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Grand Isle, Louisiana is a town located on a barrier island, of the same name, in the Gulf of Mexico. It’s at the mouth of Barataria Bay, where it meets the Gulf. Grand Isle is part of Jefferson Parish which includes Metairie, a suburb of New Orleans. Metairie is also the place where we raised 3 of our kids, so it‘s needless to say that we have strong ties to the Gulf Coast. We have been following the events of the BP oil spill and in light of President Barack Obama’s recent visits to Grand Isle along with pictures of tar balls and oil coated pelicans, I’ve decided to share some of my recollections of this tiny resort community.
M and E play on the beach in Grand Isle, Louisiana 2001
Grand Isle is approximately 95 miles away from the metro area and only one road leads there. It makes for a long ride as it passes through small bayou towns of which aren’t particularly aesthetic in my opinion. I recently mentioned to my husband that I wasn’t thrilled about our trips over the years to Grand Isle. The beaches aren’t pristine and white like in Florida and my visions of basking in the sun on powdery white sand could never be realized at the beach in Grand Isle. He looked surprised and disappointed at my confession. He began reminiscing about the good times we have had there and I have to admit he’s right.
As newlyweds, we went to Grand Isle and slept in the car. It was summertime, hot, and I didn’t sleep a wink. I don’t remember if we couldn’t find a room or were just trying to be thrifty. David has a photographic memory, so I’m sure he’ll set me straight on this. I don’t remember much of anything else about that trip but here I am and no worse for the wear.
Another time we took a ride down there because we read a travel review that described a lovely grove of trees in the middle of town. I do believe the article was simple hyperbole with its description of the sounds of the surf and such. Let’s just call it dramatic license. As we all know “beauty is in the eyes of the beholder”. The writer had experienced a Grand Isle that I was unable to appreciate at the time. Because of that article, we discovered a neighborhood off the beaten path with a row of old oak trees. In retrospect, I’m glad we found it. I bet I’m one of the few visitors to Grand Isle aware of those trees. You see, people don’t go to Grand Isle to look for trees, they go to Grand Isle to fish.
You don’t need a boat to catch an ice chest full of fish at Grand Isle. All it takes is a pole, a little desire and a walk out onto the Grand Isle bridge. You don’t even need a lot of patience to reel in some really big ones. Unless you are Marlene and David, of course. It was unbelievable. People were pulling in giant sheepheads one after another standing right next to us. We were so unsuccessful that day that we accepted hand outs from other anglers who had reeled in too many fish. Louisiana truly is a “Sportsman’s Paradise”.
Sitting here writing this conjures up the smell of heat, salt air, and fish. That’s the smell of the beach on Grand Isle. It’s fun to swim there, as cooling off from summer heat in the south is a relief anyplace you can find it. But I do believe the beach is better for beach combing. Treasure hunters easily find dead shoes and rotting fish. My favorite finds are the colorful clam shells and the teeny weenie baby crabs that scurry across the sand. We’ve even seen rabbits at the beach. Well they weren’t exactly sun bathing, but scampering through nearby grasses. By far our best beach combing adventure was when we saw a shark about 10 feet away from the water‘s edge. There it was just swimming along in “Jaws” fashion. It was pretty exciting! I don’t believe that was the trip where M and E were tots and afraid of getting tangled in the seaweed. I would have been too freaked out by the shark to let my babies go swimming. The seaweed must have been the time we camped out at Grand Isle.
The not so pretty beach at Grand Isle, Louisiana 2001
Have I mentioned mosquitoes yet? They were an utter nuisance on that camping trip. We had fun just the same even though the moon was so bright, it was like having a lantern on in the tent all night. But who sleeps on camping trips?
As I now live well over 2,000 miles from Grand Isle, it is unlikely that I will ever return there, but will remember it fondly as part of the beautifully woven tapestry I call my life.
P.S. Ken, what a wonderful idea! "81 things for summer", a new experience everyday. Have you ever been to Big Bend? Believe me, it's worth the trip and the temps are cooler than you may think.
