The homeward drive has reached its halfway point. It’s fun to consider that we have gone from sea level to 7800 feet in the space of four days. Today finds us back in the Mountain time zone for the first time in a long time. We’re in Colorado Springs tonight after having needed two days to get across Texas. Here’s a brief recap of the trip so far.

We left New Orleans and drove to Shreveport, and got a bonus. The weather forecast had been for heavy rain; it rained, but only lightly. Interstate 10 took us through lots of bayous and swamps on our way north. That night found us staying at the Shreveport Elks along with another couple from the tour. We had a great time visiting, and the lodge served wonderful smash burgers for dinner.

Onward we went, headed across Texas. We made a stop just east of Dallas at a Buc-ee’s travel plaza, after so many people said we should. It certainly was the most amazing gas station we’ve ever seen. Then it was on to our evening stay just outside Wichita Falls at a Harvest Host site; we were dry camping at a really nice winery. We did some tasting and enjoyed a charcuterie board.

The weather took a turn the next morning. Our drive to Amarillo was much cooler and very windy. It’s always fun to drive a big metal barn down the road at 60-65 MPH with a 20-30 MPH crosswind. We made it safely, and spent a little time exploring. It was our first time being on the old US 66 route, and we had our first clue that we are getting close to home: had a coffee at Dutch Bros.

Today finished off our time in Texas, then had a cameo drive in New Mexico, and finished off in Colorado. The road and the weather were both good, and it was a steady climb to Raton Pass. No driving tomorrow, we leave for Wyoming on Monday. More then…

Well, 4110 miles in the book and tomorrow we tackle the last 2204 miles. It’ll take 8 days to cover it, but we’ll see some more roads new to us. We’ve had a good time here in New Orleans, and a great time with new friends on the trip, but it’s time to get home.

Saturday was spent touring two plantations, Laura Plantation and the Oak Alley Plantation. They were notably different; one Creole, the other more English/southern. They also were different in how they presented their pasts regarding slavery, Laura seemed more transparent. Both made their money growing sugar cane, a difficult, labor-intensive task, and both misused people both during slavery and after. It was certainly interesting to see how both groups of people lived, and how did they did or didn’t prosper.

Sunday was transportation day. We spent the morning on a float plane flight over the Mississippi Delta. It was a beautiful day for that trip, and we saw a lot of really interesting countryside. There have been attempts to tame a powerful river for 200 years or so, and those attempts continue today. The current job is to replace land that has been lost in the delta in order to protect New Orleans from future hurricanes; they are diverting fresh water into bayous so sediments may be deposited.

The afternoon was spent taking a ride on a boat in the bayou. The vegetation was lush and we saw a great number of alligators. We certainly got a fresh feeling for how easily someone could get lost out there…

Monday was spent in the city. The group took a walking tour of the French Quarter. We learned a lot and enjoyed the jaunt. In the late morning we went to the New Orleans School of Cooking; we saw a demonstration of cooking crab and corn bisque, crawfish etouffee, bananas Foster, and pralines, then got to eat what the chef had cooked. It was all tasty, and it amazed me how easily she cooked for 50 people (with enough left over for seconds). We stayed in the city rather than take the bus back, went to a couple of bars to listen to music and then went out for dinner. Good times!

Well, farewell dinner tonight on a sternwheeler, then we hit the road tomorrow. A short note about this campground: we are on the edge of a very industrial area. A canal runs immediately behind us, with both pleasure boats and cargo barges. Beyond that is the main east-west railroad line (an Amtrak train headed east by us this morning), and above is the final approach for an executive airport…we have a fairly steady stream of business jets going overhead. Well, more tomorrow.

We’ve arrived at New Orleans today, and our visit here ends the second part of this adventure. It’s going to be a busy few days, and we’re really looking forward to all of it.

Natchez, Mississippi occupied our last two days. We had a grand time there, enjoying some grand architecture and awfully kind people. The city managed to avoid being burned down during the Civil War by a combination of features: they did not resist the Union and had no railroad to tempt either side. Because of this grand old houses are still making the town grand. Some of them date back into the early 1800’s. We had a great tour of the town via a horse and carriage, then a tour of one of the mansions..

The next day we drove out to the Frogmore Plantation; we got to see a working cotton farm, a cotton gin that dates back to the mid-1800’s, and a working modern gin in operation. The guide led us through the daily life of the people working the farm (both slaves and sharecroppers),and the year’s lifecycle of the cotton plant. We wrapped up the day with another BBQ lunch.

We tour two plantations tomorrow, one with a Creole heritage. More then…

The further we go south, the closer we get to the end of our trip. Only one more travel day with the group is ahead of us now, we arrived in Natchez, Mississippi today. There is an asterisk on that however: we are actually camping across the river in Visalia, Louisiana. My guess is that we have crossed the Mississippi about 30 times now, with a few more to come.

Saturday was a free day, and we spent it in style. Our new friends in the group, Steve and Sheila, have a son working as a manager in the Boise State athletic department. Lo and behold, BSU played in Memphis on Saturday, and he was able to get us four tickets. We had a great time, although more than a little hot (might have reached 95 degrees during the game, and the Liberty Bowl has no shade). Sadly BSU lost, but we met more than a few Bronco fans.

After the game we went out for some Memphis BBQ at a place called the Rendezvous. It’s a hole in the wall, in a basement, downtown near Beale Street, but oh my the ribs and brisket were good. We certainly have been eating well on this trip.

Sunday we drove to our next campground, near Vicksburg, Mississippi. This was a quick stop, just two nights, but we made the most of it. The group took a bus tour of the Vicksburg Historic Battleground, and had the privilege to have the ex-head ranger of the National Monument lead the tour. We learned a lot, and added more books to our future reading list.

Then came a trip to Anchuca, an antebellum mansion in the city. They served us a splendid lunch, then allowed us to tour the house. It was great to see the architecture and the way the current owners have decorated the rooms.

Today was a short travel day with one stop: we paused for lunch at an old general store that now is a restaurant/antique store. They served a buffet lunch of many of the things you think of as southern cooking. The very best thing though was the fried chicken…hot on the inside, crispy and light on the outside, without being at all greasy. It was by far the best chicken I’ve had since Grandma Luhn’s chicken in Vader.

The group tours Vicksburg tomorrow, then we have a free day Thursday, then it’s on to New Orleans. More later…