The Events of Saturday, February 5, 2011

                As I headed out into the cool air to run this morning, I looked up and noticed a sunny sky without a cloud in view. We haven’t seen blue skies in a while, so the good weather was a welcome sight. As I returned, I entered the RV to the smell of Dad cooking pancakes for breakfast. Over breakfast, we discussed the weather for the next few days and what we wanted to do. We want to be in Louisiana a bit longer to wait out the bad weather in Arkansas and Oklahoma, but do we want to wait around here for a swamp tour on Sunday when the weather is warmer? A vote was taken: we would visit the State Capitol this morning, skip the Enchanted Mansion and its huge doll collection (good!), and see if we can do a swamp tour of the Louisiana Bayou this afternoon. After a tasty meal, we unhooked and head on the road toward Baton Rouge.

                As we made our way toward the capitol complex, a huge building, resembling the Empire State Building, towered 450 feet in the air. With 34 floors, this is the tallest state capitol in the country. We parked right in front and headed up the 49 steps, each with the name of a state and the year it was admitted to the Union (at the time it was built, Alaska and Hawaii weren’t states, so they were on the top platform, on either side, flanking the original listing). Inside is the great Memorial Hall. The walls on either side, with large doors leading to the Senate and House chambers, are decorated with huge murals. Statues of Louisiana’s notable governors stand along the other sides. As we headed into the back hallway leading to the elevators, we saw an exhibit about the assassination of Huey P. Long.

                Long, a US Senator and former governor, was the mind behind this state capitol. Three years after construction finished, he was headed down this hallway. Dr. Carl Weiss, the son of one of Long’s political opponents, shot the Senator from four feet away. Bodyguards immediately returned a volley of bullets into Weiss. In one of the pillars was a hole left by one of the bullets. Long died two days later on September 10, 1935 and is now buried in the capitol gardens.

                Our next stop was the observation deck on the 27th floor. In order to get there, we took an elevator to floor 24 and then another elevator to the 27th of the 34 floors. 350 feet above the ground, this observation deck offers a great panoramic view of Louisiana’s largest city. To the east, we saw the rose gardens and Old Arsenal. As we walked around the side to face north, steam rose from the area’s chemical corridor. Looking to the west, the Mississippi River slowly meanders to the Gulf. And to the south was the capitol gardens, skyscrapers (but none taller than the capitol), the old state capitol, the governor’s mansion, and, far below, was Harvey the RV.

                Back down on the ground floor, we looked at some more exhibits before exiting to the Capitol Park. This manicured lawn and garden was gorgeous with the flowers starting to bloom. In the center stands the statue and grave of Huey P. Long. From here, we tried to determine exactly where the observation deck was located.

                Our next destination was Breaux Bridge, where we wanted to take a tour of the Louisiana swamp bayou. Calling different companies as we drove, Dad finally found one that would suit us well: LeBlanc Swamp Tours on Lake Martin. On the way, we stopped for lunch at the Atchafalaya Tourist Center. The region we are driving through is part of a huge system known as the Atchafalaya Swamp, so we decided to use this center to get a bit of information. There was a short film about the swamp and all the life that calls the region home. It was really interesting to see how much animals and plants are dependent on certain conditions to live—and how we humans aren’t really helping. Getting back on the road, we headed toward Lake Martin.

                The address our guide gave us was not correct, but we eventually found the boat ramp after a few back and forth phone calls. As we pulled into a parking spot, our guide, a gentleman in his seventies, walked over to the RV. He was totally decked out in hunting gear, had a flawless Cajun accent and very much embodied the Cajun lifestyle. We hopped in the swamp boat, a flat-bottomed, six passenger vessel, and began our tour.

                Norbert (/Nor-BERR/) LeBlanc, our experienced guide, took us on a lap around the lake and the surrounding swamp. It was a great day for a tour: lots of sun, no clouds, little wind, and temperatures in the mid-50s. On the way, he pointed out all the types of birds, the ages of the cypress, and little details on objects that you typically wouldn’t notice. For example, he pulled some Spanish moss off a tree and found a flower. He said that almost no one knows that Spanish Moss even has a flower, but they are small, green, and release a down-like seed. As we went through the rookery, he pointed out a tree that was chopped down 150 years ago, telling us exactly how you cut down a tree in the middle of a swamp. Pointing out the nests of different birds and 1200 year old cypress trees, he gave us a real appreciation for the lake and the moss-covered trees.

                Like our other swamp tour, this one was also slightly queer, but in a Cajun way. No, there wasn’t any shouting of “Come on baby! Here her comes!” Instead, he gave us details about his alligator, squirrel, bullfrog, and duck hunting. Abby, our future PETA member, was abhorred. It got worse for her when, as Norbert pointed out each bird species, he commented how “the more illegal the bird is, the better it tastes”. When we questioned his sanity, he replied, “When you’re in a swamp and you’re hungry, you gotta eat.” He also let Dad sample his “moonshine”, which was just “a little something I do on the side”. We wanted a real Cajun tour and we got what we asked for with this experience.

                As we pulled in a few minutes after four, we headed north toward Shreveport. On the way, Dad called and researched hotel after hotel after hotel. Finally, after dinner on the side of the road, he called the Alexandria Econolodge. We acquired two rooms across the hall from each other. Mom, Dad, and I shared room 214 while the girls stayed in room 213. We brought in all the stuff we need for two days and then blogged or read until bedtime.