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| where I went this month |
Louisiana's history and culture and character all grow out of each other and out of the land around them. For instance, the early settlers - both Native and European - wouldn't have spent much time here if it weren't for the mild climate and abundant wildlife and hospitable geography.
The vast majority of the state seems to be oriented around water in one way or another. There's not just the extensive coastline on the Gulf of Mexico, but also the Mississippi River which defines the boundary with Mississippi state and dumps all its 2,300 miles worth of sediment and so forth onto the Delta. And then there are the other major rivers and the bayous in every corner of the state.
With all this water comes a vast array of wildlife - birds and mammals and reptiles. Large numbers of species of birds either live here year-round or pass through here during spring or fall migration or spend their winters here. They range from egrets and spoonbills and pelicans to freshwater and ocean-going ducks to woodpeckers and blackbirds to little juncos and warblers. There are a variety of snakes and alligators and lizards and frogs. There are any number of freshwater and saltwater fishes and shellfish. And there are bears and deer and skunks and beavers and so forth - and these critters aren't just living here secretively but are frequently sighted.
And the land is diverse enough to support this variety of wildlife. There are swamps and forests and farmland and hills and flat land.
All these natural features encouraged folks from the French and Spanish in New Orleans to the indigenous people in Poverty Point to settle here. This is where the Acadians came when Nova Scotia booted them. More than a century of European pioneers came and settled here because of Louisiana's bounty.
Speaking of bounty, Louisiana is the #1 producer in the country of shrimp. And it may still be #1 in oil production, producing about a quarter of the entire output of the US. LA still produces about 20% of the country's sugar and is second only to North Carolina in sweet potatoes. Not to mention other agriculture and aquaculture products that come from here.
In general, Louisianans are proud of their state - they like living and working here, and they vacation here. They like their history and their unique culture and their natural resources and their food that's found nowhere else in this country.
They drive with a wild disregard for ordinary automotive safety, but they are relatively polite drivers when think about it. Actually, Louisianans in general are like that - not apparently interested in convention but very pleasant and helpful if they notice you need it.
What I didn't see that I wanted to see
I really made an effort to cover most of the state this month, and this map shows I did a pretty good job. It ranks right behind Alabama in size, but maybe its arrangement in a boot, rather than a rectangle, helped me get around to more of it. The weather was much better in February than in December, too.
Still, all that running around was at the cost of missing some things I'd wanted to see. And the flooding across many areas and campgrounds in the state didn't help. Aside from the places I mentioned in my daily posts, here are some of the other things I'd want to come back for.
* The most obvious place I missed was New Orleans. If I'd had more time, and if I hadn't wanted to avoid the Mardi Gras crowds, I could have boarded the dogs and taken a ferry to the city from Bayou Segnette State Park, or even rented a hotel room for a night just so I could walk around the French Quarter before dawn with a cup of coffee and begnettes from Cafe du Monde (my favorite thing to do in that city). Maybe next time through that's not in the month preceding Mardi Gras.
* I'd intended to take a swamp tour - they're offered all along the coastal part of the state. I'm not sure why I didn't, though I was having trouble then separating my fear of the dogs meeting an alligator from my own not-particularly-serious fear of them.
* Sulphur, in far southwestern LA, has a Brimstone Museum, the only museum in the US to spotlight a particular mining process to acquire sulphur (the modern, non-Biblical name for brimstone). In fact, I think the mine here is the world's largest producer of sulphur.
* I'd read that near Alexandria there's a Wild Azalea National Recreational Area, though all I can find online is a Wild Azalea Trail, which has been designated a National Recreation Trail, in the Kisatchie National Forest. It's a narrow 26-mile-long trail through an untouched natural landscape and, while it sounds lovely in the spring when the azaleas bloom, isn't at all what I was expecting. I read about it in a children's book, and this trail doesn't sound like a child's trail to me.
* Shreveport has its flowers, too: the American Rose Center is located there, and I'd have visited except that it was raining when I was there, and this isn't anyway rose-blooming season. But they have 20,000 rose bushes and I'd love to visit at another time of the year. It's the largest park in the country that's dedicated to roses.
My conclusion
I liked Louisiana very much, both the state itself and the people living here. If I didn't have to worry about encounters between my dogs and various forms of wildlife, I'd like to come back. But I'm pretty sure I wouldn't want to live here - I have a feeling the insect population is out of sight any time but winter, and I see no reason to go looking for discomfort. But in the winter, it's been nice.
Rain is common throughout the state throughout the year; it was unfortunate that the state was getting an unusual amount this year, thanks to the unusual weather patterns that are likely the result of climate change. Speaking of which, anyone considering moving to Louisiana to live should give up the idea of living near the Gulf because of rising sea levels. New Orleans itself is already 8' below sea level (hence the need for the levees) - in fact, it's the official lowest point in the state. That situation will only be exacerbated in the coming years, I'd think - and that's likely to be the case throughout the southernmost parts of the state.
But Louisiana has a lot of charm and I can easily see why so many people are so attracted to it. I enjoyed my month here and am delighted to be able to leave without seeing alligators or black bears.
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