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| October 2002 | Louisiana HSTA Newsletter | Bob Chappuis, Editor |
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After returning from my trip to SE Star in September Stacie and I have made "just the two of us" lunch rides to Grand Coteau, LA and Natchez, MS so I was eager to get back to some local club riding. I originally planned to make a scouting run to Chico State Park to scout some roads and check out the outdoor pavilions with the idea of possibly reserving one of them for Cajun Christmas activities, so I announced a meeting location at our house in St. Francisville. I subsequently discovered however that the park was closed pending cleanup of fallen trees from Hurricane Lili so I started scanning the 'net for alternative destinations. (Cajun Christmas attendees need not worry: Chico has now reopened.)* I came across the Br'er Rabbit Folk Festival hosted by Laura Plantation of Vacherie, La. A quick look at the map and I quickly came to the conclusion that this was a destination that would require us to traverse some twisty roads. Also, the festival promotion promised Creole and Cajun food! Twisty roads and good food, what more can you ask?
Well, Friday night I got a got a call from Shreveport member Alan Tooraen. He was riding down to Natchez, MS to participate as a crew member in the Great Mississippi Balloon Races being held there and wanted to try and hook up with us if we were in the area. Although Stacie and I had just been up there the previous weekend we decided to put the balloon races at the top of the destination list. However, the next morning, Stacie's friend Deb Reid from Baton Rouge showed up on her 1100 Yamaha V-Star followed by Bob Hennessey and Zanama Green from New Orleans. We put it to a vote and the Br'er Rabbit Festival won out. It seems that neither Stacie nor Bob H had ever heard of Br'er Rabbit and the suspense was killing them. While the rest of us had vague childhood recollections of Uncle Remus, the Tar baby, Br'er Rabbit and Fox, et. al., we were at a loss to explain the charm of these characters to the rest. So off we went to the St. Francisville ferry and the Great River Road in search of our forgotten childhoods.... or something like that.
After disembarking the ferry we followed the river for a few miles before turning East, zig-zagging through the cane fields in search of highway 413, the turnoff for which I had missed. We eventually reached highway 190 after exploring a few decent farm roads then East on 190 to Erwinville and 413. At this point 413 is quite nice, twisty and smooth all the way to Rosedale Rd (Hwy 76) At Rosedale we turned South onto old familiar Hwy 77 which we have ridden many times. This road follows Bayous Grose Tete and Plaquemine and includes some tight S curves as well as some long high speed sweepers connected by some long straights. We followed this to Crescent where we crossed the bayou and rode 3066 into Plaquemine. Although winding through some residential areas 3066 is freshly paved and smooth as a baby's behind and has several tight twisty sections with some minor elevation changes to make things a little more interesting. We stopped for gas and refreshments in Plaquemine and then returned to the River Road for the final 60 miles to
Laura Plantation in Vacherie. This plantation, described as a "Creole" plantation, is quite different from the typical stately, white two story mansions I am accustomed to. Instead it was brightly painted and of a less formal single story architecture. There were numerous crafts booths and some food venders set up next to the house. The plantation grounds were very attractive with several large old trees and many ancient farm buildings. A bandstand was set up and there were a bunch of people dressed up in antebellum costumes performimg period dances and even giving lessons. We all had a sample of the various Cajun cuisine offerings, including alligator sauce picante, and watched some dancing.
Well, this was definetly a "folksy" festival and the food was only fair. 
There were some neat crafts but mostly stuff to big to bring home. However, Laura Plantation was intesting to see and I am glad we went. For me the main thing is just to pick an interesting and hopefully different or unique destination as an EXCUSE TO RIDE. AS IF we need an excuse but in organising these activities I find it just helps to have a DESTINATION, and a destination that is new and unknown makes it an ADVENTURE!
This place had not been there the last time I had been to DS so I was eager to have a look and Stacie wanted to try the fit of a ZX6. Well, They had no ZX6es as the ZX6R is apparently a much better seller so I suggested Stacie check out a Katana. She liked the Katana but it was 80 lbs heavier than her Ninja and one of the salesmen suggested an SV650S. This sporty bike, although significantly more powerful than the Ninja 500 is actually 16 lbs lighter. After all was said and done Stacie is now the proud owner of a brand new silver 2002 SV650S! If I'm a good boy I she might let me ride it.
It was a great day all-in-all and those of you in the area who missed it should make a point of joining us next time.
Cajun Chistmas will probably be the next club event other than Bud's ride Saturday Nov. 9th since Stacie and I are taking some time off and heading out on Halloween day for the Hill Country Event and I doubt if I will have time to schedule a ride in between the 9th and Cajun Cristmas weekend. Thanksgiving is reserved for family gatherings. As mentioned above some of our state parks were hit hard by the recent storms. Below is some info from the State Parks website.
* Although three cabins are still under repair due to extensive damage by fallen tree limbs, "overnight guests with reservations in the damaged cabins have been offered alternative cabins or allowed to cancel reservations." So if your cabin was damaged you should have been contacted by now. For more info see http://www.crt.state.la.us/crt/parks
KEEP IN TOUCH!
chappuis@demco.net and my telephone number is (225)635-3171.
and Ride Safe,
Bob Chappuis