Greetings from Abita Springs, LA!

Run Stats:
Day: 79
Miles Completed: 304.3
Miles to San Diego: 1795.7
Avg Miles/Day: 3.9
Estimated San Diego Arrival Date: 22 June 2017
Marathons Completed: 11.8
Playlist Favs: Summit Church (J.D. Greear) & Passion City Church (L. Giglio) podcasts
Shoes: Skora Tempo/Fit
Guest Runners: None

Bible Verse of the Day: For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-discipline. - 2 Timothy 1:7

Run Reflections: When I complete my run this afternoon, I will have reached the town of Abita Springs, LA. This was not an originally planned destination but, after reviewing mileage and potential destinations this week, I decided to change course and follow I-12 west along the north side of Lake Ponchatrain instead of following I-10 down to/through New Orleans. Weather in Abita Springs today is cloudy/overcast with a projected high of 67 degrees. Low tonight will be 45. It's been a better running week and it looks like I'll get close to 30 miles completed, running 6 of the 7 days including a run in the rain yesterday. Having the extra hour of sunlight after work certainly helps. Today I plan to share some info on the town of Abita Springs and a really cool travel web site I found during this weeks research.

Abita Springs: Abita Springs was originally a Choctaw Indian village, taking its name from nearby medicinal springs. The Choctaw burial and execution grounds, which were in use up until around 1880, are located nearby. I have included a picture of their town logo that represents their heritage. Abita Springs is home to the Abita brewing company and I found the best description and story about the town from their web site (www.abita.com). Here's what it said:

"For centuries the local Choctaw Indians knew about the healing powers of the water found in what is now known as Abita Springs.

This story is of a young Spaniard named Henriques who lived in Louisiana during the late 1790s. While hunting along the shores of Lake Pontchartrain, he met a beautiful Choctaw girl and persuaded the chief to allow them to marry. After bringing her home to New Orleans, Henriques watched his wife grow pale and weak, and soon he realized that she was very ill.

None of the local doctors could cure her so Henriques finally consulted the Choctaw's medicine man. The young woman was carried to the spring and left there with only a hammock, food and a dipper to drink from the spring.

When Henriques returned, to his amazement, his wife was totally well and the water's fame as a curative began to spread.

Word of the wonderful water spread to neighboring communities and in 1887, the first railroad arrived to the area. Boarding houses, hotels and restaurants were soon constructed to accommodate visitors. In 1903, the town of Abita Springs was formally organized and later chartered in 1912.

This small, south Louisiana town is a 20th-Century anachronism. Located in the heart of the piney woods north of Lake Ponchatrain near New Orleans, the town boasts a traffic circle, four churches and two schools. It is the kind of town that hardly exists anymore. Streets are tucked beneath a thick canopy of live oaks flanked by beautiful turn-of-the-century raised cottages.

The town is centered on the historic “Tourist Park”. Funds donated by the Abita Brewing Company helped restore and revitalize the park. The park houses a museum, amphitheatre, playground, fountain and historic pavilion. The park also serves as a trailhead for the Tammany Trace, a “rails-to-trails” project that wanders for 30 miles through St. Tammany Parish.

Abita beer started as a microbrewery in 1986 and is a recognized brand in the southeast that is as unique as the town. Their beer is brewed with the pure water from the local springs and is recognized for their variety of flavors and styles. In addition to their regular "flagship" brews, they also offer seasonal and harvest selections such as Mardi Gras Bock, Louisiana Spiced Ales, Grapefruit IPA and Strawberry Lager.

Per wikipedia, another attraction of interest in Abita Springs is the UCM Museum (pronounced "you see 'em", and also known as the "Abita Mystery House"). The museum features an eclectic collection of antiques (particularly electronics and arcade games) and dozens of examples of proprietor John Preble's folk art, which ranges from the whimsical to the macabre. I found and included a picture of their road side sign that I found on their web site.

In looking for information about Abita Springs this week, I came across a really cool web site: http://www.roadsideamerica.com which describes itself as: "Your Online Guide to Offbeat Tourist Attractions." The site is full of stories and inputs from travelers that describe the distinct sights and sounds of our great country that they describe as "a caramel-coated-nutbag-full of odd and hilarious travel destinations ready for exploration." Here's a link from their site on the UCM mystery house: http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/12 397. If you're planning a trip this spring break or summer, you might want to check out this site for potential things to see along the way.

As you can see, Abita Springs seems like a really cool place and I'm glad I changed my route to virtually pass through here. I really enjoy learning about the history of these cities and to get a sense of the culture of the areas I am passing through. I hope you are enjoying it too.

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this and for all the supportive and encouraging comments. Have a great week!

God Bless,

Pat