Our destination for the day was Metarie, just five miles or so outside of New Orleans. We met Larry in Nebraska while running one of our 50 state marathons. We again met in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware and have kept track of each other on Facebook ever since.
When he found out we’d be riding through New Orleans he reached out and invited us to stay with him. Honestly, it didn’t take much convincing, even though it was five miles off route on Lake Pontchartrain. We couldn’t wait to reconnect with our fellow 50 state marathoner bud.
Lake Pontchartrain is… well, it’s huge. And impressive. When riding up over the levee and getting a first glimpse, especially on a bike, it’s unforgettable.
After ensuring our bikes were secured, Larry’s primary concern was seeing to it that we didn’t get out of Louisiana without eating fresh boiled crawfish. Soooo… he presented us with 10 pounds of crawfish and quickly gave us an inservice on how to eat them. The main conundrum? To suck or not to suck the head end once the critter is torn in two. Watch the vid to find out. #NoSpoilerHere
We had a grand time sitting on the balcony of Larry’s condo overlooking Lake Pontchartain, eating crawfish and catching up.
Just when we thought we’d had enough, he cooked up some etouffee. I’m telling you; he knows his way around the kitchen. Our stomachs were full, our hearts warmed and our lips were on fire but we were happy.
We got to taking about the route we took to get to Metarie and Larry said, “Oh Cancer Alley?” What? And then it clicked. I remembered Mike and Sue mentioning the same in their blog. Apparently the 85 mile stretch along the river between Baton Route and New Orleans (the stretch we’ve enjoying so much the last couple days) contains over 200 refineries and petrochemical plants and accounts for 25% of the petrochemical production in the United States. I didn’t count them as I passed them but I’ve never seen so many refineries and such.
But back to Larry… we can’t think of a better way to leave Louisiana than spending time with this man who lives large in his Catholic faith and exemplifies the kindness we have met in Louisiana.
Watch out Mississippi… here we come!
Click on the image below to view more pics and vids:
Keep Calm and Pedal On 
I love that you embrace and live your Catholic faith. Great example to others, and you aren’t afraid to be up front with it. Christ is my rock. He is my salvation. Thanks for including me in that message. Now I need to put crayfish on my list. You two really know how to do it.
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Honestly we didn’t know anything about 🦞 – that was ALLL Larry. Thank goodness I didn’t have to watch the little critters get cooked alive. 😬
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Ah yes… cancer alley!
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div dir=”ltr”>Sent from somewhere wonderful
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Louisiana is a state that poses many questions for me. 🧐
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When we are in NOLA, we stay with our friends, the ones from VP and Bunkie, who also live in Metairie. Ann and I walk to the Lake when we do our walking trails. I know what you mean when you see it! But I also know what Larry meant by cancer alley. It’s one of the reasons we moved back to the Midwest, Nebraska to be exact! Hope you loved the crawfish! I e been dreaming about biking trips…bizarre ones! I’ll share when you’re back home!
Safe pedaling 🙏 what do you do when it rains?
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We keep riding when it rains (unless there is lightning) or it’s really bad rain. We haven’t had rain yet! I’m sure that is going to change soon tho. You know how Florida gets their afternoon showers. 😉
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Jackson wants to know if you have enough clothes with you. What if it rains and you get all wet? Brody wants to know if you have a friend in every state?
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Great questions and we will answer those soon! 😊😊
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Look forward every day to your comments and pictures. Holding down the fort on N. Ewing👍🇺🇸
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Thanks Mr. Mayor! Knowing that we can ride easy. 🚴🏼♂️🚴🏼♀️
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