On the first trip, my friend Karen Marrero and I drove south on highway 44 to see the building of the bonfires along the levee for Papa Noel. We started the day with breakfast at the Cajun Village - open faced beignet and cafe au lait. We drove along the Mississippi along highway 44. We drove past Hymel's Restaurant. We have plans to go back to Hymel's next time.
We visited a few churches along the way. Unfortunately, it was raining so we were not able to talk to any of the builders of the bonfires but were able to take a few photos. On the return trip we drove back towards Baton Rouge on 18 past some of the big plantation houses, stopping only at Laura Plantation because of the rain.
On the levee, St. James Parish
St. Mary's Chapel on 44
Stained glass inside of St. Michael's at Vacherie
Chapel at St. Michael's
The Sunshine Bridge being painted and partially covered in December 2014
A little background from Wikipedia about the Sunshine Bridge:
During the "Bridge to Nowhere" controversy over the Alaskan Gravina Island Bridge which emerged in the 2008 United States Presidential Election, the Sunshine Bridge again entered parlance as having been itself a Bridge to Nowhere, recalling the fact that it had been named by Governor Jimmie Davis.[2] At time of construction it was the only bridge across the Mississippi between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, but for some time after its construction while awaiting funds to connect it to LA 70 and other roads, the south end of the bridge emptied into a swamp. During that time the term Sunshine Bridge entered satirical usage. The bridge had been "built under the administration of" Governor Davis, who had twice picked and sung his way into the Governor's Mansion with hits like "You Are My Sunshine" and whose horse, which he rode into the Governor's office at his second inaugural, was named Sunshine.
There is now another bridge over the Mississippi between the Sunshine Bridge and New Orleans, the Gramercy or Veterans Memorial Bridge.
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