Nathan got an extra special birthday present this year. It started out as a very special present because he was going to go to the LSU/South Carolina football game in Columbia. He had only been asking for this as a present for about 3 years. So we thought, sure. Then the flood hit Columbia and the Wednesday before the game, it was moved to Louisiana!!
Well this actually made Nathan a little excited because he has also wanted to see LSU play in Tiger Stadium, We weren't sure at first if we could do it because Dave had work obligations that made it impossible for him to go. But we pooled all of Nathan's birthday money (and some of our own) and hit the road.
Nathan and I left Friday at 11:30. We drove all the way to Moss Point, Mississippi that night. We made the obligatory stops at welcome centers (especially the Florida one with free OJ and a Shutterfly book), and arrived for a much needed night's sleep around 11:00. To make the time pass, we listened to murder mysteries. We had finished one and started on a second at this point!
The Florida Welcome Center (the MS one was closed for renovation)
To make sure we would arrive on time, we got up around 6, ate a quick breakfast, started our audio book, and left MS for LA. Because we were so close to it, we decided to add 30 extra minutes of drive time and go through New Orleans. We had about 30 minutes to look around. We wanted to get beignets, but the only place that we could find that sold them was very crowded. So we opted for buttermilk drops (big round donuts) that were very delicious. New Orleans is a unique town that I am sure would be fun to take the time to explore, but I have to say this, though, is it is not like Charleston!!
We finally made it to LA!
Lots of water in this part of the country!
New Orleans
Bourbon Street
After our brief detour, we finally made it to the outskirts of the LSU campus. We saw a sign at a church for $20 parking and free for South Carolina. We got to park free, but at first the man said only for SC fans and with our purple shirts, we didn't look like Gamecocks! After I told him we had just driven from SC, and he saw our license plate, he did give us free parking.
Never have seen pineapple Fanta before!?!
Off to the bookstore was our first stop to buy Nathan a shirt and windbreaker. We ate lunch at the student union and ice cream at the LSU dairy, and took our seats to await the big game. Seats that were good for seeing the game, but bad if you didn't want to get sunburned!
Gamecock cheerleaders
Nathan's favorite player...Leonard Fournette
Flying the SC flag!!
The team warming up
Fournette again, warming up
The marching band
The game was fun for Nathan, even if I did embarrass him by cheering for SC when they made the 100 yard touchdown :) But I had to cheer for our state since there were so few Gamecock fans! After a decisive win, we looked around the other side of the stadium where they house Mike, the real tiger mascot.
What Nathan wants for his 16th birthday...I don't think so!
Mike
Our last glimpse of the stadium.
We then tried to find a place to eat in downtown Baton Rouge, but were unsuccessful. So we went to a seafood restaurant that was recommended to us. Tired and hungry, we were very glad the hour wait was only 30 minutes! Crab and crawfish au gratin, and fish were on the very tasty menu for us.
The Mississippi River in downtown Baton Rouge
Then off to bed in our second hotel. Nathan was convinced he was going to stay up late with the TV muted and watch baseball. He was asleep in 10 minutes! Good thing, because the next day we had to drive 12 hours again and listen to the end of our second murder mystery. We started a third, but never finished it. I guess we need another road trip!!
