Lots of miles today!

We woke up this morning in Natchitoches, LA, and will be sleeping tonight in Pensacola, FL (so, Miss Doozie is adding a state to those she has visited while we have owned her).

On our way out of Natchitoches, we saw the Ox Box Lake, Cane River Lake. It was very beautiful. Dwayne had read yesterday that it was formed when the Red River moved further east, but we looked up information this evening about that happening:

The Americans wanted to clear the Red River Raft to make the river navigable all the way into Arkansas Territory. Captain Henry Shreve of the Army Corps of Engineers was given this task, and the first of many clearings was completed by 1839. Gradually, the loss of this natural dam forced the river to shift its course, and in a matter of years, Natchitoches found itself on the banks of an isolated oxbow lake. The river had moved to the east.

From: http://www.redriverhistorian.com/natchitochesla.html

We tried staying on US highways rather than the interstate, and as long as Patti was driving, all was well. But soon after Dwayne took over the wheel, the road became rougher than a dirt road, and after a brave number of miles of that, we bailed and went back to the interstate.

I-10 took us across the Atchafalaya Basin. Wikipedia says that I-10 has an 18.2 mile continuous bridge over this area. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atchafalaya_Basin

After passing north of New Orleans on I-12, and crossing into Mississippi, we decided to try a "scenic route" on US 90 that headed right along the gulf coast. For a while it wasn't very scenic, but after we crossed the bridge from Bay St Louis to Pass Christian, it was really beautiful. There were pullouts that were Miss Doozie capable, so we stopped to walk on the beach. Miss Kitty generally *loves* to roll in soft sand, so we took her onto the beach with her harness on.

When we got out near the water, the gulls were swooping down on us - we finally decided that they were after Miss Kitty! She was concerned and wanted in Dwayne's lap!

Or under his leg - anywhere that the gulls couldn't get to her!

Miss Doozie parked at the road and two beautiful homes right on the gulf (well, across the beach and the road, but would have great views of the gulf!).

Looking down the beach toward the west.

Looking up the beach toward the east. Dwayne said that there was an island out there called "Cat Island" but Miss Kitty didn't find it.

Exploring sea grass on the way back toward the bus...

and exploring a fence post...

Maybe they put this here to be a scratching post?

Boy-o-boy, soft white sand to roll in...

Dwayne went back out with some bread crusts to offer to the gulls. He had surmised that might have been why they were dive bombing on us, but they didn't seem to care about the bread.

Beautiful wetlands area in Mississippi just before entering Alabama.

More wetlands

More wetlands

We had thought about going to Pascagoula to look for the "church" of Ray Stevens' fame.

Take time to listen here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K16fG1sDagU
If you aren't tapping your toes and smiling, you might want to check that your heart is beating!  ;-)

Keeping on heading east, we entered "Sweet Home Alabama"...

Near Mobile, the USS Alabama is docked and available for tours.

Mobile Bay