[Paddlewise] Louisiana Bayou Teche Paddle Trip Report

Bayou Teche Sugar Mill Paddle in Jeanerette, LA . June 4-7, 2004

Pictures of Trip: 99 photos by Winnie at
http://community.webshots.com/album/150591817YHKZWY

13 photos by Ken at http://community.webshots.com/album/150514874FBJNrf

Only 4 days, but by far the most fun, intense, variety-filled, colorful,
food-filled and service-rendered paddle I have ever taken and enjoyed! We
three from Corpus Christi were off to paddle the Saturday-Sunday 64 mile
"Sugar Mill Paddle" on the Bayou Teche from the Belmont Campgrounds on Highway
31 at Highway 86 in New Iberia, down the bayou through Jeanerette to Franklin.
This was sponsored by the Jeanerette Chamber of Commerce in connection with
their in conjunction with the fifth annual Jambalaya Fete and cook off
competition.

Winnie Shrum, Janet Sharp, and I left Corpus Christi, TX at 8am Friday morning
with my Tabasco Double and Winnie's Slipstream Single on the trailer, and our
car packed for 4 full days of fun. 480 miles and 8 hours later, we pulled into
Donovan Garcia's driveway in Jeanerette, LA. His 4-generation home is situated
right on the Bayou Teche in one of the most beautiful garden settings I have
experienced. Too nice a day to wait for them to get home from work.so we
launched from their front yard to do our first paddle on the Bayou Teche.
Fantastic homes, huge Live Oak trees, Cypress trees, and beautiful sky. About
6:30pm we returned to meet our hosts, who were both run a little ragged caring
for the 65 or so paddlers that were scheduled to take part in the Sugar Mill
Paddle.

Dressed for dinner (shorts, shirts, sandals) to go to Landry's "all you can
eat" Crawfish Boil. Fantastic cajun food, and it was indeed all you could eat.
The seasoned Cajuns at our table ate at least 2 full plastic buffet trays
mounded with bright read crawfish. Our sides were aching from the full tummies
and the constant laughter at the colorful cajun stories bouncing around the
table. The Garcia's graciously take in distant kayakers just like they take in
their stray homeless dogs, so we had 7 sleeping over at the Garcia home and
pool house that night. We had planned to camp out at the Town Park but
everything was very wet with all the rain they recently had.

Saturday morning we were off in a 45 car police escorted convoy of assorted
cars with kayaks on top or behind, driving from the meeting place at New
Iberia's Walmart Parking lot to the put-in at the Breaux Brothers Enterprises
shipyard located on...you guessed it..the Bayou Teche. This was a few miles
short of the Belmount Camp Ground launch, so our first day's paddle was about
25 miles down to Jeanerette City Park. Services rendered? In addition to the
police excort for our kayak/car travel, we had a truck-mounted mobile
Port-a-Potty at every bridge along the paddle for those so inclined. At each
bridge they had ice cold water bottles to drop in our kayaks. At our lunch
stop we had hot dogs and cajun chili from the town chili cook off, fruit, and
drinks provided by Jeanerette. About 20 minues before our take out at
Jeanerette Town Park, it began raining (hard) but the paddle had been so much
fun all day that it didn't matter. Drove home, dressed for dinner (shorts,
shirts, sandals) and enjoyed the Jeanerette town red-beans, seafood and rice
at the Town Park. Great cajun band played through dinner, and they had a
"Womanless" competition that night where all the tatooed men in competed to be
the best simulated woman. Needless to say, there is nothing like the
original.

Sunday morning we launced from the Jeanerette town park and paddled down the
bayou to the Baldwin Boat Landing just this side of Franklin. At our lunch
stop we were served fantastic Shrimp and Lobster Jambalaya (many different
varities) with fruit and drinks. After lunch we were paddling against a heavy
wind for the last half of the paddle, and there were no paddlers who wanted to
finish the paddle to the Calumet Locks in Franklin.

The Bayou Paddle offered great sights, history, and experiences. Lots of
beautiful homes, old mansion plantations, bridges, birds, barges, tugs, shrimp
boats, houseboats, and sugar cane mills enroute. Trees, lawns, and landscaping
were beautiful lush green, and the big old Live Oak trees were covered with
ferns and handing Spanish Moss. One of the most beautiful Live Oak trees was
in Donovan's front yard, with a low handing branch where he proposed to his
wife many years ago.

This will be an annual event for Jeanerette, and one that we will eagerly look
forward to attending again.
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