On the Road: Lafayette, LA (and Points West of Atlanta)

Well, after a grueling experience with packing, missteps in hiring movers, and a hell of a lot of driving, Haley and I are in our final destination in Grand Prairie, TX, where we will call the house that I lived in most of my life home once again. 

Before we completed this trip west, we took a little bit less than a week to visit my in-laws in Lafayette, Louisiana and the surrounding areas. 

About an hour away of the destination of the first leg of our trip, we made a detour to Abita Springs, LA, which is the home of the Abita Brewing Company, and their brewpub. The wife and I couldn’t think of a better way to begin the mini vacation than with a nice lunch and a few pints of locally crafted beer.

Coupling with her shrimp po’ boy and my muffaletta, we sipped on Abtia’s Jockamo IPA, Restoration Ale, Turbodog, Strawberry and Satsuma Ales.

To sober up a little before hitting the road again, we stoped at the Abita Mystery House, which, if you ever wanted to spend three bucks to see a collection of beer cans, old pinball machines, and other pieces of antiquated junk, here is your chance.

An old bottle of Shiner Bock.

The rest of the week was fairly uneventful. I picked up a few beers produced in the Gulf region to review, and enjoyed boudin (a sausage casing filled with a meat and rice dressing) and cracklins (think pork grinds, but meatier and chewier,) local foods that makes any trip to Louisiana more unique than one to any other of the lower 48 states.

  

On the last day of the trip I was exposed to horse racing for the first time, and had a good time made better that I ended up two and a half dollars richer than when we had started. We took the winnings to another Louisiana staple, a drive through daiquiri stand (perhaps the worst idea to ride the coattails of the drive through liquor store) to celebrate not losing that money at the track.

We drank, we slept, and we awoke again to drive another 6 hours yesterday to greet my mother, my brother, and our two dogs at our temporary abode.

Before I close out this post I want to thank all of the friends and family that have carried us with them, all of my old and new readers, and to everyone I met on this trek.

Pope Crisco.