We haven't flown together since our 2nd Vienna visit in December 2018. We had flights booked to San Diego in March 2020, but Covid put a stop to that. So this was a trip to test our willingness to fly once again. Deb has an autoimmune disease, so we both wore masks on the flights.
Our flight from Detroit to New Orleans was on Delta Airlines. There is a one hour time difference between the cities, as Detroit is on Eastern Time and New Orleans is on Central Time. Both places are on Daylight Savings Time. Detroit is a very easy airport to fly from and into. Terminal A is one mile long however, so some walking is usually in order. There is a sky train as well as several faster moving walkways. The departing visitor first emerges in the exact centre of the terminal, eliminating half the distance to the required gate. We were flying on Delta's budget fare, and other than sitting towards the back of the plane, we had no problems. Snacks and soft drinks were free, as was the screen with supplied headphones, offering hundreds of movies and series choices. We travelled with carry on luggage only, as we were heading to a warmer climate and able to pack light. Both flights were quick (about 2 hours each way) and quiet, though our descent back into Detroit was quite bumpy for a time.
This was our first visit to Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida. We spent our first and last night in Metairie, a suburb of New Orleans and on the south shore of vast Lake Ponchartrain. We had a good look at the lake as we flew in that first evening. We rented a vehicle from Budget, which involved a fairly lengthy bus ride. After getting the car we headed to a Whole Foods store not far from the hotel, buying and eating our supper as well as purchasing some food for the long drives ahead. Though we flew to our destination this was to be mostly a road trip. We were hoping to explore two prehistoric sites, as well as reach 4 new state highpoints. In addition, a few new cities would be visited. New Orleans itself would finish up the trip for us later on.
Day Two of the trip was our first big driving day. There would be five of these in a row. We drove 330 miles on the Wednesday, from New Orleans to Monroe, staying withing the boundaries of Louisiana. Most days we only had one main goal to achieve. Today's was to reach the highest point in Louisiana. It is called Driskill Mountain, and would be 535' above sea level. Leaving Metairie that morning, we averaged about 16' above sea level. We drove west all morning, along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, glimpsed at times from the car. I 10 is the same interstate highway that passes through El Paso TX, Las Cruces, Deming and Lordsburg NM, and Tucson and Phoenix AZ. So we were familiar with the highway number, though this was pretty much at the extreme opposite of a desert drive.
A long stretch of I 10 is over open water. Two lanes in each direction are mounted on concrete stilts about 50' above the water. The highway is really like a canal, only with cars and trucks speeding atop it. On either side of us was a watery forest, dense and thick. Palmetto trees bordered much of the forest, which consisted of deciduous and cypress/cedar type trees. There were also tall and very slender pine trees.
We bypassed Baton Rouge, the state capitol, aiming west towards Lafayette. I 10 eventually returns to solid ground, though the altitude is still very low. We turned north onto I 49 at Lafayette, and began to notice more and more pine trees. Louisiana is a logging area, and the further north we drove, the more logging trucks we saw.
After Alexandria, we were on a direct line for the state highpoint. We drove through part of Kisatchie National Forest. During most of our week-long drive there was forest on either side of the highway. We did see some rice fields, but agriculture seemed less intense than in the Midwest. The roads were always in good to very good shape, including the interstates.
Our first highpoint was the only one where we had to hike to reach it--the other three were drive up sites.
There is an alternate trail that includes a false summit, but we stayed on the main path. We were alone the entire time. It was fun being back in the woods, and even walking uphill again. Though never steep, there is a nice pull at the very end, leaving us puffing at the top. There is a bench with a view across the forest to another hill in the distance. There is a guest book to sign at the top, and a small board with info. The founder of the US Highpoint Society has had his ashes scattered at the top. It is a quiet, peaceful spot, and we lingered awhile before heading back to the car. It had been a lengthy drive getting here, but we had accomplished our first goal with no setbacks.
Monroe Louisiana was a short drive from Driskill Mtn. We had a hotel booked here for the night, as it was close to tomorrow's main goal. There were two brew pubs in town. We had selected Flying Tiger Brewery, owned and operated by army veterans. They had advertised on their website pizzas with vegan cheese available. We had worked up a thirst and an appetite on our hike. I got a flight of 4 small beer while Deb went to order the pizza. They were out of vegan cheese. Strike one. At least the beer was very good, and we sat contemplating our loss. Afterwards we took an evening stroll through the downtown area, even getting a good view of the Ouachita River. Across the river was the town of West Monroe, home to the second brewery we had noted. After our walk we headed to Flying Heart Brewery, where good beer and some fun company awaited us.
Though unplanned, our visit to this second brewery turned into a lengthy and fun time. We ended up getting pizza here without any cheese, as well as another flight. It was pub quiz night. We sat at the bar, where another couple was participating. When the questions turned into an Astronomy theme, I was their man! Later on Deb helped them out with some cooking question answers. They ended taking up 3rd place in a packed house! We got to talk with those people at the bar, and had an enjoyable stay. We left about 8 pm and headed to our first road motel, a Quality Inn. We were in bed early, with several more big days ahead.
Mapman Mike
