What a day! Ryan and I woke up to our usual camp site take down then coffee before hitting the road around 9am.
We met another group of friendly retired men who had many questions about our journey as they enjoyed their own cup of joe. Hmmm… Seems to be a theme 😉 Retired men, at least all over the south, congregate each morning to wake up and catch up.
Our mission today was a 34 mile trip to Avery Island, the birth place of Ryan’s very favorite sauce… Tabasco! We braved windy roads and one impromptu maintenance call on our way and arrived at the Tabasco factory’s on-site Cajun restaurant, 1868, with sore legs and hungry bellies.
The meal was less about our Gumbo and Crawfish Etouffee, and much more about the SAUCE! Literally any kind of Tabasco you could ask for and we tried them all. My favorites were the Roasted Tabasco and Raspberry Chipotle. Ryan’s favorites were the Scorpion, Habanero, and Family Reserve, a special sauce that made from peppers grown on Avery Island and aged for 8 years in oak barrels! Wowza!
We took a great tour of their facility and learned a lot about the history of Tabasco. I must admit I am now much more interested in adding the sauce to my meals. It’s a pretty amazing story they have to tell and a visit is highly recommended.
We topped off our stay with Tabasco ice cream and soda (seriously delicious). After much deliberation, we left with armed with a bottle of their hottest sauce, Scorpion.
This hot sauce is a blend of Tabasco, scorpion peppers, guava, and pineapple. It’s hot but dang it’s good.
Here are some photos of our journey with Tabasco 😊
Our spirits were high as we left to meet our “24k Cajun” warmshowers hosts, Will and Kathy Guidry, who had Jambalia and yes, warm showers, waiting for us in New Iberia, Louisiana.
We had a lovely evening hearing their stories and enjoying their lively energy. Oh and the food. So good. Homemade Jambalia, green beans, sweet potatoes, and dessert. Thank you Will and Kathy SO much for taking great care of us and sharing your cute little cabin for the night. We have really enjoyed meeting and staying with you and meeting your sweet dog Jolie 😊
We were also clued in on some Cajun history. Turns out their ancestors had a pretty crazy past!
First settling in Canada and mingling peacefully with the indigenous people, their French ancestors thought they had it made. However, over a decade after their settlement overseas, England beat France in war and claimed Canada as their own. They sent the settlers back to a France on the brink of revolution. Thankfully the Catholic Church took these displaced people in for around 20 years before the Spanish and French governments got to talking about the new world.
Spain owned a lot of land in the New World but due to inhospitable climate (AKA Louisiana in the summertime) they were having trouble with getting people to settle there. They gave France multiple ships to send the original Canadian settlers into the Spanish, Catholic Bayous in Louisiana.
This is the Cajun Jerusalem. We’re never leaving.
Will Guidry
The culture here is so diverse and has a rich background that makes it what it is today. I was amazed to hear that Kathy, who’s first language was French, had an American father who could only spoke French until first grade!
They said the thick growth and swampy lands made Southern Louisiana a difficult spot to penetrate and thus left a relatively untouched pocket where culture could grow separate from the rest of the USA.
What a cool piece of history to learn and make us appreciate this beautiful area even more.
Route info for interested readers:
We used the 182 and 90 service roads to make our way over to Avery Island. You can go through New Iberia or bypass it on the 90 service roads, and either way turn left onto 329 straight into the factory.
There and Back Again 