Lafayette, we are here!

     Yesterday we drove all day in one state.  Today we were in four states by lunchtime.  Mississippi's and Alabama's encroachments on the Gulf Coast between Florida and Louisiana are not very wide.  I-10 through the Florida panhandle is boring, but today was not.  Traversing Mobile Bay, including a tunnel, was interesting.  There were no real signs of flooding here.  Then we traveled through our old stomping grounds from a half century ago.  Landmarks, or at least signs to them, were familiar.  The signs called us to Biloxi, Gulfport, and Pass Christian.  We even saw an exit for Cowan Road.  Our first house (of seventeen) was a one bedroom furnished house in Cowan Road Homes.  We got fuel in Gulfport at a Flying J for $3.799.  It was our second fill up at that price.  We saw diesel for as high as $4.049.  A two bit difference, when you are buying a hundred gallons is $25.
     Soon we were approaching Baton Rouge (home of John Harrell's alma mater).  Traffic was heavy and there was some construction, but traffic moved OK.  The first shot shows the approach to the Mississippi River Bridge in Baton Rouge.  I had given Durelle an impossible task.  I wanted her to capture some pictures of the flooded Mississippi.  What's a blog without pictures?  I washed the windshield at the Flying J, but by the time we got to the river, we still had a good collection smashed bugs.  She tried hard, did well, but I was only able to use a few.  Suffice it to say, the flooding is widespread.  Most of the flooding we saw was in the area 20 to 30 miles east of Lafayette.  I-10 there is supported on concrete pylons for miles across the flood plain.  The water is close to the road for miles.  There must be thousands of square miles with an extra ten feet of water.  
     Tomorrow we stop in Houston for two days.  We look forward to seeing the Lowreys and checking in with some of our Maine camping buddies.