50 States, Day 318

  Natchez to Baton Rouge  102 MIles

"The last of the human freedoms is to choose one's attitudes."

~Viktor Frankl

Baton Rouge means red stick. They have some theories why, but no one really knows. 

We rode South on 61 all the way to BR without stopping, no potty breaks, no sightseeing nothing, just a marathon of riding. We arrived exhausted and spent, but went to the Capitol anyway, where we were greeted with dazzling azaleas, green grass and trees in leaf.  

Once again my expectations were low, because eight months ago people in North Dakota told me that their Capitol was similar to Louisiana's. Wrong! The Southern one, the highest in the country, not only looked far better than ND's, but also gave us a ride to the observation deck with stunning views of the city and the Mississippi River.

 

Louisiana's Capitol chose to be different than any other Southern state and ignored the Civil War. Yet later the state museum a block away alluded to it and referred to Stowe's book, 'Uncle Tom's Cabin,' which indicated if a slave got sold to Louisiana, his life took a real turn for the worse. Hence the phrase, 'Sold down the river.' Between that phrase and the Baton Rouge translation, you should rock it on Jeopardy. Remember to answer in the form of  a question.  

Huey Long was a big story. A former governor and then a senator, he stood up for the little guy, also got tons of infrastructure built in LA and was responsible for the construction of the Capitol building. A doctor confronted him and things heated up quickly, and the stories were muddy, but the doctor supposedly shot Long, and his bodyguards put sixty shots into the doctor. Thorough bodyguards, wouldn't want to risk it with forty shots or less. Somehow he died. Two days later, Long passed too. They erected a huge statue of him and buried him on the front lawn.  

We headed to the state museum, very interesting as it displayed aspects of Louisiana, like farming and plantations, slavery, the importance of the Mississippi River, and Mardi Gras. Being from Vegas, I've seen some pretty crazy stuff, but Mardi Gras looks like it gets rather mad. 

We finished and rode in warm sunshine to the motel that leaves the light on for ya. If you're in snow country, I assure you that spring is headed your way, from the South. 

And now, completely sane, Quilter Girl! 

The Baton Rouge capitol building was awesome.  The money that was saved on the exterior was invested on the interior, at least on the first floor.  The House and Senate chambers were open so we could see and take pictures, then we went around the corner to see where Huey Long was shot.  After that we took the fast elevator ride up 27 floors to the Observation Deck. 

 

Because the sun was out and this grass was so green we wandered through the extensive grounds enjoyed the azaleas that were blooming all over the grounds.  Now, with full bellies from the nearby Cracker Barrel, we are leaving the door open to enjoy every possible minute of the sunshine.   

QG

Tomorrow, New Orleans. Pronounced 'Nawlins.' Locals have told me it drives them crazy when people pronounce it New Orleans. I'll do ma beyest.