277 miles via I-10, I-12 (north of New Orleans) and US 98. We took a bit of a roundabout way getting from our hotel in Lafayette to I-10 and stopped for lunch in Port Allen LA. Cumulative miles: 1912.
This was an easy trip to navigate, but, like most of the other hops on TX1, was very long. We stopped for lunch at the Court Street Cafe in Port Allen, the place where we had a wonderful dinner on the way west. This time we had lunch: a bowl of gumbo for me and a humongous loaded baked potato for Ooma, both terrific. It was the largest baked potato I have ever seen – the size of a Nerf football.
Our original itinerary had us staying in Fairhope AL for two nights, guests of Ooma’s sister, Maggy, and her husband. Unfortunately, her sister came down with something – possibly the flu or a bad cold – the day before we were scheduled to arrive. So we cancelled our stay at their house. But I thought it would be a shame for Ooma to miss out on seeing her sister altogether so I suggested that we get a hotel for one night in Fairhope and drop by her sister’s house to surprise her with a socially-distanced visit. We did just that, to the great delight of Maggy. Ooma gifted her with some candies, tossing them to her from a safe distance. A strange visit, but one appreciated by both women.
We dined at the Fish River Grill, a Fairhope institution. I had “Oysters NOLA”, a fried oyster dish served on a bed of fried green tomatoes with a crawfish sauce. Delicious. Ooma had a salad and a shrimp cocktail.
Our one night in Lafayette was at the Holiday Inn Express. This was a fine hotel which featured, surprisingly, a full bar and restaurant. Ooma had a ribeye steak and I had a fried shrimp poboy. Both superb. We have been very fortunate on this trip with both the accommodations and the meals.