Chapter Three Apr 29, 2001 Saturday Mobile, Alabama to Monroe, Louisiana Dave is Working On It We started our day in Mobile, cruising around and catching bagels and coffee near the University of Southern Alabama (USA). Here is Lyn being welcomed to Mississippi. We circled around a little Hattiesburg, then headed onto Jackson. We got a little lost driving around Jackson, and drove through this neighborhood just a few blocks from downtown. It was memorable enough that we wanted to take a picture, but did so with enough subtlety as to not act like tourists at the zoo. We did not know places looking like this were still considered residences in this day and age. Yep, this is the Jackson that Jackson Mississippi is named after. This giant presentation is right downtown just outside the city museum. Of course, on a Saturday afternoon, downtown was just about deserted and parking was plentiful. We had been planning on driving all the way to Shreveport today, staying at the Courtyard, and arriving with enough time to catch a minor league baseball game (Shreveport Swamp Dragons). It became clear that we would never make it and finalized "plan B". We would slow up and spend the night at the Courtyard in Monroe, Louisiana. As we drove west from Jackson, Lyn got on the cellphone and made final arrangements, releasing the room in Shreveport and holding the one in Monroe for late arrival. From Jackson, we drove west to Vicksburg then onto Monroe. We scouted Vicksburg for a hotel, knowing we would cross here again, from north to south, late in our trip (see day 14). We weren't interested in the famous civil war battlefield (maybe later), and the city is now the site of several well advertised casinos. A matter of fact, we decided we would stay at a (cheap) casino hotel on our return visit. This paddlewheel cruiseboat was docked in town, beneath the flood gates, so we took some pictures. We pondered taking a river cruise someday, as it would be a good place, very relaxed and laid back, to write your novel.  We arrived exhausted in Monroe around 7pm. The Courtyard was new and located near the airport, in the outparcel of a mall. We showered and headed out for dinner. The desk attendant and the phone book offered several restaurants and we picked between the "Catfish Cabin" and "Boudreaux's Creole Grill". We ended up at Boudreax's and had a delightful meal with Mike, our server, making the evening wonderful (sorry, Mike, we forgot to take your picture). We had gumbo, jambalaya, dirty rice and etouffe, of course, washed down with a beer for dad and an 'extra large' coke of Jesse. We drove around a bit, drove past Northern Louisiana (NLU -- thanks SueLynn), then headed back to the Courtyard and to bed. Tomorrow would be a long day, driving to Shreveport and all the way to Dallas. We slept well with the warm glow of Cajun food in our tummies. Original Web Upload May 2001 Last Update: November 2, 2001