Deep Deep South

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Hello all,
So we left New Mexico for San Antonio, and WOW the ride was unbearable. Okay, the landscape like I've said a hundred times is unreal, but after a while you kind of get it and just want to be in a different state. It took us around 12 hours to get from Albuquerque, NM to San Antonio, Texas. The place we stayed in San Antonio was great, it was a Crown Plaza and we got it for so cheap it almost didn't seem to make any sense. Unfortunately, we got there really late, so we were kind of out of luck when it came to eating somewhere. This has happened before and hasn't been a problem, but on those times we've eaten lunch. For those of you that haven't driven through western Texas, there is NOTHING out there, so we hadn't had lunch either. We ended up having to order room service--all I wanted was a burger but they ran out? I was starving and had a migraine so I made the mistake of eating chicken fingers which tend to make me sick (I have no idea why, and that might have been an over share, but whatever), so the next morning I was dying. We tried to go see the Alamo, but I basically made it there and had to run back to the hotel. Henri got some good pictures though.

Left San Antonio for Baton Rouge, Louisiana. That ride was still kind of long but not as bad as 12 hours. Just lots of Texas landscape and huge bugs slamming into the windshield. I felt much better though once we got to Louisiana, almost like we had reached civilization again (I know, totally false still being in Louisiana, but that's how it felt). We drove over a really long bridge through a swamp which was pretty cool. The whole state is kind of bizarre. Made it to Baton Rouge around dinner time. We were staying at Henri's friend's apartment at LSU. She wasn't actually there, but let us stay anyway which was really nice. We had our mandatory southern meal at Cracker Barrel which was pretty gross but it was necessary. Came back to the apartment and didn't have any power so we played 500 Rummy and I obviously won because I always win that game. The power finally came back so it wasn't so unbearably hot. When we were in Vegas I didn't understand what people meant when they'd talk about the different between the dry heat out there and the humidity back east, but I get it now. It was definitely hotter in Vegas, but I was sweating less than I was today from the intense humidity.

So yeah, we were in New Orleans today, and I really like it there. I could actually even deal without Bourbon Street which is what everyone loves, but I think it's kind of gross. Maybe I'd think it was cooler if I was 21. The street just smells like old beer and vomit, but maybe that appeals to some people. It was still really cool to just see it though. Everything else in the French Quarter is really cool though just because it's so old. Most people know that I'm a closet US History nerd, so that kind of stuff really appeals to me. It was also really cool seeing how everything has progressed since Katrina. There are still a lot of things that are boarded up and a lot of buildings for sale, but it really seems like things are coming back together. I would definitely go back to New Orleans. When leaving the city, we drove over the longest bridge in the world, 25 miles long, the Lake Ponchatrain Causeway. It was awesome.

Random thoughts--huge dragon flies in Louisiana, not a fan. The swamps and things like that down here are really cool though. My favorite part of this trip is just seeing how different everything is in the rest of the country. It really puts things in perspective.

Drove through a bunch of swamps in Mississippi and Alabama. These people love their Confederate flags. It boggles my mind that they still aren't over that. We are now at a Rodeway Inn in Montgomery, Alabama. Needless to say, I'm ready to move on to our next stop, Atlanta, Georgia. And apparently I am getting a home cooked meal tomorrow night from Henri's friend's mother. Sounds beautiful. Excited for this weekend as well.

LATER

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