Day 17: Lake Charles, LA: 390.4 miles; 5:52

I went for an early walk on the beach and collected some shells and pictures.  We packed up and headed out at 8:07 after a conversation with the morning clerk who wanted to charge us extra for our beach-side room.  I explained that when my husband checked in the clerk asked whether we would mind if she switched our room, but never mentioned a price difference.  Fortunately, the manager was there and told the new clerk to give us the lower rate.  This clerk was definitely NOT a sweetheart.  I  think she was most irritated about having to do the receipt again.  She didn't tell me to have a nice day.

Off we went. Two bridges later, we were in Pensacola.  We hit Alabama at 8:39.  After spending two days to get out of Florida,  we are zipping through states today like crazy.  We are still in the swamplands.  We discussed the difference between swamplands and the "wetlands" that we have at home.  Jim determined that they are almost the same except that wetlands do NOT have any #% alligators.

We got to Mobile in no time and took a bridge over Mobile Bay. I'm beginning to think that this area should be called the land of bridges. We spied the USS Alabama moored in the bay on the left and some interesting high-rise buildings then we plunged into a tunnel under part of the bay.  We decided that the tunnel is definitely not a place to hang out in a hurricane.

We hit Mississippi at 9:50.  Soon we passed Pascagoula (pop 22,392).  The Pascagoula River is called the "Singing River" because of the occasional eerie sound that is best heard on still evenings in late summer.  Legend claims it is the death chant of a Pascagoula tribe that committed mass suicide in the river rather than be conquered by the Biloxi Tribe.

Next town was Biloxi (pop. 44,054; elev. 22 feet). Biloxi seems to be hurricane central.  Until Katrina in 2005 the town history had two eras:  BC and AC (before Camille and After Camille).  Camille (1969) had a 20 foot storm surge which destroyed much of the city.  It was rebuilt with the help of the casino and tour industry.  Then in 2005 along came Katrina with a 28 foot storm surge which wiped out many of the old antebellum homes that were spared by Camille and pushed the casino barges into shore while washing away everything within a half mile of shore.  The casinos are back now with everything from  barges to high-rise luxury hotels along the beach.

Mississippi rest areas are modern and "security provided."  Billboards are tall again. We hit Louisiana at 10:54.  It was 86 degrees and partly cloudy (or as we say in the rainy Pacific Northwest, "partly sunny.")

We passed through Baton Rouge (pop. 229,493; elev. 60 feet).  The name means "red stick" and is derived from a cedar tree that was de-limbed and draped with freshly killed animals marking the boundary line between hunting grounds of two Indian tribes many years ago.  The city today is the second largest city in Louisiana and located on the Mississippi River, it is one of the largest ports in the nation. But the most important thing to Jim is it is home of the LSU Tigers.

We passed over yet another bridge, this one over the Mississippi River and spotted some oil refineries upstream.  At this point I noticed a huge swamp on the map.  It is called the Atchafalaya (pronounced:  uh-CHA-fuh-lie-uh) Basin and is the largest river swamp in North America according to the visitor center.  When we got to the swamp, the Interstate became an elevated highway (this went on for 20+ miles) and we went over the Intracoastal Waterway and a number of smaller rivers and bays including Whiskey Bay and Henderson Swamp.

We went through Lafayette (pop. 120,,623; elev. 40 feet).  This is Cajun central.  When the French Arcadian farmers were expelled from Nova Scotia in the 1700's, they settled here.  Their descendants known as "Cajuns" still speak a French dialect and observe many old traditions.  We saw lots of signs for Cajun food including "boudin" which was advertised as "our favorite finger food."  I wanted to try some until I found out it was Cajun sausage.  I'm not a sausage fan, so I'll pass.

We stopped for the night in Lake Charles (pop.71,993; elev. 18 feet.)  When I checed in the clerk asked if we were going to the casino.  After looking at the guide, we found they have 4 big ones here.  They even have a casino/resort with its own dog track.

We went for a drive and found the Charpentier Historic District.  There are 40 blocks of homes and Victorian mansions built by carpenters here during the lumber boom at the turn of the 20th century.  Some are restored, some being restored and some need to be restored, but they are all very impressive.  We also went downtown to the lake.  There is a park and Lakefront Promenade.  We talked to a man who was fishing.  He informed us that the water was saltwater, but couldn't answer Jim's question, "Why is the water so black?" Google can't answer it either.

 We parked by the Calcasieu Parish Courthouse, a distinctive domed building.  In front of the courthouse was a Civil War Memorial and across the street was the City Hall.  When we parked, we heard bells ringing and discovered it was the bell tower in a wonderful brick church that took up an entire block.  It is a charming old town.

We headed back to the motel and stopped off at Sonic for dinner and a chocolate malt.  Tasted so good.
 

We are planning to take part of the "Creole Nature Trail" tomorrow from Lake Charles to Port Authur (just over the Texas line).  Then on to Houston.