The temperature fell 40 degrees overnight and a cold north wind blew in. Brrr! Kammie suggested we explore the Rip Van Winkle Gardens and see Lake Peigneur. Sure! I passed by the sign for it on the way in to town and didn't quite know the history. The site is built atop one of the many salt domes dotting the southern Louisiana coast. The site is home to a colorful botanical garden and the 1870 home of actor Joseph Jefferson. Jefferson was most well known for his portrayal of Rip Van Winkle in the travelling play of Washington Irvine's American classic. The home and surrounding gardens were later purchased by the Bayless family and managed into a paradise of camellia and other various imported exotics. Since the 1990's peacocks roam wild in the trees and throughout the grounds, sometimes alerting with their unique and loud call. Lake Peigneur was most famously the site of an oil drill gone VERY bad when the salt mine below was accidentally punctured. As a result, this once 10ft deep freshwater lake was backfilled by the canal as a giant whirlpool began in the center. The devestating gyre swallowed up the drilling rig, barges, docks and many structures in the area. One of these structures was the Bayless' 8 month old home, the chimney of which still remains standing out of the lake surface.
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Mike SaundersIn May 2014 I quit my job to ride a Honda Ruckus over 69'000 mi and counting. Wild camping most nights and cooking most of my own meals, I keep the costs low and the landscape changing. Archives
April 2018
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