You never know where or when you can find yourself chatting with someone who has a story to tell. That can be busy streets or (in our case) the winding bayous of south Louisiana.
On the border of Iberia and St. Mary Parish sits Lake Fausse Pointe State Park. Many of the trails are still closed from floods over the last several years, but the cabins and campgrounds are open and it’s because of that that we ran into Mike Meyers and Jodi Strong.
A couple from east Texas, they first visited the park several years ago, drawn in by the picturesque waterways and relaxed atmosphere. They talked about how peaceful the park could be, often having it practically to themselves. Lake Fausse serves them almost like a command headquarters. They can use it as a jumping off point to explore south Louisiana and even plan various trips into town. Although, don’t ask Mike to do any of that planning.
“I’m the worst person to plan anything, I don’t like it”, he said matter-of-factly.
The park is a good mix for the couple, between giving them a place to relax and a chance for spontaneous adventure. An adventurous spirit that isn’t just contained to the ground, Mike is an amateur pilot.
He’s had a fascination with flying but wasn’t able to start flying himself until fairly recently. So now he hopes to save up for a slightly bigger plane that he can use to hop around to different parts of the country.
For now, though, it’s Mike, Jodi, and their R.V. exploring the areas around the East Texas region seeing the scenes, meeting the people, and (of course) sampling the food. Crawfish is his favorite Louisiana delicacy but he loves it all and has had plenty of chances to sample as much of it as he can. They lamented just missing the Sugarcane Festival, but I doubt that this is their last trip down to the Pelican State.
It seemed almost cruel keeping them there for an interview on a day when the clouds had kept the temperatures respectable. After all, they had the park to themselves and we had barged in on their daily bike ride. So we wrapped up the interview and offered some suggestions for weekend activities. As he sent us to our next destination he left us with a little advice — to not take Louisiana for granted. To see the cypress and the alligators, the crawfish and red beans, not as everyday parts of life, but something special enough to bring people in from all over. Whether that be by plane, R.V. or otherwise.
