Lafayette. February 1

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We are two months into our trip. Another two to go!

Today was another explore day. We decided to go to the Tobasco factory.
The factory is on Avery Island which is owned by Tobasco which is still controlled by the McIlhenny family. The founder and inventor was Edmund McIlhenny in 1868.
Back in the day the peppers were grown on the island and the salt was mined on the island.
Avery Island isn't an island by the usual definition.  Its is a salt dome. The salt dome grows bigger and eventually is cover with soil. This makes it higher then the land surrounding it. Making it an Island surrounded by swamp. 
Fun fact: there is to this day factory housing for employees on the island. Some have been lived in by several generations of the same family.

Edmounds son Edward created a garden on the island. A very large garden. Which is called Jungle Gardens.There are no flower beds. It's all trees and bushes. Many kinds of bamboo, azaleas and big oak trees covered in spanish moss.
It is also a bird sanctuary with thousand of snowy egrets returning in the spring.
Some stay for the winter it seems.
Mind you it might just be spring here.
The magnolias think so.
AND


There are three lagoons with aligators some coming from farms. And all I saw were more signs.
                              🙁

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