Oberlin, LA - Day #2

For dinner last evening, we went to the Crawfish Shack. It was about the only restaurant that was open, so we thought we would try it out and pass on the crawfish. We each had catfish that tasted quite "fishy." They were pretty good, but we had to get past the fishiness. It seemed like everyone around us was buying huge plates of crawfish for their dinner. The Shack was a rather nice restaurant in a town where most—or at least many—of the downtown stores were closed or in serious decay. There seems to be nothing in this town. It is basically a few stores and the parish courthouse. I have a theory, which I will share later.

We pulled into Oberlin yesterday and figured today would be another zero day. As I had mentioned, we were expecting a package to be delivered here on Thursday, but it had not yet arrived. Friday bore the same news. The guy at the post office told me to stop by this morning to see if it had come in overnight. It had not. We also decided to zero things out for the day because a pretty big rain system was coming through, and rain was expected most of the day. It just seemed like a great day to stay here. Had we known the package would not have arrived—and that it wouldn’t rain at all yesterday—I probably would have added another 30 miles to yesterday's ride. But, "If wishes were fishes, we'd all swim in riches!" Instead, we woke up and spent time making coffee.

We are still in the park, and when we looked out the window, we saw a man sitting in the small pavilion located not too far from our PLUM. I made the coffee and was going to take a cup to him, sit down, and see if he was up for a chat. But just before I was finished, he got up and left the park. I guess it was not meant to be.

After our coffee, we headed up to the post office to get the latest on the package and then decided we would look for a place to eat breakfast. It is true that we could have easily eaten in the vehicle, but we also wanted to get out into the local community as much as possible—and what better way than to find a breakfast joint and listen to the local gossip? We thought there was one on one of the main streets of this little town. But when we got there, it looked like it had been closed for quite a while. There was no obvious café we could frequent.

We stopped at one of the local gas stations and asked if there was a restaurant where we might be able to get some breakfast. The gentleman said that the Crawfish Shack served breakfast, but it was expensive and not very good. He then recommended a food place inside one of the other local gas stations. Then he repeated that the Shack just wasn’t very good. He almost had a sneer on his face when he said it. I thanked him for his time and kindness, and we headed out to find breakfast.

We walked into the gas station, and indeed, there was some hot food. It was in the typical hot station found in most convenience stores. We bought two boudin balls, two sweet honey buns, and one bacon-and-egg sandwich. As we left, we looked at each other and wondered how this could be the best breakfast in town. The boudin balls and the buns were actually quite delicious, but the sandwich was barely "sellable."

How is it that there is absolutely nothing in this town, save for a Crawfish Shack? Here is my theory: When I got to the post office on Friday, I asked the employee if they knew where we might be able to park overnight here in town. She said we should check with Matt, the owner of the Crawfish Shack. He is well connected in town and is also connected with the Sheriff's office. That Matt has the only gig in a town that has nothing and is the "well-connected" dude. My theory is that he runs this town and squelches anything that could possibly be competition for him. I have seen people like him and how much opportunity is lost to make their community a better place. The town has a nice park and a nice "Shack," and that’s the end of my list. Sad and depressing town.

We drove six miles south to a casino, hoping to win a million dollars with the slots. Since we didn’t play, we also didn’t seem to win anything. Then we drove several miles more, found a laundromat, and washed our clothes while we didn’t have anything else to do.

We are at the end of the rain system and are hoping to head out in the morning. We are still trying to arrange how we will be getting the package. They can always forward it ahead of us, and we hope we make the connections.

It is time to get back on the road.

Peace to all!

ADDENDUM: We were hunkering down in the PLUM as the rain was ending and beginning again several times, when a white pickup pulled up right in front of us. A man got out of the truck with several black plastic bags. Our first thought was “crap we’re getting kicked out of the park.” I opened the door and he asked if we needed something to eat. He had just come from a funeral and they had left overs. The to go box was full; bbq chicken, rice with tuna and a slight bite, baked beans, potato salad, and a chocolate chip cookie. I repent! This town is full of good people who are generous and kind. Maybe we are guilty of defining towns, and people by what is on the surface. Jason was super nice and thoughtful. He mentioned he had seen the vehicle and then when he was coming back from the funeral thought we might be hungry. Sometimes these moments give me hope for a really messed up world. We were truly blessed. We didn’t need the food, although it was delicious. We did need to be reminded of the good found in people surrounded by struggles and difficulties. That was definitely the highlight of our stay in Oberlin. I’m glad we landed here!もっと詳しく