Louisiana.

Welcome to Louisiana. No joke.

From Austin we drove East on the 10, went arouuuund Houston and kept on going. Louisiana was only a few short hours east. Louisiana is absolutely gorgeous. The bayou was something new all together. A place unique as the redwoods are in California. The city of New Orleans was one of the most interesting cities I have ever visited. It is tops on my list to go back to and explore. An afternoon is not enough time. A week may be enough time to get the basics down, a month would be more like it. The unique mix of history, architecture, and mash ups of people and cultures make this city someplace to want to get to know, for better or for worse.

I really wish we could have spent more time in New Orleans. What a fascinating city. Unfortunately all we had time for was a drive through the city streets and then an afternoon and evening in the French Quarter.

The juju is strong here. Everyplace on Earth has an essence to it, and if you are tuned into it, you can feel it. New Orleans felt like no place else. If you visit the quarter, I absolutely recommend the voodoo museum. We also took a haunted history tour which was really neat too.

I walked to the shore of a swamp near Baton Rouge, and I was greeted by this lil guy. He wasn't so little either. Probably more like eight feet little.

This lil guy was more like 12 footer.

Another lil guy, sunning himself on the shore. Seriously there were freakin everywhere. Like sea gulls at the Pier.

Mississippi River view in Baton Rouge.

The old state capitol in Baton Rouge.

Sunset on the Mississippi.

What a state! Like I've already emphasized I really loved New Orleans. I really liked Louisiana. Next time we will have to spend more time in New Orleans as well as exploring the northern part of the state.