Cavaliers blaze a trail to Festival of the Bonfires

OK. So we got a little lost. But sometimes getting lost means you see things you otherwise wouldn't, and that's just what happened when the Cavaliers rode to the Festival of the Bonfires in Lutcher on Dec. 15.

it was a bright, mild fall afternoon when the Cavaliers made their rendezvous at the Phoenix at 4 pm. Poncho arrived on his 1996 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Classic. Tedd showed up on his 2002 Honda Reflex, and David and Michael W. showed up on David's 1996 Honda Gold Wing SE. Tedd's partner, Tom, came along in the chase truck.

It was a brisk but sunny 63 degrees when we left the Phoenix and headed out Interstate 10 toward Lutcher. We got to enjoy a beautiful sunset over the marshes as we crossed the Bonnet Carre spillway, but with a setting sun came cooler temperatures. We took the Gramercy exit and headed toward the river, turning off onto the river road just before the Gramercy bridge over the Mississippi.

This is where the ride got really interesting, because as we rode the river road, we could see dozens and dozens of the homemade bonfire structures sitting on top of the levee. It's a southern Louisiana tradition to light bonfires on Christmas Eve to light the way for Papa Noel as he makes his journey into the bayou country. These "Feux de Joie," or "fires of joy," create a spectacular holiday atmosphere when they're set ablaze for mile after mile on the night before Christmas.

But with Christmas still 10 days away, we got to see these haunting structures standing along the levee in the twilight as we made our way down the river road. A few were tended by the local people who built them, usually with a small campfire nearby.

Unfortunately our directions to the bonfire festival were a bit fuzzy, and we continued on the river road well past Lutcher because we didn't see anything that looked like a festival. We continued on until we got to the town of Convent, where we realized we must have gone too far. But it was worth the 20-mile detour upriver just to see the Manresa retreat house decked out in its beautiful holiday lights. In the deepening twilight, it was one of the most beautiful sights we've seen.

We turned around and rode back toward Gramercy, finally discovering the festival grounds just a few blocks off the river road in Lutcher. It was a wonderful nighttime festival, with the lights of a dozen carnival rides setting a festive mood.

We wandered around the fair grounds for a bit, spending most of our time in the food tent, where we ate ourselves silly. I had some of the most delicious seafood gumbo (but OH was it spicy!). Poncho chowed down on shrimp kabobs and a crawfish boat. Tedd and Tom had some tasty curly fries. But Michael hit the jackpot with the funnel cake, which was light and fluffy and sprinkled with powdered sugar and drizzled with chocolate sauce. I helped him eat one, then made him get another one to share. It was indescribably yummy.

All the while we were stuffing our bellies, we were enjoying the great band in the adjacent music tent. They had a great band called Bits and Pieces which did some great uptempo swing and R&B numbers.

So here we were at the bonfire festival, but there wasn't any bonfire. The bonfire festival lights only one bonfire each night, and they take visitors on a bus ride to see it. We all climbed in to Tom's truck and made the ride over to the levee. It was about an hour after the bonfire was lit, but instead of a giant blaze on the levee, we only saw a small flickering flame. For whatever reason, the bonfire wasn't working very well that night. So Tom drove us around to where our bikes were parked and we saddled up and headed home before it got too cold.

We made a quick gas stop in Gramercy, then got back on I-10 for a chilly ride home. All in all it was really a fun ride, especially the twilight ride along the levee, the detour past Manresa, and the delicious festival food. If nothing else, the Cavaliers know how to eat well!