East Coast 2021:
Day 20 - Natchez, MS

	Wednesday, September 29, 2021: We had a really long day of driving planned, and got on the road at 6:30 AM.
	We passed the exit for the University of Florida. Gators, babe! Hahahahaha.
	Sunrise was very pretty.
	Just as we were leaving I-75 for I-10, we passed this huge solar field belonging Florida Power and Light. It covers more than 500 acres and is quite the sight, especially in the early morning fog.
	A little more than two hours after leaving the hotel, we arrived in Tallahassee, Florida.
	Behold the Florida state capitol building! If this looks modern and boring in comparison with the other state capitol buildings, it might be because this one was built in the 1970s, and is the youngest state capitol building in the United States. If you were expecting something more capitol-y, ...
	... you might want to look out front at the Florida Historic State Capitol building, which is now a museum.
	Just down the street from the capitol was the finish line for the Tallahassee Marathon.
	Back on I-10, we crossed the John M. Dewey Bridge over the Apalachicola River.
	An hour later we crossed over Blackwater Bay, ...
	... and then the impressive Escambia Bay into Pensacola.
	We decided that we would get fast food for lunch, and we stopped at a drive-thru when Debbie noticed that the coffee cup on top of this coffee shop had steam coming out of the top of it. That's some solid marketing right there.
	We were near Pensacola Naval Air Station, home of the Blue Angels, as this bridge proudly reminded us.
	We decided that Whataburger counted as regional fast food, since we can't get it at home.
	And then just like that, we were out of Florida. Welcome to Alabama, state number 45 this year.
	Debbie declared that the gator warning system was going offline now that we were out of Florida. Probably no gators, babe.
	Maersk! We crossed over Mobile Bay and Debbie spotted this Maersk ship at the container port.
	The USS Alabama was looking brand new rather than being almost 80 years old. Her last cruise before becoming a museum ship was to bring 700 servicemen home from Okinawa after the end of World War II.
	We got a good view of the Renaissance Mobile Riverview Plaza hotel (left) and the RSA Tower building (right) before ...
	... heading into a tunnel under the Mobile River.
	We were driving through the skinny part of Alabama, right on the Gulf of Mexico, so it was only 30 minutes or so before we reached the state line. Welcome to Mississippi, the 46th state that we've visited this year.
	We were driving through the Mississippi Gulf Coast National Heritage Area, which encompasses six counties along the Gulf coast of Mississippi that are recognized for their unique cultural and scenic qualities.
	We passed over the Escatawpa River Marsh and Coastal Preserve, ...
	... before stopping at a rest area near that had Mississippi spelled out for visitors in the bathroom wall tile.
	Biloxi, Mississippi, was next, ...
	... and the Jourdan River, ...
	... and then Bienvenue en Louisiane, Welcome to Louisiana, our 47th state this year.
	We weren't quick enough when we first entered the Stennis Space Center's Buffer Zone, but we got the sign when we left it.
	A few minutes after entering Louisiana, we started seeing damage from the recent Hurricane Ida. We saw trees that had been uprooted, collapsing along the road with their root balls intact, ...
	... road signs that had been blown down, ...
	... and road signs that had been battered to the ground by fallen trees.
	Some of the trees were still leaning against the signs, ...
	... giving important clues as to how all of the other signs had been bent.
	This is the Tchefuncte River. Please get out your Louisiana-to-English dictionary to figure out how to pronounce that.
	St. Tammany Parish, where we were driving through, had been hit hard by the hurricane.
	Wow. This RV dealership has two Class Bs on their lot. That's unheard of. We immediately started looking for unicorns in the fields that we passed.
	This triangle of land at an interchange had been brutalized by the storm. Half, if not more, of the trees had been uprooted. Wow.
	Just before 3 PM we entered the outskirts of Baton Rouge.
	We saw this historical marker, which was a Baton Rouge historical marker, not an official state of Louisiana one.
	Behold the Louisiana State Capitol building! At 450 feet tall, it is the tallest capitol building in the United States. It is also one of the newest, with only five capitol buildings built after this one was completed in 1932.
	Nearby Capitol Lake Drive is very scenic, with trees covering the boulevard surrounding the grounds.
	Now this is a genuine state of Louisiana historical marker.
	Here's another view of the Lousiana State Capitol from the south looking northward, with the statue of Huey Long in front of the steps to the front doors. There are 49 granite steps, each with the name of a US state engraved in it, and ordered by the date of their admittance to the United States. Alaska and Hawaii, admitted after the completion of the capitol, share the top step.
	We headed south along the Mississippi River, and saw this scupture along the levee.
	Named "Sing the River," this sculpture is brand new, having been installed in 2020. The sculpture is dedicated to the Baton Rouge centennial, which was celebrated in 2018.
	We drove past Louisiana's Old State Capitol, which is now a museum, ...
	... to see Louisiana's Merci Train boxcar. It is in a shelter on the northeast corner of the museum grounds, so this is as close as we could get to it. It appeared to be in really good shape, with both the US emblem and the emblem of the Merci Train. There were steps visible on the back side of the boxcar, possibly leading to additional displays on the inside.
	On our way out of Baton Rouge, we passed by the Old Governor's Mansion. The resemblence to the White House is intentional, with Governor Huey Long reported to have intentionally duplicated the design so that he would be familiar with the White House when he became president.
	Several states ago, Tom had mentioned that he hadn't noticed all of the Rotary Club signs in every town that we drove through. Debbie pointed them out to him, and from that point on, he couldn't not see them. You may notice that this Adopt a Road sign is sponsored by the Baker Rotary Club.
	If you're going to get fast food in Louisiana, we think it has to be from Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen. It's right there in the name.
	Debbie got the two piece dark meat with fries, and Tom got a five piece tenders, mild. Normally he would get them spicy, but since we still had hours of driving until we got to the hotel, he got mild. It was the responsible thing to do.
	The rain started as we crossed back into Mississippi, ...
	... and we drove up Highway 61, The Blues Highway.
	We're starting to suspect that every road in America is part of the Purple Heart Trail, they just haven't put up all of the signs yet.
	This Adopt-a-Highway sign seemed to be more of a directive, as in "Adopt a highway, America!" The red, white, and blue color scheme of the sign was very patriotic, but it didn't seem to be specific to Mississippi.
	We arrived at our hotel for this evening just before 6 PM. We were staying in the historic Natchez Grand Hotel in Natchez, Mississippi. We had a Superior King Jacuzzi Balcony River View room, ...
	... which featured, naturally, a king-sized bed, a jacuzzi tub, ...
	... a balcony, ...
	... one of only three full balconies in the hotel, ...
	... and a view of the Mississippi River.
	The hotel faces the Natchez Bluff Walking Trail, which is a very nice green space right across the street.
	There were two sets of doors back to the suite, and if it hadn't been raining, we could have had them open for views of the river from the jacuzzi.
	These beautiful people sure are happy to have this room.
	Debbie had booked the "Gal-Pal Getaway Summer Package," which came with a mimosa kit, a spa gift bag, and a discount on the room. That's right, they gave us free stuff AND charged us less. Are they doing that right?
	We fired up the jacuzzi, made some mimosas, and enjoyed a nice romantic soak in the tub.  Day 21 >