When Rose reseaches a park we often laugh at some comments people put up, for example; the restrooms were dirty and not up to standard - every RV we have seen has its own bathroom, shower etc so why would you not use that? Bettys has no restrooms, no laundry but full hookup and free Wi Fi and a very reasonable rate. This is also an adults only park which suited us just fine - we were told to bring a good sense of humour and if your not a social person then this park might not be for you.
We pulled up and parked in a small vacant area out front of the office. Signs directed us to buzzer so we pushed it for service. A young bloke opens the door and says "Betty won't be a minute she is just peeling shrimp". Seconds later Betty greets us with a great Cajun smile and welcome to Louisiana and Cajun country. Having paid for our site we got the rundown from Betty and it went something like this, "We have happy hour at 4-30, feel free to come along, bring your own drinks and people usually bring a plate to share". I checked the clock it was 3-30 so plenty of time to set up, get the ice maker going before happy hour began. Betty went on and said, "Tomorrow I am cooking Seafood Gumbo for dinner for everyone at the park - just bring a plate of food to contribute. Thursday is thanksgiving and I (Betty) am cooking a turkey you can bring something to add to that and on Sunday my son is cooking Crawfish etofee - once again bring a plate to share". Wow this sounds too good to be true! The way this was going I wouldnt have to get the weber out at all this week. Betty then guided us into our site.
4-30 on the dot we grabbed out drinks and headed off to the happy hour. Now we all know what its like to enter a room full of people and they just stop talking and look? Well this was no different but within seconds people stepped up and introduced themselves - heck how was I going to remember all these names? We had a great first happy hour and come out with plenty of extra information on what to see and where to go in the area. The majority of people staying here have been coming to Bettys regularly for years - we felt like we were adopted into their family. Needless to say Happy Hour was factored into every day's activities!
We don't always visit the tourist attractions in an area but couldn't resist a visit to the Tabasco factory. Tabasco sauce has a special spot in my life, I always carried a bottle in my webbing when in the Army, it boosted the flavour of our rations when out bush. The factory is located in a place called Avery Island south of Abbeville. Avery Island sits upon a giant salt dome and during the civil war it produced some 22 million pounds of salt for the Confederacy. The salt plays an important part in the manufacturing of Tabasco . The pepper "mash" is put into used bourbon barrels and the barrel is covered in salt to seal the top - as the mash ferments it seeps out into the salt which goes hard. The barrels are stored for several years before use. Tabasco is only manufactured at Avery Island and exports to the whole world producing up to 700,000 bottles a day.
Entry to the Tabasco factory costs $1 which is taken at a booth at the gate. The booth is on the right hand side ( remembering that it is left hand driving in the USA) and a fair distance from the car window so the gate keeper pushed a long stick, with a peg on the end through our window to attach our dollar bill. No dollar bill - no problems - there was also a circular hole to put four quarters in - technology is great!
Rose has a new camera this trip so decided to go for a walk through the historical township of Abbeville to test her photographic skills out. As we were walking down a small street we saw an elderly lady sitting on her veranda. We said hi and gave a wave and then stopped to have a chat. She then invited us to "come sit with her" and even offered us a drink. She spoke about her life in Abbeville and shared some of the towns history with us. She had been born in the very house we were sitting at and her son was in the process of renovating it. This was one of our highlights of our journey - after about 20 minutes we said our goodbyes and headed home to our trailer, this is the USA we love.
Our next adventure was a swamp tour, not on an airboat but in a flat bottomed "tinney" through the swamps of Louisiana. At just $20 each it was great value. Obviously the highlight of the trip would be to see some alligators. The guide explained the differance between a "swamp" and a "bayou" as he manouvered the boat through the swamp oaks. The swamp was not much more than 1-2 feet deep and fallen trees were everywhere - with great skill the tour guide made his way around and over many logs lifting the motor at just the right time. We were also able to go through the bird sanctuary as it was not breeding season. Again it was very shallow and more than once we had to take a run up over a mound of weeds, with the propeller nearly out of the water, spewing mud etc into the air. I wondered how many motors they go through in a year.
One of the rules on the boat is not to stand up or point at the alligators. As usual there is always someone who thinks the rules don't apply to them - this guy, with the biggest telephoto lense possible did both resulting in him startling one of the bigger alligators meaning everyone lost that photo opportunity! Fortunately the guide knew where the best "sunning" spots for the alligators were so we had plently of time to take photos.
When we first arrived at Betty's we were given some information about a "jam" session that happens every other Saturday in the nearby town of Erath at the Museum Cafe. So we grabbed a lift with a couple of our new friends, Jim and Nancy. We walked in and immediatley a voice from the stage says "welcome Ron and Rose from Australia" NO hidding in this bar, everyone looked, we waved and ducked for a quieter spot. Obviously the RVers from the park had worded up the band. Both Rose and I were a tad slow that day due to the extended happy hour the night before at which we celebrated Nancy and Jim's birthdays with far too many shots of "Bunderburg Rum, Jack Daniels and Lemon Moonshine". Never to be deterred however I ordered three beers, one for me and two for our friends, ' that will $6 thanks' - $2 for a can of beer, just wish I could drink more of it!
The jam session comprises of a group of locals who come together each week at the cafe/bar. The music was great - they played for 4 hours with only a short break. One of the guitar players was 85 - there was no stopping him.
And in addition to the free entertainment and $2 beers, they also provided everyone there with a free meal at the end of the session. Amazing!
Betty's is certainly one of those places that you could just lose yourself in for a long time (as a number of others do every year) but we had to keep moving so with heavy hearts we said our goodbyes to "Betty's" RV park and headed further east to our next destination. As we left we were farewelled by our new friends, by far this was one of the most friendly parks we had stayed at.
