Updated: Taking a Budget Road Trip, Part 1: The Basics

On June 21, 2011, I published Part 1 of my Take a Road Trip series.

Update: With my definition of a road trip as three or more overnight stops, there's nothing in the original publication I would change.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Taking a Budget Road Trip: Part 1: The Basics

What is a "road trip"?

I define "road trip" to mean:

A trip one takes in a personal motor vehicle that includes:

• Overnight stops in three or more locations; and
• Considerable driving distance between the overnight stops. 

I leave the definition of "considerable" to the driver. For some, considerable might mean two hours; to others, it might mean eight.

2006 road trip to Nova Scotia: Camp Meade, Vermont

What is a "budget trip"? 

Definition: A trip that I can afford.

Afford means I have the money on hand, and its not from my emergency or long-term savings accounts. It's OK if I need to charge some trip expenses, but only if I know I'll be able to pay the charges in full after I return from the trip.


These are what consume a road trip budget:

• Lodging
• Gasoline
• Restaurants
• Alcohol consumption, if any
• Admissions and activity fees

Below are general tips I follow to manage my road trip budget:  

• Use lodging that costs $70 or less per night, though I always strive for $50. 
• Eat in a restaurant only once per day, occasionally twice. Go picnic-style for my other meals. 
• In a restaurant, drink water instead of soda, iced tea, or alcohol.
• Bring my own alcohol, if any.
• Avoid souvenir purchases.
• Choose and ration my splurge activities carefully.
• Choose my travel partners carefully. By this I mean: Select a travel partner whose definition of "budget" is similar to mine. 

I'll talk about some of the above in more detail, later.

2006 road trip to Nova Scotia: Cape Breton bakery

Opelousas: Square Coffee

Java Square Cafe, Opelousas, Louisiana.

Opelousas has a very pretty historic district that is both north and south of I90. The courthouse square is at its center.

Java Square Cafe, Opelousas, Louisiana.

The earthy-toned Java Square Cafe, which was a bank long ago, looks across 190 to the square.

People often ask me, "Why'd you move to Opelousas?" One reason is that it is gosh-darn pretty.

Lafayette: Parc Sans Souci: A New Icon in Town

Lafayette public art, Parc Sans Souci, Louisiana. March 2015.

It was an immediate hit! I first saw it in March when it was pink and pristine, before a breast cancer awareness event.

Lafayette public art, Parc Sans Souci, Louisiana. March 2015.

The next time I visited, following the event, I saw that hundreds of people had inscribed it with testaments to loved ones alive and gone.

Lafayette public art, Parc Sans Souci, Louisiana. March 2015.

 The oversize letters, spelling L A F A _ E T T E, invited children to climb over their angles, and for folks to fill in as the missing Y. Genius design!

By May, the piece was painted blue.

Lafayette public art, Parc Sans Souci, Louisiana. May 2015.

The interplay between people and this sculpture - a joyful public art.  

Lafayette public art, Parc Sans Souci, Louisiana. May 2015.

An update: October 2015

Lafayette public art, Parc Sans Souci, Louisiana. October 2015.

Lafayette: Franco Fun Debut

Franco Fun at  Cite des Artes, Lafayette, Louisiana. May 2015.

Music and other creative arts are so damn accessible in South Louisiana. It will be one of the many things I'll miss when I move on to my next temporary home. 

In most other parts of the US, one must make arrangements to go listen to music or go dancing or view art. It requires a special effort. But in South Louisiana, such endeavors are a part of the weekly rhythm of the life here. You can go dancing on a Saturday morning, a Saturday afternoon, a Saturday late-afternoon, a Saturday night, a Sunday afternoon, a Sunday night, in early evenings on several days of the week in the spring and fall, and of course, late at night at the bars. Got kids? You can take 'em to most places. 

Franco Fun at  Cite des Artes, Lafayette, Louisiana. May 2015.

It was special to spend a Wednesday evening as an appreciative audience member of Franco Fun, a choral group comprised of French immersion teachers in Lafayette.

Franco Fun at  Cite des Artes, Lafayette, Louisiana. May 2015.

I will miss all this, indeed.

Loreauville, Louisiana: Clifton Chenier Club

In front-ish: Paul Wiltz, Corey Ledet, Lynn August, Lil Buck Sinegal. Clifton Chenier Club, June 2015.

