We drove from Birmingham to Lafayette, La. Google Maps says you can do that in just over six-and-a-half hours. I missed the turn onto I-12, so that meant we went through New Orleans. This unfortunate turn of events means I caught rush hour in New Orleans and in Baton Rouge. And also rain from Baton Rouge on. And I had to get there by 7 p.m.
So we drove fast, me and three students. All through Mississippi and most of Louisiana we read Wikipedia facts of the various small towns aloud. It was a lot more fun than it should have been.
We saw this mural just outside of Pachuta, Miss.
Some 245 people live in Pachuta. Here is the town hall, library AND fire department.
Anyway, we were all very ready to be out of the car. Very ready. We were in the car for more than eight hours and ade it in time, but only just. I dropped the students off, took our sports writer to the University of Louisiana-Lafayette Cajundome where he was covering a Troy-ULL basketball game for a sportswriting contest.
We had dinner, gumbo and amazing red beans and rice. We checked in to the Hilton. Here’s my view from the 14th floor of the Hilton, Lafayette:
I did run tonight. I got six miles in, a nice little 10K at almost midnight. I do not know what is happening. I feel like my new shoes are officially broken in:
Aren’t they unattractive?
Tomorrow the Southeast Journalism Conference begins in earnest. I have to be awake again in a few hours.
