I left the Holiday Inn in Lafayette around 10am since I knew it wouldn't take me that long to get to New Orleans. I have to say the drive between Lafayette and NoLa is one of the most interesting that I have had so far on this trip. The countryside is true Louisana Bayou, with flat land, tall trees lining the road and multiple little bayous that you can see from the road. I wished for a small boat so I could explore. Just before reaching Baton Rouge, there is a stretch of causeway that runs through a swamp for about 5 miles. The water was perfectly still, reflecting the sky and clouds. The swamp was full of tree stumps and live trees, which made me wonder how they could survive submerged. It looked so mysterious! In addition, the causeway was perfectly straight, so you could see for miles. At one point I even saw a huge bird fly above me that was bright pink. At first I was confused, but I looked closer and realized it was a flamingo!
When you reach Baton Rouge you cross the mighty Mississippi, which is indeed large and fast-flowing. You get a quick glimpse of some barges for shipping, but not much else of Baton Rouge as the 10 splits off and heads southeast towards NoLa. As you get closer to the coast, the road passes Lake Pontchartrain, which is huge. The road passes along the southern coast of the lake and I couldn't see the other shore. There are also more swamps and bayous.
I am staying at the W in the French Quarter which is just too nice. I know it is more than I have been spending for other hotels, but their service is utterly top notch and they really make me feel welcome. Anytime I call for something they always call me Miss Mitchell and the staff are going overboard to keep me happy. I would just like to point out that the last time I stayed at the W in Scottsdale, I was not impressed with the service, but here they have so far been excellent.
I am off to lunch at Cafe Masperos and to walk around the French Quarter so as to enjoy this gorgeous day! I will update more later!
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So what is the attraction of Cafe Masperos? The section of I-10 you describe does sound unique, certainly unlike any other interstate highway section. I wonder, is Lake Pontchartrain 100% fresh water, or is it brackish? What was the volume of traffic in that section of the highway? Cool that you saw a flamingo, but odd it was alone.
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