Across the Southern U.S. – Day 2

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Off Interstate 10 in Texas

Starting just south of El Paso, Texas, today will see us on the road well into the evening. The other side of Texas alone is 775 miles (1,255 km) from where we are now, and our destination, at a minimum, is Shreveport, Louisiana.

Off Interstate 10 in Texas

As Caroline and I have already driven Interstate 10 across Texas back when we were returning to Phoenix on our year 2000 road trip, we are taking Interstate 20 east to scout this part of Texas that will take us near Pecos, Odessa, Abilene, Dallas, and Longview.

Jutta Engelhardt and Caroline Wise off Interstate 10 in Texas

On a pit stop near Sweetwater, Texas, we are awestruck by a formation of five B-1 stealth bombers flying in from the north and heading to some nearby Air Force base.

Near Cisco, Texas

Oil, bombers, and wide-open ranch land have us thinking about how much we are in President Bush’s corner of the woods. We stopped to stretch our legs again, this time just up the road (as measured in Texas miles) from Crawford, Texas, where the President’s ranch is located.

Eastern Texas near Interstate 20

Eastern Texas is lush and green, a beautiful place really, and with cattle out here, I’m starting to feel we’ve seen the soul of the Lone Star state today. It will be 8:00 p.m. before we cross into Louisiana, and with everyone still energized, we push forward, passing Shreveport on our way to Alexandria. The day ends late, but not as late as the night before. We have driven about 925 miles (1,500 km) today or the equivalent of driving from Berlin, Germany, to Rome, Italy. Finally, we are in a position to start the core of our trip into the Southeastern United States.

America – Day 19

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Old house on the bayou in Louisiana

We’ve traveled from the desert over the Great Plains into the Great Lakes region before taking in the New England states down along the Chesapeake Bay and then dropping into Appalachia, the South, and now Bayou country. From a Sod House in Kansas to the White House in D.C. to this floating house in Louisiana.  While one is moving through these environments, it’s hard to register just how dramatic the shift in the landscape and cultures has been.

Creek in rural Louisiana

A bit of fatigue has started setting in and the thought of returning to our bed becomes more appealing. One thing that has become abundantly clear while we’ve been out here is that we want to see it all over again and visit the points in between that we have yet to explore. Before I veer too far out of the moment analyzing this journey, I suppose I should continue with the day at hand.

This was our first encounter with Brahman cattle, and we were struck by how incredibly beautiful these animals are. If they weren’t so enormous, I’d want to jump into their pasture and go ruffle those floppy ears and snuggle their furry, soft-looking necks.

Pink flamingos in Louisiana

To my untrained eye, I initially thought these were pink flamingos, but it turns out that they are roseate spoonbills. Well, that’s even more exotic in my book of experiences. Whoever heard of spoonbills anyway?

Caroline Wise and John Wise on the Gulf coast of Louisiana

Our backdrop is the Gulf of Mexico, which is pretty exciting to us. We’ve encountered the Missouri, Ohio, and Mississippi Rivers, Great Lakes Erie, Ontario, Champlain, the Atlantic, Chesapeake Bay, and now the Gulf Coast. We are feeling inspired to drive over to California so we can include the Pacific as part of the journey, but I’d bet a dollar that when we get back to Arizona, we will stay put for a minute.

Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana

The Gulf of Mexico without us blocking the majority of the view.

Caroline Wise with a bag of shells on the shore of the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana

We’ve been walking along the shore for quite some time by now, and the bag in Caroline’s hands is evidence of just how many shells we’ve collected.

Sea shells from the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana

Finding seashells here is not a problem.

Public toilets next the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana

I asked, and asked again, of Caroline if she was 100% certain she really wanted to use these public toilet facilities. She had to go while my knowledge of what the inside of those toilets looked like would forever be shrouded in blissful ignorance.

Snake in the Bayou of rural Louisiana

It doesn’t look venomous, and I can’t hear a rattle or it hissing at me, so how about you go and pick it up? Caroline did not oblige me, so we can only claim to have seen a snake on this trip as opposed to handling one. Maybe after we join the Pentecostals of Appalachia, we’ll learn just how to deal with these serpents and how to speak in tongues. There is so much to experience in America.

Wetlands of southern Louisiana

I’m fairly certain this is part of the Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge.

Living floating island of Fire Ants in rural Louisiana

And people say Australia is full of loathsome creatures bent on killing you? What’s up with this state of Louisiana with gators, 14-pound beaver rats, snakes, and now this floating island of fire ants? I had this vision that if I stuck a stick into this nest, the ants, realizing they were not connected back to dry land, would swarm over me like hellfire on their trek back to safety, even if it meant sacrificing the host as they would bite me a million times on their escape. I left them alone instead.

