The Great River Road
  
 

Day 9

June 3

  
     
     
   
  Once again I am confronted with a foo foo breakfast but it will get me by since I am still pretty well stocked up from supper last night.  
   
  SweetTreat is ready to roll as I don't have to load up my overnight bags since I will be coming back here for tonight.  
   
  And then there is a bit of slab and morning traffic to get back to last section of the Great River Road.  
   
  I take a turn off the slab in an attempt to find route again.  
   
  I'm on the roads that I mapped, but as I have already discovered, Louisiana is not particularly keen on marking the Road.  
   
  But the river is hiding behind the levee to my left so I know I'm as good as it gets.  
   
  I pass by a tank farm that amazes me at its size and the number of tanks.  
   
  Still no signs but I know where the river is hiding - right behind the levee.  
   
  This tree is amazing in both its size and the outreach of its limbs. It is located on the grounds of the St. Joseph Plantation.  
   
  The St. Joseph Plantation is a historic plantation located on the west bank of the Mississippi River in the town of Vacherie, Louisiana. The plantation was first owned by Josephine Aime Ferry in 1830, but the Ferry family sold it to Joseph Waguespack (1802-1892) in 1877 (Waguespack's son, Aubert Florian, owned Laura Plantation). In 1890 Saturnine Waguespack merged St. Joseph Plantation with Felicity Plantation to form the St. Joseph Plantation and Manufacturing Company. It is today maintained by descendants of the Waguespack and Simon families.  
   
  A bit further along are the remnants of what appears to be the old slave cabins.  
   
  Further down is the Evergreen Plantation, located on the west side of the Mississippi River in St. John the Baptist Parish, near Wallace, Louisiana. The main house was constructed mostly in 1790, and renovated to its current Greek Revival style in 1832. The plantation's historical commodity crop was sugarcane, cultivated by enslaved African Americans until emancipation.  
   
  And again there are several outbuildings, some of which were slave cabins.  
   
  Not too far away is the St John The Baptist Catholic Church. About 1721, a group of German settlers established the second permanent settlement in Louisiana in an area now known as Lucy. This settlement became known as La Cote des Allemands or The German Coast. By 1724, a Catholic community had formed, and a small chapel was built. By 1769, Acadians had also settled in the area that then became known as the Second German Coast. These settlers wanted their own church and priest. In their search for land on which to build a church, they decided that Jacque DuBroc, a bachelor with no family responsibilities and who had twelve acres, should donate four acres of this land to establish a church and cemetery. They sent community member Michel Poche as their representative to the governing Spanish authority with this request. On February 21, 1770, the requested land was expropriated by the Spanish authority for establishing a church and cemetery. And the current structure was built shortly thereafter.  
   
  Finally I see an 'official' sign and I know that I am still on the route.  
   
  I guess living on the low side of the levee, you figure you'd better even up your chances if it is ever breached.  
   
  I am getting close to end as I can see the Gulf stretching out before me.  
   
  It's a different kind of pretty but pretty to me nonetheless.  
   
  About a half mile before the end I come to this. I have no idea just how deep it is until a pickup truck runs through it in front of me. I realize that the water will be above my footpegs but I hate to have come this far and not make to the end. So in I go for better or for worse, hoping I don't end up swimming before it is over.  
   
 

I make it through but not without a few gut tightening moments as there is some slick stuff hidden that you can't see. The sign is hard to read due to all the stickers folks have put on it, but it says -

"Welcome. You have reached the southernmost point in Louisiana"

This is as far south as you can drive in the state so I guess I'm at the end of the Great River Road.

  
   
  There's a little shack here also but I decide I'll not go exploring it.  
   
  And the end of the road is literally right in front of me. Only a boat could take you any further in Louisiana.  
   
  Now all I have to do is go wading again back through the mess to get out of here.  
   
  There is some slipping and sliding in the process but I am able to stay upright and make to the other side with little drama and no trauma.  
   
  I see what I take to be a tanker motoring along beside me.  
   
  And it seems to be doing a great job of keeping up.  
   
  My gas level is a little low but a bad storm blows in and takes the power out. With no power, there's no gas so I wait for it to clear up a bit before I head back to the motel.  
   
  It's so hot I really don't mind the rain much as it is cooling things off a bit.  
   
  SweetTreat has been running hotter than I like, so as much as I hate to, I strip he down to see if I can figure out what the issue really is. It appears to be a malfunctioning thermostat - not something I can fix on the road easily. So I will just have to be wise on my way back home.  
   
  I get her put back together and cover up for the evening so she can get a good night's sleep.  
   
  Tonight a celebration is in order since I have completed riding the Great River Road. On my way top dinner I encounter quite a large flock of geese searching for a free supper.  
   
  There is a Longhorn Steakhouse nearby and it will do nicely for my celebration.  
   
  I start off with a great salad and ...  
   
  finish up with a tasty ribeye and a buttery baked potato. Mighty fine fixings to my simple tastes.  
   
  With enough food in my gut to make most people comatose, I waddle back to my room where the AC is set to make ice cubes. I was going to take backroads to Natchez and then run the Trace north. But with the heat issue with SweetTreat I decide I will run I55 to Jackson and pickup the Trace there. That should keep me out of most traffic and allow good air flow for the bike.