Deep South Trip Day 1: Texas to Lafayette LA

For my first day of driving, I planned to drive from Austin to Lafayette, Louisiana. I double checked to make sure everything was packed in the car. I wanted to make sure I didn't miss anything for the long road trip I was about to take. With the boxes I was going to take to Michael, the car was a pretty tight fit.

Car backseat packed with travel gear including laptop, cardboard box, water bottle, and luggage, viewed from inside vehicle Dark interior view of car front seats and center console with bags and personal items visible in dim lighting Cardboard box with handwritten text wrapped in clear plastic sits on car seat in low light Car trunk containing red and white cooler, blue jacket, and orange bag with travel supplies

I pulled the 2017 Focus out of the garage. I then let it update the Sirius Radio and pulled the 2007 Focus into the garage.

Car dashboard display showing SIRIUS update at 95% progress with temperature reading of 64°F at 7:22 Black SUV parked in single-car garage with cardboard box visible on floor and fallen leaves near door

I closed the garage door and hit the road. It was a bit of a cloudy day.

Closed white garage door with scattered brown leaves on black driveway Overcast winter sky with bare trees silhouetted against gray clouds in residential neighborhood Cloudy winter sky over apartment complex parking area with bare and evergreen trees visible GPS navigation device mounted on car dashboard showing map with Continue to Road instruction and 445' distance indicator

Today I would take all the back roads to Louisiana. The two-lane highways would take me through all the little towns along the way. The scenery of the rural areas would be a lot less generic than if I stayed on the interstate.

Dramatic cloudy sky at dawn or dusk over rural highway with utility poles and barn silhouette visible Straight rural highway stretching into bright sunny distance with oil drilling rig visible on horizon Small town main street view with utility poles, small blue building, and Dollar General sign visible under cloudy sky Two-lane rural highway with yellow center line stretching straight ahead through open countryside with power lines overhead Water tower rises above tree line under dramatic cloudy sky along rural highway

As I started to get into East Texas it became more wooded.

Two-lane highway through pine forest with vehicle ahead visible on road under partly cloudy sky

You could also tell you were in East Texas by the liquor stores in the middle of nowhere.

Roadside business with Lil Ants Star Liquor sign advertising Hot Wings & Sodas along rural Texas highway

You could also tell you were in a rural area by all the Dollar Generals you passed. It seems Dollar General is a staple of small-town Texas.

Commercial strip with Dollar General store and other businesses along highway, bare winter trees visible

The woods eventually turned into a huge lake. I saw that Lake Livingston was pretty big overall. I might have to explore it soon!

Rural highway stretching straight ahead through dense pine forest with vehicle in distance View from passenger side of car showing side mirror with body of water visible in distance beyond highway View through car window of large body of water beyond concrete highway barrier on overcast day Curving two-lane highway through rural area with green grass shoulders and trees under partly cloudy sky Highway approaching large body of water with guardrail, road signs, and bare trees visible on overcast winter day View from inside car showing dashboard and large body of water visible through windshield under gray cloudy sky Long concrete causeway bridge spanning across wide body of water with truck ahead on roadway under cloudy sky Side view of coastal highway with concrete barrier, turquoise water visible beyond barrier in motion blur Small waterfront town with vehicles on main road, lake visible in background under cloudy sky

Soon I was back to big trees again. This time I could see some swamps.

Winding two-lane highway through dense pine forest under dramatic cloudy sky Flooded area beside highway with standing water reflecting cloudy sky, pickup truck parked near prominent tree View through metal truss bridge structure spanning river, geometric pattern of steel beams creating tunnel effect

I made it to my first stop of the day, Jasper, TX. Here I stopped at a Brookshire Brothers. I filled up the car and had lunch. I ate a meatloaf sandwich and washed it down with an energy drink.

Strip mall parking lot with several vehicles parked in front of stores under heavy gray storm clouds Jimmy John's meatloaf sandwich in paper wrapper next to plastic bag containing chips and drinks on car seat Opened aluminum beverage can with yellow pull tab resting in car cup holder

After eating and relaxing a bit, it was time to hit the road again. The clouds looked a little more threatening this time.

Busy urban intersection with multiple traffic lights, vehicles, and commercial buildings under stormy gray sky

While the clouds were threatening, there wasn't any bad weather. I kept driving until I hit Louisiana. One thing I was going to miss was the 70-75mph (110-120kmh) speed limits of Texas. Louisiana's slowed down to 55mph (90kmh).

Highway with Welcome to Louisiana sign visible along roadside under overcast sky with bare winter trees

Northern Louisiana seemed very wooded and got flatter as I drove south. In many ways, it reminded me of when I drove from Winnipeg to Thunder Bay (minus the potential for blizzards). The difference in the Winnipeg to Thunder Bay drive is it started with flat and open areas. It then got more wooded. This drive started wooded and then got flat.

