My wife is from New Orleans and recently needed to go home so she could travel back to Ohio with one of her sisters. We hopped on my Road King and rode down from Ohio in 14 hours or so. After spending some time with her family, I woke up the next morning and headed to the bayous southwest of NOLA. There were a couple of TV shows down in the Louisiana swamps and we watched them pretty regularly. I'm not much of a TV guy but anything that's "a day in the life" of true working people I'm pretty much in.

Two shows in particular were Swamp People and Swamp Pawn. Both were filmed pretty close to each other and intermingle some because of fishing and gator hunting. The principle person in Swamp Pawn is Rick Phillips, who owns a seafood wholesale business in Bayou Pigeon, LA. During the last season of Swamp Pawn, a man named Coy Gomez was diagnosed with lung cancer and unfortunately passed away. Before Coy died, Rick Phillips (and others in the community of Bayou Pigeon) did a lot for Coy. Rick paid for Coy to have some expensive dental work that Coy could never afford; he also arranged for a "bucket list" of things and a benefit party in Coy's honor. As a cancer survivor I was especially touched by the genuine and kind effort put forth by Rick and the people of Bayou Pigeon.

I made my plan and rode southwest to Morgan City, then north to Bayou Pigeon. As I arrived at Rick's business, Junior Edwards from Swamp People was pulling out with his wife having just sold a catch. I parked my Harley and walked up on Rick and Teach trying to fix an electric pallet jack. I introduced myself as a yankee who was nothing more than a tourist and told them if they'd been "touristed" out I'd be happy to leave. Much as I suspected that was not the case; Rick and Teach stopped work to talk.

I told them I was a cancer survivor and wanted to say thanks for what they did for Coy. I also said I knew they didn't do what they did for any accolades, they did it because that's who they are and in this day and age it's easy to forget there are people like that still around. Rick talked to me for nearly an hour, inviting me in to his office that I'd seen on TV many times. The funny thing is, everything looked just like it did on the show and the people were just as you thought they'd be. After a while one of the other "stars" of Swamp Pawn arrived, Clayton Daley. Clayton had come to sell a load of Buffalo fish and was also very friendly. Before I left, I told Rick that I would love to pay forward, on Coy's behalf, and work (for free) at any job he chooses that doesn't involve snakes He agreed that he doesn't like snakes either. I think he's going to take me up on the offer and I'm looking forward to spending time there doing for someone who did for someone else. We exchanged contact info and I headed out of Pigeon toward Pierre Part, LA, home of gator hunter Troy Landry.

I stopped by the Landry family Shell station and snapped a few photos of where they weigh and store the gators seen on the show. After that I headed back to New Orleans.

The following day I headed to Birmingham, AL and the Barber Motorcycle Museum. All I can say is wow. If you have ANY interest in motorcycles, go as soon as you can. I'll only post a couple of the pics I took because there's almost too much to see. It's stunning. I was going to get a motel after the museum as it was getting late and I'd ridden from NOLA that morning. Once out on the road I decided to just head home to Ohio and got there late that night. It was a short trip but very rewarding in many ways.

Phillip's Seafood






To my far left: Rick Phillips, Clayton Daley and me



Despite having updated maps, my GPS couldn't find a road around Pigeon



Duffy Landry's Shell and Gator station in Pierre Part






Barber Museum



XR750


XLCR


71 Super Glide

 

I would like to go to Barber Museum sometime , thank for posting.

 

I have also been to Barber Motorsports. I heard the cashier telling someone on the phone they have about 1500 bikes and only display bout 700 swapping bikes out all the time. So each time you go it will be different.


I also visited the Wheels Through Time museum this weekend for the second time. That place is something to see as well.

 

Thanks for the thread! I watch both of those shows. I've seen every episode of both. Did you ask Rick if there is gonna be another season of Swamp Pawn? The last season had a screwy schedule in it's showing, so I was wondering if they were going to keep it going.
I'd love to take a trip to Louisiana and check out that area!

 

Rick said they're done with filming and didn't think there would be another season. He really feels that tourism is the next big thing for Bayou Pigeon, Pierre Part and the surrounding area. I intend to spend more time down there because it's just such an interesting place. A big bonus is the people, they're very genuine. I may be headed back down soon.

 

Barber Motorsports is a great place....
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Thanks for posting.

 

Thanks for the pics. Son is in Baton Rouge, trying to talk wife into a road trip next year. We've flown down and driven the pickup a few times, but would be a nice trip on the bike. Love the Baton Rouge and New Orleans areas.