5/13/12 - We left the hotel at 8 AM today and drove through Destin to Pensacola, through small beach towns, some lined with concrete condos 20-25 stories high. It reminded me of Miami, though on a smaller scale. The beaches that we could see were very nice, with light colored sand. And some areas reminded us of Old Orchard Beach in Maine...coastal, touristy, and sometimes tacky.

The word for today is BAYOU. I have never seen so many raised roadways/bridges. Some of them went on for miles over swamps, marshes, lakes and rivers. An interesting thing to note...between the eastbound and westbound roads, there was often a channel for small boats to travel the same route...like a water road.

We then drove out of Florida and into Mobile, Alabama. Mobile was a mix of beauty and industry. This city, with its high rises, is located in a protected bay off of the gulf. We saw a huge ship yard with wet and dry dock, and a field of shipping containers which we assume were unloaded from
cargo ships. The bridge crossing over the bay into the city provided with so much to see, it was impossible to take it all in.

We proceeded through Alabama and Mississippi into Louisiana. And more bayous and raised roadways, sometimes through what seemed like desolate forests, for there were few exits and no rest stops and you know what that means. But along the way was New Orleans. Dad took me into the French Quarter and we drove around for the better part of an hour taking in the sights and sounds of Bourbon St. and the surrounding neighborhood. It was ugly yet charming, noisy yet pleasing to the ear. People told me I would smell beer and urine. I can't say that I did, but I smelled horses...the ones that pull the carriages through the streets, and strangely enough, a strong odor of nail polish. ??? Was someone sniffing something?

After leaving the city, we headed to Baton Rouge were we arrived at 4 PM. I was tired when we arrived, and apologized for being cranky about the room, which was old and shabby and not very comfortable. La Quinta is not on my list of preferred hotels. Dad is now having his turn at being snippy. Oh, well.

And this is how I spent my Mothers Day. :-)