Southern Live Oak with Spanish Moss in southern Louisiana

Live oak trees wearing Spanish moss because everything looks better with a fluffy beard.

Refinery in eastern Texas

This is not a strip club; nope, it’s a blurry refinery in eastern Texas photographed while driving fast on Interstate 10. We wanted to stay in Weimar, Texas, because Weimar, but with no lodging, we had to drive on, ending up in Flatonia, Texas, where not only did we get a room, we had some yummy barbecue at Joel’s Bar-B-Q. We have driven close to 7,500 miles since we left home nearly three weeks ago.

America – Day 18

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Steam Bath at the Holiday Motel in Houma, Louisiana

This is the mark of a quality motel because a night without a Thermasol is like a night without a vibrating bed, and imagine we only paid $33.66 for the night! Sadly, it wasn’t working. If it had been working, you can bet that we would have been steam bathing all night long.

Louisiana architecture

It’s raining out here or should I say it’s “Thermasoling?” The land is flat, with moss and lichen growing on everything. Caroline has even started accumulating moss on her teeth, though she insists it’s broccoli. (We’ve been dealing with her plant-attracting teeth for a long time now.) What’s with all the dead nutrias around here? Apparently, when rivers are high and these giant beaver rats try to cross the road, they aren’t very successful. Before coming to Louisiana, I didn’t even know that these 14-pound monsters existed. Turns out that at one time they were raised on fur ranches for people who like to wear water rat clothes and that they are an invasive species. To be honest, I’m glad we’re only seeing dead nutria because I’d have a digested load of shellfish in my drawers if one came at me.

Small bridge over a creek in Louisiana

Funny how it was just a couple of days ago we were in the hill country of the South, and now we’re in some nearly tropical swampland where everything is wet.

Lot's of water in Louisiana

The French didn’t sell us a bunch of land; they sold us a lot of water infested with beaver rats, probably some water snakes, mosquitos, mold, slime, moss, and unintelligible accents from the locals. At least it all looks good!

Rain in Louisiana

We’d better start looking for some indoor activities because we’re seeing a lot of rain, that or head for higher ground.

Tabasco Country Store and Factory Tour on Avery Island, Louisiana

Now we’re getting somewhere as in our book there’s nothing so great as history or a factory tour of something really interesting which is about anything to Caroline and me. This is a crown jewel in the world of factory tours for us as whoever thinks that they’ll go see how Tabasco is made. So, what did we see on Avery Island? Vats of peppers fermenting in vinegar and guess what? It makes your eyes burn even though you have to look through the glass to see the actual vats. We left with a tiny bottle of Tabasco mounted on a fridge magnet, which couldn’t have been more than a teaspoon in that 1-inch tall jar, and several pounds of red pepper pulp for boiling seafood.

Konriko Brand Rice Factory Tour in New Iberia, Louisiana

This wonderful woman was our tour guide for the Konriko Brand Rice Factory tour; her name was Elaine. As I said earlier, we needed to find some indoor activities to keep us dry as we weren’t yet ready to start the drive through Texas.

Caroline Wise and John Wise at the Konriko Brand Rice Factory Tour in New Iberia, Louisiana

Don’t tell anyone, but our pockets are full of rice right now because as good as the tour was, we felt we deserved some free rice. While they were selling rice in the gift store, there’s nothing better than free white rice, and we have that Tabasco from the other factory tour to splash on our ill-gotten gains, so we’ll be eating like kings as soon as we get to a place we can boil some water. By the way, I didn’t admit this earlier, but back in Vermont, we scored two mouthfuls of free syrup when no one was looking.

The mythical Turducken from Charlie's of New Iberia, Louisiana

Don’t believe anything from that previous paragraph; it was all fake, like we thought the mythical turducken was fake too. Well, not only does Charlie’s of New Iberia bring turduckens into reality they somehow find fryers large enough to be able to offer whole fried turkeys….because the sugary yams with marshmallows and butter-soaked rolls and potatoes don’t offer enough of the “kill-you” nutrients that make your food just that much yummier. I wonder if the owner of Charlie’s ever gets up to Waukesha, Wisconsin, to visit Jimmy’s Grotto for a Ponza rotta, which is a DEEP-FRIED CALZONE? You just know that Caroline and I have that on our list of places to go and things to try; hopefully, Jimmy’s has a factory tour so we can steal some calzone.