Anytime I see something related to Loreauville, Louisiana, I feel a little peak of curious energy. The name "Loreauville" is associated in my brain with three things that don't necessarily make rational sense, but the brain does what it does:

1. The word "lurid;" 
2. Dave Robicheaux' references to the Loreauville area as an example of great wealth alongside wide and deep poverty; and
3. The name of a Florida village in an apocalyptic classic, Alas, Babylon, called Pistolville, a marginalized community of Canary Island descendants, kept at arm's length from the Anglo community. (BTW, here is a mini-doc on Canary Island descendants in Louisiana, and here an article.)

Clifton Chenier Club, Loreauville, Louisiana.

The Clifton Chenier Club is outside Loreauville, and the owner (a nephew of Clifton Chenier) was hosting his annual Clifton Chenier Birthday event. I so love how this cavernous club is smack among sugar cane fields. There's a mammoth barbecue alongside:

Clifton Chenier Club, Loreauville, Louisiana.

Mr. Chenier greets you when you walk in:

Clifton Chenier Club, Loreauville, Louisiana.

And looks appreciatively upon all the goings-on within:

Clifton Chenier Club, Loreauville, Louisiana.

Hahahaha, this reminds me of the Fiesta de San Francisco de Paula in Tularosa, New Mexico, when the parishioners carried St. Francis out to the pavilion so he could view the dancing also:

San Francisco de Paula, Tularosa, New Mexico. 

Sadly, there weren't many people who attended the Clifton Chenier Birthday event, possibly because it was on a Saturday afternoon only, plus the admission fee? I don't know. But the music was grand, with many of the musicians having been performers for decades, and a lot of them who played with Mr. Chenier back in the day.

2015 Clifton Chenier Birthday poster. Credit: Clifton Chenier Club.

It's tempting to take some of the musicians in South Louisiana for granted - so easy to forget they travel around the globe, preaching the gospel of zydeco and Cajun / Creole music and culture.

A friend of mine who lives in Toronto had the good fortune to hear zydeco for the first time recently and she used the best word to describe the experience: "infectious."

A slide show of the Clifton Chenier Birthday below:

There were other performers at the event, but I'm practicing with a new (to me) camera, and any other photos I took were miserable.

The club interior is low-lit and cozy even though it's huge. The stage, with its backdrop of Mr. Chenier and jewel-tone purples, golds, and emeralds, glitters. An assemblage of tables and chairs that are reminiscent of church basement halls across the US.  Ample dance floor.

No diet soda, though. I ran into a similar situation at the International Rice Festival in Crowley last year - I could not find a diet soda Any.Where. ... Oh wait, there was a moment in time, early on, apparently, when the vendors had Diet Dr. Pepper. I'd as soon drink from the Bayou Teche.

Opelousas: Outside My Window #6

It was the tree outside my front window that sealed the deal for me in my Opelousas apartment.

Opelousas, Louisiana. April 2015.

But the trees outside my bedroom window are just as compelling. I like to lay in my bed and do nothing but look at the branches and leaves outside. Sometimes I see wildlife. I often hear mockingbirds.

It is a luxury.

Opelousas: Stories in a Cemetery

Myrtle Grove Cemetery, Opelousas, Louisiana.

Myrtle Grove Cemetery in Opelousas is right across the street from the "Old Village" - Vieux Village - which is also the site for the Music & Market series in the spring and fall. Which means you can listen to music while you saunter over to the cemetery.

Myrtle Grove Cemetery, Opelousas, Louisiana.

What is the story here? The clothes look fresh and clean. Where is their owner? What is he wearing now?

Myrtle Grove Cemetery, Opelousas, Louisiana.

This story we already know. Empty bottle, empty dreams. I see several homeless men who frequent this area. I always wonder what they thought about, dreamed about, when they were eight-year-old boys, and what happened on their way to being the husks of men they are today.

Myrtle Grove Cemetery, Opelousas, Louisiana.

What ungodly creature lives in this house - the cemetery hosts a colony:

Myrtle Grove Cemetery, Opelousas, Louisiana.

A hint: They are edible.

Myrtle Grove Cemetery, Opelousas, Louisiana.

Elton, Louisiana: On My Way to the Powwow: Liberty Cemetery

Liberty Cemetery, near Elton, Louisiana

I'm on 190 going west, on the way to the Coushatta Powwow in Kinder, Louisiana. I've just left the weekly Saturday jam at the Savoy Music Center, and I've checked out the roseate spoonbills and taken a first glance at the village of Elton.

I see a large sign pointing to a road on the left, Liberty Cemetery Board. I drive up a-ways, turn around, and go check it out.

The first things that grab my attention are the fence around the cemetery property entire, then the fence around the garden of graves, and then the Puritan meetinghouse-esque chapel.

