One of the cool things about being full-time RVers is having the opportunity to tweak your plans based on the people you meet and suggestions they make.
After a delightful month in the hill country (an excellent suggestion from Jim and Twila Rose), we made a brief stop in Louisiana on our way to New Orleans. We struck up a conversation with another couple, who told us about one of those “hidden gems” they had just experienced. By changing our route just slightly, we would be able to take a personalized tour of “Mr. Charlie,” the first offshore oil rig. It is the first time we have attempted to do sightseeing on a travel day, i.e., haul our 62 feet length through the midst of a town not made for such adventure.
Mr. Charlie is old and rusted, dating from the late 60’s and now used only for training and tours. But it taught us how Louisiana became the second largest oil producing area of the United States. They do two tours a day, and ours had only 4 people. So not a lot of people will ever experience this. But thank you, Dennis and Anita. It was an unexpected adventure.
Mr. Charlie sits on the bank of the Atchafalaya River in Morgan City. You all knew that was the sixth largest river in North America, didn’t you? It trails Mississippi, Ohio, Yukon, Columbia, and St. Lawrence. 
Here is what the technology would develop into. Charlie can only go down 40′, but other rigs would eventually go hundreds. 
The Athafalaya, a working man’s river and obviously popular with the seagulls in the lower center. 
This is a map of what the gulf now looks like underwater. Dots are oil/gas rigs. All the lines are connecting pipes. This is the oil version of an underground mining operation. 
This is a diving helmet in use while we were in college in the early 70’s: incredibly heavy and cumbersome. 
We had to stand away from the tower, because they were doing a training exercise while we were there. 
A fully sufficient island, this place served as full-time living quarters for a crew of 58 men. 
The tour guide is demonstrating the elevator system to a member of the tour group. 
Here, the tour guide explains early robotics. This submersible robot has articulated arms and hands. 
What are your dangers out here? Hurricanes and oil rig fires. So what does an escape pod look like? Let’s just say it is bizarre.