Hurricane evacuation route sign in Louisiana

We didn’t get far today, and by evening, we were only about 100 miles from Houma, Louisiana, where we started our day. Dinner was at Don’s Seafood in Lafayette, as was our stay at the Travelodge. We never did need to take advantage of the hurricane evacuation route.

America – Day 17

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

News broadcaster in Mississippi

At times, when we are in a motel, we’ll turn on the TV if we are there early and have nothing else to do. It’s usually not on long, as I only annoy Caroline while I flip rapidly through the channels to verify that nothing is on. This mention of the TV is significant, I suppose, because anyone who knows us would have heard a hundred times that I quit watching TV back in 1985, but for a couple of brief relapses, it has remained that way. Was this wearing a bear suit ever a thing? Is this unique to newscasters in Mississippi? Would you not believe me if I told the sports guy was wearing feathers, and the weatherman was donning seal skin? TV is bad, nature is good.

Boardwalk into a cypress forest on the Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi

Now, I return you to our regularly scheduled program featuring nature. This boardwalk goes nowhere except to the other side of this small glade of cypress trees growing in a swamp. Another fine example of the crap quality we were shooting photos with, but it was all I had. By the way, you do know we are back on the Natchez Trace Parkway, right?

Cypress growing in a swamp on the Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi

More cypress in a swamp because we thought this was just the coolest thing to see with our own eyes. We need to return to the Natchez Trace and take better-quality photos someday.

Pond on the Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi

To the best of our knowledge, this is a pond filled with water lilies and other stuff, probably some fish and maybe even some old Civil War trash or gold.

John Wise changing a tire on the Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi

This Beetle is turning out to be a piece of shit, first the headlamp and then a tire, what’s next, the engine dying? (Yeah, that happened too, but not on this trip.) It sucks getting a flat out here, as there is nowhere to pull over. Within minutes of me getting the tire changed, a park ranger came by to ensure traffic was aware of us here on the side of the road, but I was already nearly finished.

Side road off the Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi

This photo has always stood out for Caroline and me as an all-time favorite image of the many photos I’ve shot. How it talks to our memory and what it triggers is a mystery, but here it is for the rest of humanity to enjoy – or not.

The original sunken Natchez Trace in Mississippi

While the picture is blurry, it is the only one I have that conveys an idea of what the original Natchez Trace looked like after it had been walked upon for centuries. This depression here, on the surface, is the aftermath of so many people and animals following the “trace” from Natchez to Nashville after floating with their trade goods to Natchez on the Mississippi River from the North. The walk back home on the trace was dangerous because people of unsavory character knew that the travelers were likely carrying a righteous amount of cash or gold with them.

Kudzu growing on trees along the Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi

Initially, we thought these heavily draped trees looked really cool, so we inquired as to what kind of trees they were. Turns out this is not cool at all, as a matter of fact, it’s horrible. The leaves are not from the actual trees; the trees are still below those leaves and could die from this intrusive, invasive pest that has camouflaged them. You are looking at kudzu, and if left alone, kudzu could choke you out, too. Kill more kudzu – it’s good for America.

John Wise near the end of the Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi

About to leave the Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi. This is what is left of the Emerald Mound site which is designated a National Historic Landmark. These were ceremonial and used from approximately 1250 to 1600 A.D.

Mammy's Cupboard near Natchez, Mississippi

Mammy’s Cupboard – home-style cooking at its best. While not very politically correct in this age, it certainly makes you stop and ask, WTF? The food was great, and the idea that you are sitting under the dress of this lady is kind of strange, only adding to the experience that you can “brag” someday that you ate at Mammy’s or not.

On a bridge crossing the Mississippi river into Louisiana

Crossing over the Mississippi River but then we turned around and headed right back to Natchez for some reason or other?

Caroline Wise and John Wise in front of the Welcome to Louisiana state sign

Someone told me to look stern in Louisiana, or people would think us weird; Caroline is obviously failing. After we returned to Natchez, we headed south on the 61 and by the time we reached Woodville, Mississippi, we pulled over for a 15-minute nap. Continuing south, we drove through Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and then straight down, staying west of New Orleans and keeping that city for another time when we could give it adequate attention so instead, we headed to Houma for no particular reason other than it was on the map.

1921 Seafood in Houma, Louisiana

This would not be the last time we would eat at 1921 Seafood in Houma, Louisiana. We had the shellfish boil with potatoes, and it was amazingly great; it was also the first time Caroline had ever eaten crab. Our motel in Houma was called the Holiday Motel and was only $33.66 for the night.