Straight rural highway through pine forest under gray cloudy sky with speed limit sign visible Rural highway with RV ahead on road, dense forest on both sides under threatening dark storm clouds

It was flat enough that there were sugar cane and rice fields. I even saw a crop duster spraying those fields.

Storm clouds over flat agricultural landscape with green field and power lines along rural highway Small yellow crop duster airplane flying low over green agricultural field near highway under stormy sky

When I was driving I saw some people riding horses into town. The funny thing is I rarely see this around Texas.

Small town street with pedestrian in yellow clothing walking on roadside near parked vehicles and businesses

I kept driving and saw more rice paddies.

View from car window showing extensive flooding in open field with standing water and dead vegetation under overcast sky Straight rural highway stretching into distance through flat agricultural landscape with power lines under partly cloudy sky Side view from moving car of green agricultural field with power lines along roadside under gray cloudy sky Roadside view of flooded area with bare winter trees partially submerged in standing water under dark storm clouds Rural highway with extensive flooded fields visible on right side, water reflecting bright sky with white clouds Small boat parked on grassy area beside calm body of water with power lines and blue sky with puffy clouds

Soon, I was getting close to Lafayette.

Wide highway with overpass and blank electronic sign visible under partly cloudy sky in flat landscape

Instead of turning and taking the interstate, I kept going straight to continue on the back roads.

Rural two-lane highway through tree-lined corridor with residential building visible on right under blue sky Elevated highway bridge or causeway with tall concrete barriers on both sides and bare trees visible beyond Motion-blurred view from car showing lake or reservoir with winter trees along shoreline under blue sky Straight rural highway through flat open landscape with scattered trees and puddles under partly cloudy blue sky Traffic at intersection with white pickup truck and red sedan waiting at traffic light under clear blue sky

My uncle actually lives in Youngsville. I got there with a little time to spare, so I headed over to Nunu's Fresh Market. Nunu's is a local grocery store that my uncle recommended for finding local products.

Exterior of NuNu's Fresh Market building with gray walls and entrance canopy on sunny day

I found a treasure trove of local products!

Four Louisiana food items arranged on car seat - hot sauce, salsa jar, coffee bag, and canned drink

After Nunu's, I headed to my uncle's. Their dogs decided to say hi.

White standard poodle with fluffy coat standing on hardwood floor in kitchen, mouth open in happy expression Blurred photo of white dog in motion walking across hardwood floor in home interior

After a little bit, my cousins and their families showed up. It was good to see everyone again since my last visit to Lafayette was in 2015. We all started to catch up and relax a bit.

One thing about Southern Hospitality is you don't go hungry. If you do, it's your fault. My Aunt Connie started making some crawfish étouffée. In the meantime, we munched on appetizers. I brought some Yellowbird hot sauce from Austin. Everyone was putting it on everything, including celery.

Hands preparing food on granite counter, squeezing liquid from container onto celery stick, chips and dip visible

I cracked open a beer, and suddenly a Cosmopolitan Blue Martini appeared. I had to double fist it for a while!

Dunkin Donuts box, energy drink, and large wine glass filled with bright blue liquid on granite counter

Before you know it, the food was done!

Large pot of dark brown gumbo cooking on gas stovetop with ladle, garlic bread visible beside stove Aluminum pan lined with garlic bread slices sprinkled with herbs, bowl of mashed potatoes on granite counter Three serving bowls on granite counter containing white rice, cooked greens, and mashed potatoes with decorative canisters in background

I loaded up my plate!

Blue decorative plate with gumbo over rice, mashed potatoes, and garlic bread slice on granite counter

The crawfish étouffée was out of this world! In Central Wisconsin, Cajun food is almost unheard of. Even in Austin, it is harder to find (you really have to go to East Texas). I have had crawfish étouffée in Austin at Papadeaux, but it didn't even compare. You bet I was back for seconds!

Close-up of blue decorative plate with generous serving of seafood gumbo with shrimp over white rice

I was pretty stuffed when dessert came out. It was a King Cake. This is another local Louisiana thing. The King Cake is an extremely rich cake. It is made for the Mardi Gras celebrations to indulge before Lenten fasting starts. Inside is a little plastic baby that is supposed to represent Jesus. Some traditions have it that the person who gets the baby in their piece of cake buys the next cake.

King cake in cardboard box decorated with purple, green, and yellow icing in traditional Mardi Gras colors Single slice of king cake with green icing on decorative plate showing cake's interior texture

My first day on the road had a lot of driving through the back roads of Texas and Louisiana. Besides my stop in Jasper, I pretty much drove the rest of it through. It was good to get to Lafayette and see my aunt, uncle, and cousins. After sitting around and talking for a while, everyone left. It was starting to get late, and we needed to get to bed because the next day was planned to be exciting!

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