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Once departing the New Orleans area and the Huey P. Long Bridge, we begin to venture westward. The first station stop is Shreiver, a quick stop than moving onward.
THe journey starts taking us through the bayou country of Louisiana, and my old oilfield stomping grounds. We arrive in Morgan City where drilling platforms and
drill barges are built and repaired right along the river. Highway US-90 separates us from the Atchafalaya River, and it is a road I am very familiar with.
We cross the Atchafalaya River at Berwick and continue west until we have a bit of excitement. The engineer puts the train into emergency....basically, he slammed on the brakes to prevent hitting a Jeep rushing across un un-protected private crossing, missing the Jeep by meer feet. We now have to sit while the train crew walks the train to make sure no damage was done. We smell the odor of burning brakes. After a 20 minute stop, we negin moving again. We now come to New Iberia, a town where I spent many days, and the home of McIlhenny family's famous Tobasco brand hot sauce. It is locate on Avery Island (Click to view a short video...[2:04]) just outside of New Iberia. Then on to Lafayette, passing the airport on Hwy 90 and then a station stop. |
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After leaving the rail yards in Lafayette, we travel west and pass through Rayne, LA which proclaims itself "Frog Capital of the World" and hosts the Frog Festival every year.
Venturing west we remain in Acadia Parish to Crowley home to the annual International Rice Festival. Crowley has the nickname of "Rice Capital of America", because at one time
it was a major center for rice harvesting and milling. In recent years, crawfish farming has become increasingly popular. Atill in Acadia Parish, we pass through Mermentau.
During the Civil War and the years immediately after it there were widespread reports of bushwhackers, robbers, and other fugitives hiding in the Mermentau woods and tales of
hidden treasures in the area.
Leaving Arcadia Parish, we pass through Jennings, LA. Founded as a railroad depot midway between the larger cities of Lafayette and Lake Charles, Jennings today celebrates Cajun heritage which thrives in local restaurants, music venues and festivals. Surprisingly, one crop that was very prevelant in the area is wheat. We continue through forested lowlands until we reach Lake Charles. Lake Charles (French: Lac Charles) is located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Founded in 1861 in Calcasieu Parish, it is a major industrial, cultural, and educational center in the southwest region of the state. The oil industry is very strong in the area. It is also the last major city before entering Texas. |
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We cross into Texas by crossing the Sabine River at Orange, TX, in Orange County, Texas and is the easternmost city in Texas. Founded in 1836, it is a deep-water port to the Gulf of Mexico.
Beaumont is located on the Neches River about 90 mi (140 km) east of Houston and 28 miles west of Orange. With the discovery of oil reserves in 1901 with the Spindletop gusher, the area rapidly
developed as one of the major petro-chemical refining areas in the country.
Continuing west, we arrive at Houston which was founded by land speculators on August 30, 1836. Currently, the most populous city in Texas, Houston's economy has a broad industrial base in energy, manufacturing, aeronautics, and transportation. Leading in healthcare sectors and building oilfield equipment, Houston has the second most Fortune 500 headquarters of any U.S. municipality within its city limits. The Port of Houston ranks first in the United States in international waterborne tonnage handled and second in total cargo tonnage handled. Nicknamed the "Space City", Houston is home to NASA's Manned Spaceflight Center and the primary mission contorl center for manned operations. Proceeding on 195 miles west into darkness, a late night arrival at San Antonio, we pick up two cars from teh Southboard Texas Eagle, a coach and a sleeper car, which continues on to Los Angeles. The city contains five 18th-century Spanish frontier missions, including the famous Alamo. The area also encompasses several military locations and facilities. Here, we terminate our first say on the Sunset Limited. |
