After over two months of meandering along the west coast and zigzagging through the southern states, the weather is definitely cooling down and ironically it seems time to start heading back towards Canada. All our meandering has meant it has taken us longer to reach the south than we expected and although there are no regrets, it has meant we have had to forgo our original plan to drive back up the east coast. Instead, we are heading straight back to familiar territory in Alberta. Besides, it will be much easier to sell our car in its original province and Aidan's sister Emily and her boyfriend Matt, as well as a few of our old friends from Banff, will be there to help us celebrate Christmas and the New Year!

With less than two weeks until Christmas it will be a bit of a rush to get back in time, and the States are big, which means a lot of driving between here and there... and probably a lot less meandering than we are used to. However, we're proud to say that we successfully made it all the way to New Orleans, and were sure to give ourselves enough time to fully appreciate this unique and charismatic city in the Deep South.

From the moment we crossed into the state of Louisiana from Texas, it felt like a totally different country. Typical stormy coastal weather, bridges spanning waterways and houses on stilts were the theme. We were immediately reminded of Bubba's mum's house from Forest Gump and we spent a fair amount of time looking out for alligators in the surrounding swampland. The closest we got was at the Atchafalaya Wildlife Refuge. It was too cold for most of them to surface, but the ranger claimed they have a 13 foot monster living there, and Jess caught a glimpse of a spiny tail disappearing into the murky depths.

New Orleans was everything we anticipated. The accents were thick and colourful. There were trumpet and tuba players on every corner of the dusty old French Quarter. Football fanatics and college students were boozing it up on the famous Bourbon Street strip. One lady stood below a statue of Jesus belting out 'Hallelujah'. The exhibit in the Louisiana State History Museum on Cyclone Katrina was sad, shocking, moving and inspirational all at the same time. The food was an incredibly diverse and original mixture of Caribbean, French, Spanish and West African flavours, and we tried everything from chicken and sausage jambalaya to crawfish gumbo...

That was until Jess developed an allergic reaction to shellfish. She had experienced hints of a reaction in the past, but felt it wasn't anything too serious and was determined to not miss out on this amazing Creole/Cajun cuisine. A few mouthfuls into a dish of shrimp Gumbo on our third day, and Jess started to feel extremely light-headed, heavy handed and even a little asphyxiated. After attempting to will the uncomfortable feeling away, we eventually gave in and drove to the Tulane Medical Centre. Aidan sat in the waiting room for a couple of hours getting a taste of what life in New Orleans is really like, while Jess was drugged up and monitored back to relative health. We are grateful that the nurses and doctors were sympathetic and barely made us wait at all, and although the effects are still lingering a few days later, things are definitely looking better. No more crawfish for Jess!

On the way out of New Orleans we followed the iconic Mississippi River up past the old cotton and sugarcane plantations. Behind the well preserved French and English Plantation homes were the decayed and almost forgotten African slave cabins, where the occupants worked their bones dry until the early 20th Century. This bleak moment in history was overshadowed by a deliberate focus on the wealthy, privileged and scandalous lives of the Plantation owners, with little acknowledgement of the inhumane treatment of those who really sustained the crops. Nevertheless, the whole experience was interesting and educational. By chance we managed to visit the very plantation where many of the original Brer Rabbit stories were told. We realised that although Brer Rabbit does exist in folk law, Uncle Remus from Disney's controversial film 'Song of the South' was merely a fictional (mis)representation of the all-but-forgotten black slave storytellers.

There were definitely more African-Americans in the deep south than anywhere else we've been in the States, and we payed tribute to this by exploring the River Road African American Museum in Donaldsonville. They've definitely had it tough, and we couldn't help but sympathise with the misplacement, confusion and hurt of these people. We were moved by the way many have stood up for their rights and influenced so much of the American culture we see today.

Heads swimming with our 101 introduction to Southern culture (and food) we decided to take the scenic drive out and up along the Mississippi River. We followed the Natchez Trail from Natchez to Jackson. The trail is an old trade route used by Native Americans and colonials, and a beautiful road to drive. We stopped in a couple of nice State Parks to camp, and Aidan was pretty excited to spot an armadillo shuffling around one night. Interestingly, rather than a focus on conservation of biodiversity and educational nature trails which we enjoyed on the West Coast, these state parks seemed designed more for recreational dams and game hunting. There were even signs warning us from strolling too far into the trees, lest we encounter an eager camouflaged hunter!

The Deep South was definitely worth the drive and we're glad we made it down to this iconic part of America. Although we are ready for the long drive back, we couldn't resist a slight detour to Memphis, especially as they claim to have the best dry-rubbed ribs in the world. Oh America, you are doing your best to fatten us up, or turn us vegetarian... We'll have to wait and see!