Thursday, May 15, 2014

Louisiana in the Spring

A cold rain is falling here on the Prairie today.  Let's think about Louisiana in the Spring!

A March motor home delivery to Hammond, LA gave us some "spring" while waiting for the weather to change in Iowa.  We left Iowa with a dirty, brown landscape accented with scattered piles of  snow waiting to melt.  But the sunrise was beautiful.

"Corsair," an audio book by Clive Cussler is our traveling companion on this trip. 

Slept to the sound of rain falling on the roof.  On the road early under a full moon to drive through St. Louis.  People commuting to work make a steady, unending, three lane wide stream of white lights. The ramps show a single lane of white lights flowing into the wider stream!  

As we travel south daylight reveals limestone cliffs lining the Interstate. Soft blues, pinks and purples of dawn show over the bluffs. Thanking the Lord for creating a pretty world, for giving men knowledge to make it useful.  For giving us "eyes" to see and an opportunity to enjoy!

Acres and acres of fields line both sides I-55 south.  Green grass in ditches and scattered fields!  Blue skies and sunshine, but a motor home's enemy, wind, to deal with!!

Nearing Memphis the skyline is filled with planes landing and taking off.  A busy day at the airport!

I-55 runs right through the middle of the state of Mississippi.  The bright yellow daffodil blooms, white blossoms on ornamental pear trees and white saucer shaped blossoms on the magnolia trees accent the rows and rows of tall southern pine trees that line the interstate.

A wash and delivery to dealer, but a long, long wait behind several other new trailers being delivered.

A drive through the country looking for Zemmurray Gardens. Stopped to ask directions and locals said it had been damaged by the last hurricane and not reopened for the public.  Disappointed! yes!  Traveling along the gulf in the past we have seen many attractions destroyed by the last hurricanes.

Headed north, watching  the airplanes and big rigs spreading fertilizer and spraying in preparation for planting.  

Stopped at New Madrid and walked along the Mississippi River Walk.  Barges were being pushed up river and being loaded at a facility along the river. We have visited the museum. The information on the earthquake is interesting since we have not experienced one.   We have also visited the Hunter Dawson Home on a past trip.  It gives a picture of life in this area. 

The Trail of Tears  passed through this area.  Some of the Cherokee being relocated were packed on flatboats and pulled down river by paddle-boats supposedly to make the trip easier.  Some were also loaded on the steamboats and many perished in riverboat crashes.

A cannon sits along the walk way, a reminder of a Civil War Battle fought at Island # 10.  It sits in the middle of the river at this location.  Named #10 because it is the tenth one from the Ohio River!

Thanks to cable in our motel at Hannibal, MO we did have the opportunity to watch ISU Cyclones play NC East and win the Playoff Basketball game!

Back to winter coats and wind chill and snowbanks in the morning as we near the  Iowa border.

Thanks for traveling with us!
Prairie Schooners