photo, the elated individuals pulled back reducing the crush of people. George moved to the other side of the circle to get better shots so again saw the president who spotted George and told him, “Thank you for what you said.” Having completed the circuit, Clinton and his entourage reentered the Suburbans and sped off with sirens blazing. He had come to LaFayette and he was gone. When we returned to the RV park, we met up with George and Jan from Birmingham whom George met on the Country Coach Yahoo Forum. Friday night we ate at Prejeans enjoying both Cajun food and music. Sat. we explored the surrounding area and in New Iberia toured Shadows-on-The-Teche, the 1834 home of a sugar plantation owner and his family for four generations. The gardens with their old (200 and 400 years) oaks were quite a sight. On Sunday we drove southwest and saw shrimp boats and crawfish farms and crossed the Intercoastal Waterway. We enjoyed dinner at Mulate’s, recommended by another CC Yahoo Forum member, and again enjoyed both food and music. This well-known restaurant with posts made of cypress trees from the bayou has been patronized over the years by numerous celebrities whose names are listed in the entrance. See more pics at http://picasaweb.google.com/gharpercomcast/BillClinton