As we woke up around 7AM, Scott got in the jeep in his bathing suit and robe, with his towel, driving to the pool and looking forward to a hot tub soak.  He found the pool thoroughly locked and was quite disappointed.  He proceeded to use the deserted bath house for a shower, which was OK (nice hot water,) and went back to Khan for breakfast and emailing.

Our planned trip to the Avery Island Tabasco factory and museum wasn’t until the afternoon, so Scott checked the pool again around 10AM and found the maintenance people there opening the pool and hot tub.  They claimed that the hot tub was 104 degrees, so he went back to Khan, put on his suit, drove back, and had a reasonable soak (Although not at 104 degrees).  While there were two maintenance people, there were no campers anywhere.

We met Brad Clause and his mother (who just concluded a 35+ year career at McIlhenny Company, maker of Tabasco Sauce) at the factory on Avery Island near New Iberia, LA, an hour drive from Camp Margaritaville.  We got a very in-depth personal tour from Linda Clause, and learned a lot about the sauce, the company, the Island, and its history as Brad grew up on the island working and playing with the owners and their kids. Ask Brad if you want to know details – he wasn’t telling while his mom was earshot.

The island is now mainly used for the production factory, and to grow seeds that are distributed to several growing locations around the world.

In addition to the factory, the McIlhenny’s created a Jungle Garden and bird sanctuary on the island. The centerpiece of the garden is a Buddha reported to be from circa 1,100 AD. Also on the island is housing for employees (formerly housing for slaves) a post office, elementary school (no longer operating) and a deli / general store.

We also received very nice personalized Tabasco gifts, including a personalized bottle of Tabasco, signed by the president.

After dinner – flavored with a tiny bit of our new Tabasco stash – we are off to bed and preparing for tomorrow’s adventure in Katy, TX.