Liberty Cemetery, near Elton, Louisiana

My rational, mature brain feels soothed by the serene plainness of the chapel within and without.

But it is my irrational, Flat Earth brain that enters, half-way expecting to startle a psychopath camping out in a dusty corner. Or slavering dogs.

Liberty Cemetery, near Elton, Louisiana

The pews are marked with family names and memorials.

Liberty Cemetery, near Elton, Louisiana

There is an empty altar. I do not inspect it for sacrificial blood.

Liberty Cemetery, near Elton, Louisiana

Two small rooms flank each side of the altar, perfect hidey-holes for aforementioned, imaginary madman to lunge out at an unsuspecting visitor.

Liberty Cemetery, near Elton, Louisiana

The best I can tell, there's no electric power in this building. I imagine the window shutters are opened during memorial services, letting in natural light. If anything happens here at night, it's probably best not to know.

Liberty Cemetery, near Elton, Louisiana

The angel is androgynous. I like that.

There is some word that Liberty Cemetery is haunted. From another site, there's this story from "Greg:"

You can ask anyone that lives in the town of Elton if you sincerely want to see a ghost or something they will tell you without a doubt that you can go any night to Liberty Cemetary. I have been 5 maybe 6 times with friends and each time it only took minutes to notice that something was not right with this place you feel something in the air something that feels like its watching you and that you should not be there. I've heard of stories of people being chased down the road on foot from something screaming at them and their car not wanting to start; even stories about a little girl that sits on her grave every night waiting for her mother to come visit her but she never goes!!! I on the other hand have only heard voices giggles and laughs of children. Ohhh!!! Yeah, I almost forgot; there is a church on the far end of the cemetary that is extremely old that it has been closed down for probly 50 years or so. But... well to tell you the truth I haven't even heard of anyone even getting close to the church because they dont make it but maybe a few yards inside the cemetery without being freaked out by something.... Don't believe me? pshhhh.. try it yourself.

Elton, Louisiana: On My Way to the Powwow: A First Look at a Cultural Intersection

Not the usual mural in Acadiana. Elton, Louisiana, showing its Indian heritage. The hills must be an example of artistic license. June 2015.

A cultural informant told me about Elton.

A jailhouse, a train, a white picket fence, and a red something that holds something. Elton, Louisiana. June 2015.

Elton is a village on 190 between Eunice and Kinder. Which may not help most people much in visualizing its location. So let's say it's about two hours west of Baton Rouge. And it's east of ........well, hell, you'd have to go a really long way west to make it east of something most of us would recognize. So let's come at it from another direction - it's about an hour northwest of Lafayette.

Elton, Louisiana. June 2015.

Population about 1200.

Elton, Louisiana. June 2015.

My cultural informant told me that, at one time, Elton was a tiny confluence of Indian, Creole, and Cajun tribes. Even today, he said, you might find it difficult to completely follow a conversation amongst old-timey locals because of the rich, intermingled dialects. 

Elton, Louisiana. June 2015.

So when I decided to go to the Coushatta Powwow, it was a happy surprise to see that Elton was on my way there. I'd already stopped to visit the Savoy Music Jam and gawk at roseate spoonbills. The wet drizzle kept me in my car, but I saw enough to make me want to go back for a drier look-see in the future.

A train blew through while I pondered the meaning of the jailhouse and the red storage structure in the city park. Surrounded by a white picket fence.

Very nice.

Here is a bit of history on the Coushatta Tribe, which has a base on the edge of Elton. There are a couple of stories at this website, but for me, anyway, the recordings were too choppy to listen to. Don't know if the issue is on my end or the server end. There is more historical information about the Coushattas at KnowLA (Encyclopedia of Louisiana).

Elton, Louisiana: On My Way to the Powwow: A Glory of Pink Spoonbills

Roseate spoonbills, Elton, Louisiana. June 2015.

I was on my way to the Coushatta Powwow in Kinder, Louisiana. I'd already stopped for a look-see at the Savoy Saturday Cajun Jam, and despite the drizzle, I was feeling good, and things just got better when I spied - holy moly! - roseate spoonbills trolling for crawfish right before my eyes!

Roseate spoonbills, Elton, Louisiana. June 2015.

As a detached observer, I get to appreciate the birds' pink beauty and grace, while farmers who raise the crawfish in their commercial ponds might view the birds as thieves. There were other partners in crimes present, as well:

Roseate spoonbills, Elton, Louisiana. June 2015.

