Bayou Teche / Lake Martin
Breaux Bridge, LA
March 27, 2015
by Terri Morgan

Sixteen of us converged on Breaux Bridge, Louisiana for a long weekend of paddling, camaraderie and all the crawfish we could handle.

Friday evening during dinner, we were serenaded by some local musicians who came to play for us and play they did. We all had a good time, eating, visiting and relaxing as the stress of life evaporated from our souls.

Saturday morning began with a wonderful breakfast in a quaint little restaurant and Cajun music provided by Chez Jacqueline. Who could sit still with the good ‘ol Cajun music at 8:00 am? We were dancing in the aisles. I had ordered Couche Couche, (pronounced Coosh Coosh) a Cajun breakfast delicacy, similar to crumpled cornbread and best served with sweet milk and warm cane syrup. It did not disappoint. After we stuffed ourselves, we made our way down to Bayou Teche where we found a monument that told of how the area came to be. Please see the photo page as I took a picture of the monument that tells the interesting story.

	Bayou Teche

We had a long way to go (ten miles) before we stopped for lunch. Along the way we saw numerous huge oaks covered in moss, knotty oak trees and one tree that had grown perpendicular to the dirt bank. The roots had grown straight down from the base of the tree, creating support, propping up the tree as the dirt was at an angle. One could walk under the tree, standing upright. We were going to get a group picture after the paddle but time did not permit. Another strange sighting was bicycles hanging from two large oak trees. We could not figure out if this was art or some type of river lore. Or voodoo. There were other interesting sights along the bayou; an old canal used by the confederates during the civil war, a General’s burial plot and various snakes. We finally stopped for lunch at Pioche’s as the paddle was straight through. I had lunch under a tree canopy where the breeze was cool and the air fragrant.

I cried at the thought of getting back in the kayak to continue another 6 miles. I could have quit as that was a chosen stopping point for those that did not want to continue but I was not about to stop now. We passed under I-10 and a couple other bridges, continuing on our way. There were some really big houses with lots of rockwork and obvious swimming pool built up above the bayou. We finally reached the take out and I thought my arms were going to fall off. The ladies stayed with the kayaks while the men went to get the vehicles. We stopped and picked up some crawfish and potatoes and headed back to the camp for the boil. Chris did another fine job cooking up the crawfish. There was banana pudding, brownies, salad, pasta salad and so much other food I can’t remember.

	Lake Martin

Sunday morning we were treated to eggs Commodore, potatoes, boudin and left over crawfish for breakfast. We paddled Lake Martin, which was right across the street from our lodging. This little lake was a host of activity and very picturesque. Herons were fishing, bees were buzzing, birds were eating and the alligators were huge! There was one alligator that appeared to have been injured or have a deformed jaw as his teeth/jaw were shifted to one side. There were duck blinds that you could paddle into, home-made fishing platforms and a host of activity. Unfortunately, we had to wrap it up and head home. It was another fabulous trip to the Cajun country with my fellow paddlers.

Photo Album: Here

The author, Terri Morgan