Ramblings From the South: Day 1

Tonight marks the initial moments of my family's vacation in the Deep South, more specifically Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. As an excuse to blog again as well as have, and share, a chronicle of our adventure, I'll try to do a nightly review of our day's adventures - the places we stopped, the food we ate, the observations I made.

It's only been a few hours since we landed in New Orleans' Louis Armstrong International Airport, so I can't say much has happened. Already, there have already been multiple sightings of Drew Brees jerseys and I've tried to read the French translations on the occasional signs, but it's been uneventful beyond that, if you can even call those two "eventful." Our shuttle bus driver, Ricky, was an authentically nice first interaction though; he talked a bit about the difference between Florida alligators and Louisiana ones (Florida's are "better"). Other than that, all we've really done is pick up the rental car and driven to our nearby airport hotel. I could try and embellish that whole experience, but you have better things to read.

Tomorrow morning is really the beginning of our trip. From here, our humble and functional hotel in Kenner, Louisiana, we'll hit the road for Mississippi. Driving north along its name-bearing river, our stops will be in the quaint city of Natchez, the state's former capital (at two different points in its history) and the go-to for traditional Antebellum Southern housing, before heading to Vicksburg, the site of the crucial siege against the Confederate Army for Union control of the Mississippi River. It's about four total hours of driver - two and a half to Natchez, and the rest to Vicksburg - so we'll see a good chunk of the state, which I'm excited for, as some of the most genuine parts of a trip tend to be in route from one place to another.

It seems contradictory to not know what to expect while also holding high expectations for a trip such as this one, but that's the very reason that I proposed this vacation to my folks: to explore a part of my own country that I've never been to before (and with 39 states already under my belt, this sort of opportunity is becoming less and less available). While this entry may seem like a bland, uninspiring introduction, I'm sure what follows on our trip will be more colorful, insightful, and enriching, both acquainting myself with elements I'm unfamiliar with and bettering my understanding of others. For now though, I'll prepare myself for whatever Dixie has in store for us.

See y'all tomorrow!