Louisiana Part 2: Louisiana Proper
The next morning we got up and drove the remaining 20 miles or so into Louisiana. i was so excited to get this last continental state!! As soon as we stopped, in a little town called Natchitoches (pronounced Nak-a-tush) i leaped from the car and set foot in my 48th state. Even that far north, there were swamps in every direction. Most of the roads are causeways!
From there we got off the highway onto Louisiana Route 1, which essentially follows the Red River southeast toward Alexandria. Most of the route looked like the way a horror movie would start (very reminiscent of the Bluff City trip). my mom was looking for the Bayou Folk Museum, which is located in Cloutierville (pronounced Cloot-cherville), a town worthy of Dueling Banjos...
...but we couldn't find the stately home of the author. Turns out, that was because it burned down five months ago, and when we finally figured out what this was, we were so disappointed. What a terrible loss to this community, and the state's history in general....
On to Colfax. Site of the Colfax "Riot," better known as the Colfax Massacre. my mom and brother were both trying to read the same book over Christmas. Turns out it was about this incident in Colfax, Louisiana. So we had to see it on our way to St. Francisville, which is right on the Mississippi River, and where we spent the largest amount of time.
Louisiana is beautiful. Absolutely stunning. i say that with two caveats:
1. i was there in March, not August.
2. i did not spend much time off the beaten path, in towns like Cloutierville.
There are swamps with knobby cyprus trees all over the place. Birds and flowers and huge old oak trees with lots of Spanish moss.
St. Francisville has a church at the center of town with a beautifully kept cemetary...
... and several lavish plantation homes around.
The Myrtles
Rosedown
From there we got off the highway onto Louisiana Route 1, which essentially follows the Red River southeast toward Alexandria. Most of the route looked like the way a horror movie would start (very reminiscent of the Bluff City trip). my mom was looking for the Bayou Folk Museum, which is located in Cloutierville (pronounced Cloot-cherville), a town worthy of Dueling Banjos...
...but we couldn't find the stately home of the author. Turns out, that was because it burned down five months ago, and when we finally figured out what this was, we were so disappointed. What a terrible loss to this community, and the state's history in general....
On to Colfax. Site of the Colfax "Riot," better known as the Colfax Massacre. my mom and brother were both trying to read the same book over Christmas. Turns out it was about this incident in Colfax, Louisiana. So we had to see it on our way to St. Francisville, which is right on the Mississippi River, and where we spent the largest amount of time.
Louisiana is beautiful. Absolutely stunning. i say that with two caveats:
1. i was there in March, not August.
2. i did not spend much time off the beaten path, in towns like Cloutierville.
There are swamps with knobby cyprus trees all over the place. Birds and flowers and huge old oak trees with lots of Spanish moss.
St. Francisville has a church at the center of town with a beautifully kept cemetary...
... and several lavish plantation homes around.
The Myrtles
RosedownBefore we left St. Francisville to head back up North, we stopped into a little store called Grandmother's Buttons where they make jewelry out of antique buttons, and a local vinyard and winery where we both got bottles of Muscavine Wine... both of which are now gone.
posted by ellie at 14:15
1 Comments:
oh what fun! and your pictures... WOW... are you loving your new camera?
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