Roseate spoonbills derive their pink color from the crawfish shells they consume.

Roseate spoonbills, Elton, Louisiana. June 2015.

I love that we will soon have a new postcard-stamp series with birds, including the spoonbills:

June 2015 release of USPS postcard stamps, coastal birds. Credit: USPS

Here's one of two videos I took of the spoonbills feeding:

Both videos become annoyingly jerky in movement, and not in that artistic cinema-verité way. But the first 10-15 seconds give you a terrific glimpse into the activity.

What a treat for me to see these birds alongside the road!

Eunice, Louisiana: On the Way to the Powwow: Savoy Music Jam

Cajun jam and Savoy Music Center, Eunice, Louisiana.

On my list of South Louisiana things to do before I leave was a visit to the Saturday Cajun jam at the Savoy Music Center. 

Cajun jam and Savoy Music Center, Eunice, Louisiana.

I like how it's in a prosaic space, surrounded by inventory on shelves, in boxes, kind of dusty, like places with lots of shelves and boxes often are. On the sales counter, visitors place boxes of donuts, cracklins, etc. to share. There's a pot of coffee with the usual cups and fixin's, and a donation jar for said goods.

The morning I went, there were locals plus two women from Paris and a family from Atlanta, Georgia. I'm sure there were folks of other provenence as well.

Below is one of the videos I took. The man seated on my left, in the audience, played the triangle. The woman in blue in the jam circle is from Atlanta.

I like the respect shown both Cajun and Creole music here, as evidenced by t-shirts and CDs for sale.

There's a sign on a wall that says, basically, "Hey! Let the elders get the performance time first and then you yowwens can have a turn."

Cajun jam and Savoy Music Center, Eunice, Louisiana.

Vehicles park alongside the busy 190 and walk into the Music Center driveway to enter the building.

Many songs are in French; the triangle-playing man next to me chatted in French with the Parisians.

The Savoy Music Center is owned by the Savoy family - a very musical family. Ah, and this gives me an excuse to play Wilson Savoy's foot-and-accordion performance in the 2014 Squeezebox Shootout in Jennings:

Is it possible to watch the video and not smile? I think not.

Wilson Savoy's band Pine Leaf Boys also figured in my video at the Courir de Mardi Gras at Vermilionville in 2014 below:

So happy I was able to be at Vermilionville's courir de Mardi Gras.

Kinder, Louisiana: Coushatta Powwow 2015

Coushatta Powwow 2015, Kinder, Louisiana.

The sounds of the Coushatta Powwow were a beauteous retreat from my usual rich supra of Cajun and Zydeco beats. Many drum groups there, with the songs reverberating through my bones.

Coushatta Powwow 2015, Kinder, Louisiana.

The Coushatta Powwow raised good memories of my year in New Mexico. Hey, here's an excuse to share again my video of Red Bear Drum Group at Jemez Springs Heritage Site for the Pueblo Independence Day 2013:

The Coushatta Powwow takes place in the pavilion at Coushatta Casino campus. The pavilion also serves as a rodeo site and there is a nearby stable. The sounds from the pavilion also pipe into the stable. It is very eerie - an entirely empty, cavernous stable that resounds with drum songs:

OK, now listen to this. The MC - on several occasions - when women dancers had finished, I swear to God, said "you can return to your husbands." Sheesh. Maybe it's an inside cultural joke? One hopes.

The powwow was in a good venue. Spacious. Air-conditioned. Excellent sound system. Interesting things being sold. A variety of foodstuffs. Very economical entrance fee - five bucks! 

I did miss seeing the gourd dance, and I've come to like that solemnity of that dance very much.

Below is a slide show:

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Delcambre, Louisiana: A Second Look

Delcambre, Louisiana. God's Acre Cemetery.

It was hot the first time I went to Delcambre and hot the second time, too. By the way, you pronounce it "delkum" to rhyme with "welcome." Unless you're talking to OK Google, and then you may have to call it "del kamber."

Delcambre, Louisiana. God's Acre Cemetery.

When I ventured out for this second look at Delcambre, I figured I'd be taking pics of the houses of different architectural design - up on stilts.

Delcambre, Louisiana. God's Acre Cemetery.

But as you can see, I spent considerable time in the Catholic cemetery, called God's Acre.

The church was open, and its cool darkness refreshed after being out in the cemetery's hot sun. It was also cheering to see my friend from New Mexico, Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Delcambre, Louisiana. 

There were boats, of course. And fishery-type buildings. A slide show below, which also includes photos from 2014's Delcambre Shrimp Festival:

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