Arkansas / Louisiana Trip Day 6

Today was another long travel day. We got up at 6:15 to be able to go to the first Mass-at 7:00- at St. John's Catholic Church, our old parish. The Mass was relatively lightly attended and we were quite surprised when it turned out to be in Spanish. There were no Masses in Spanish, when we were parishioners. It just showed the change in the demographics. We wished that we had a bilingual to follow along like the folks in front of us, who also seemed to have a printout of the sermon in English. However, the greeter had said nothing to us about these things when we arrived. My husband has studied some Spanish, but I haven't. (In English, we say, it is Greek to me. The Germans say, it is Spanish to me.) I could pick out a few words, but he didn't seem to fair much better. We were greeted by a woman after Mass, who had a lovely Southern accent and picked us out as visitors. It turned out that she had moved there not long after we moved away. 

Back at the hotel, we immediately tucked into breakfast to fortify ourselves for the trip. When we headed out at 9:40, it was already 89 degrees and hazy, with the mist in the hills burned off. We drove out along Main Street to the east to look at more changes to the town. Walmart had moved to a bigger store and had been joined by Kmart. There was now a Ross, as well as a Belk. I soon saw why the craft stores were gone- Hobby Lobby was out there, too. However, they didn't have some of our favorite stores, such as Target, Bed Bath&Beyond or Office Max. And we saw no sign of Panera until we reached Conway. 

I was going to stoop for gas, but was irritated by there being two different prices for diesel- one for cash and one for credit. Unfortunately, when we did stop twenty minutes later, this was still the case. My husband said, that it was because of the high fees the stations pay when the truckers buy 100 gallons with a credit card. But this place couldn't even accommodate a trucker! We paid with a credit card, even though it was 5 cents more a gallon. We'll get something back from Discover and it was just easier. 

Fun fact: on this trip we have traveled on I 10, I 20, I 30 and I 40 and in numerical order!

After Pine Bluff, we knew the pickings would be sparse, so at exit 44 on US 65, we pulled into a Huddle House, a chain we'd never tried before. It is more like a diner than anything else. My husband enjoyed his Southern pecan waffle and I found the Buffalo Ranch Chicken Sandwich with sweet potato fries to be most interesting and satisfying. That buffalo sauce packs a punch!

The terrain turned flat and we knew the many boring miles ahead, due to our trip up the state. My husband had taken over driving and I dozed a bit. We used service stations' convenience stores for pit stops. I looked up some of the brands we saw on signs by fields and we were able to identify soybeans and also recognized rice. One thing in Wikipedia noted a company also produced sorghum seeds, so I looked for a picture of it. Good thing I did. It wasn't long before we say a field of them. 

At 2:23, we crossed into Louisiana, with its Welcome to Louisiana / Bienvenue en Louisiana sign, which is the only way we knew we were there. Unlike Arkansas, they never had a welcome center. In Louisiana in particular, we often saw a very fancy home with a mobile home across the street. 

At 4:39, we crossed the Mississippi at Natchez. No welcome center, but their welcome sign proclaims the state "Birthplace of America's Music". Really? What music is America's music?

I took over driving in Natchez and we crossed back into Louisiana at 5:31. Their welcome center was closed and there was no welcome sign. I had figured out that we'd crossed the state line, when I saw a sign identifying the parish. Only Louisiana calls counties parishes. 

Finally, at 6:22, after 449 miles, I pulled into The Cook Hotel on the LSU campus in Baton Rouge. We were tired and very hungry, but the rest of the International Clarinet Association was to gather at 7, so we partially unpacked. The group decided to go to WalkOns, a sports restaurant not too far away. It was a relaxing way for them to start the week. Their executive director treated everyone and ordered fried pickles and gator for the table. I was willing to try only the former. My husband, who is much braver, had both. The pickles had a spicy white dip and were quite interesting. For main courses, I ordered the fried shrimp poboy with a side sauce and my husband had étouffée. I found, I liked his and may order it, when I am on my own this week. Of course, my poboy was delicious. 

We are now planted here until next Sunday. Tomorrow begins my time if sightseeing on my own. Time to make plans!