Bayou Wedding Tour - Day 4.5

A mini-entry from Lake Charles.

Mindy and her sisters went to the shore to see alligators and stick her toes in the Gulf.

Baby gators.

We later attended the wedding rehearsal dinner at the party house. It’s quite the facility. Since we’re in the Bayou, they had a crawfish boil, so we gave it a shot. If you like lobster, you’ll probably like it—but get ready for some work to get it out.

Oh, the carnage!

The wedding is later today. They had the nerve to hold it on Free Comic Book Day, so we’re sneaking out this morning to go to a local shop.

Bayou Wedding Tour - Day 3.5

Writing this entry late—we were out into the wee hours (which for me is about 10:30p).

We headed off to Baton Rouge and the state capitol. It’s a very impressive building, especially considering it was built during the Great Depression. Governor Huey Long didn’t take no for an answer.

Meanwhile, at the Daily Planet…

Google just went ahead and made this panoramic view for me.

We went up the tower and took a look outside.

That would be the mighty Mississippi.

Then it was off to the old Governor’s mansion (Governors’ ? Governors ?). Docent Frank talked our ears off with some great stories about the place.

Gov. Long had it built like the White House so that “he could find the light switches when he got there”.

On the way over to Lake Charles, we drove around Rayne, LA. It’s touted as the “Frog Capitol of the World” because they caught and sold frogs to restaurants throughout the South. It’s teeming with statues.

Rayne also boasts the only “wrong way cemetery”. They are traditional laid out east to west, but when this one was started north to south, they just left it that way. Add to that the above ground crypts standard in the Bayou, and you get a creepy sight.

Finally we made it to Lake Charles, where we’re attending our niece’s wedding.

Entries may be sparse for the next couple of days, but we’ll see. If not, we’ll continue on the second leg of the trip. #BayouWeddingTOur

Bayou Wedding Tour - Day 2

Reporting from Slidell, Louisiana.

We made our way through Alabama and Mississippi today, winding up about an hour or so from Baton Rouge. We’re big fans of giant statues, and Birmingham has them all over. Here’s “Miss Electra”, presiding over downtown and the local power company. Per Roadside America, "She appears to be ready to either 1) hurl benevolent electricity into downtown, or 2) fry Birmingham evil-doers with a bolt from the blue."

On top of Red Mountain we find Vulcan, originally created for the 1904 World’s Fair, finally getting his own park after years of neglect. There’s a museum covering local history, an elevator that takes you up to Vulcan and incredible views.

Vulcan’s posterior.

We had lunch in Tuscaloosa, at Avenue Pub. I had their famed Bacon Burger, while Mindy had a HUMONGOUS chicken sammich.

Needless to say, we just had a snack for dinner.

Enough for day 2—tomorrow is Baton Rouge and our main destination, Lake Charles.

#BayouWeddingTour

Southern Sweep - Day 7

First off, more donuts--this time at Glazed. We joined Maggie and her friend Cade for the feast.

Before we left, we got a chance to tour the athletic facilities at McNeese.

Then off to Shreveport--and the mysterious Giant Dalmation. At night, you can change the color of the dog's spots.

Then, in the outskirts of Texarkana, in Fouke, AR, a celebrity sighting. MST3K's own Boogy Creek Monster!

We then followed the GPS to the hotel right on the state line with Texas. Unfortunately, there were two of the same hotel chain there, straddling the border. Once that was straightened out, we hit the hay.

Tomorrow--one more niece, diamonds, and meat.

Southern Sweep - Day 6

A late day to start--but Mindy got her donuts (Louisiana is crazy about them).

Then off to a McNeese tour

Then down to the shores of Lake Charles--very pretty and restful

Did I mention restful?

Off to the glitter of Lake Charles' casinos! I would put them at mid-Vegas level.  We hit a few slots and walked around.

And if the hotel rooms aren't big enough (actually docked at the casino)...

Finally, we moved onto a local Maxican joint for dinner.

Tomorrow--more donuts, giant dogs, and look out for the monster!

Southern Sweep - Day 4

Started late--off to the deep South.

Mississippi--a lot of this out the window...

Then these--Palmettos?  Nope, it's "pinus palustris".

Can you tell that Mindy drove today?

Finally Louisiana--and Lake Ponchatrain.  This is a very long and impressive bridge.

Then N'awlins. The French Quarter seems very run down. Mindy referred to it as "creepy". We were tired and so we decided to move on to Lafayette, LA for the night.

Tomorrow - Hot Sauce, Lake Charles, and niece #2.