Day 18: Slidell and the drive to Fort Walton Beach

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We left New Orleans in yet another massive rainstorm, so lots more hairy driving on the I-10 (since Americans seem to forget how to drive when it rains). Eventually we made it to Slidell and the Pearl River, where Honey Island swamp tours launch from. A 2hr boat trip through the surrounding swamp gave us a pretty comprehensive view of the local wildlife, and there were plenty of alligators to keep Alice happy (apparently marshmallows are just the thing to attract/feed them - who knew?).

Before getting back onto the interstate we had a quick lunch in McDonalds (it's a cultural experience we had to fit in at some point). We then drove along the coast through Mississippi and Alabama, got stuck in a massive traffic jam in Mobile and eventually arrived in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, in time for supper. Most of the locals here are involved in the military in some way - if you look on Google earth there are large sections just greyed out. Our host Thomas Geiser is an air squadron commander. He came to Balliol as a Rhodes scholar for 2 years after graduating military academy in Colorado Springs (I'm imagining this is pretty similar to Top Gun, but maybe I'm wrong) and then travelled all over with his wife Daisy before coming here a couple of years ago, I think. The house is simply amazing (the walls are covered in photos that Daisy has taken from all over the world) and their 3yo daughter Isabel is adorable. She was shy at first, but then ran around the house showing us everything (from the pet turtles, to the soap dispenser in the loo, to how to brush Barbie's hair). She's also just at the stage where sher starts to understand jokes, although some are still a bit beyond her ("What do you call a polar bear in the desert?" "Um... a cake???"). I'm ashamed to say that Alice and I went to bed at the same time as Isabel too, as we were just so exhausted.

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Photos

Honey Island Swamp
The dark line is the high water mark from the spring, when all the snow melt comes down from 500 miles further north

Cypress tree
This is the official state tree of Louisiana. The 'knees' around the base are part of the root system, although no-one knows their function.

Fishing camp on stilts
We saw lots of these along the way, most of which are only accessible by river. If you looked closely you could see the high water mark from Katrina

Feeding an alligator
(yes that is a hot dog)

McDonalds
Guilt face

Isabel with her baby turtles
(named Rosie and Nicole)

Chocolate wine
Perfect end to a long day :)