Day 4 - Natchitoches

leg 3: 328 miles.
total: 1210 miles.

We left Little Rock at about 9am making our way to I-30 and I-530 south. We passed the exit to Texarkhana and continued south to the exit for US 167. Our goal for the day was Natchitoches (“Naka-tish”) and the Evans family.

The plan was to stay on US167 all the way to Natchitoches and for the first few hours that worked just fine. The road was fine, pretty much four-lane the whole way. We even stopped briefly in Bernice for a quick photo.

The day was gorgeous: sunny, not too warm and just downright pleasant. That is until we reached Ruston, LA, just across the line from Arkansas.

The night before a tornado had swept through the city leaving a swath of destruction in its wake and we were caught in a traffic snarl as everyone sought to negotiate getting around the emergency vehicles and the governor’s entourage. Susan eventually found a way for us to skirt the congestion and get us on I-20 west to Shreveport, forgoing our route on US167.

damage in a shopping center

From Shreveport — a city that seemed dominated by gambling enterprises — we took I-49 south eventually exiting at Natchitoches. Three minutes later we pulled into Mr. Ed Lane and the home of Ed and Chris Evans, our home for the next two days.

Soon after arriving our friends drove us into town for a late lunch at a local eatery: Lasyone’s (“Lah-zee-ohns”) where I was treated for birthday meal. Their specialty was meat pies, rather like the cornish pasties made famous in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Anyway, we all split one for an appetizer and I had red beans rice and sausage for my meal. Delicious!

After lunch we strolled around the old part of the city along what was once the main channel of the Red River and now a lovely, peaceful backwater so to speak.

That evening we enjoyed more local cuisine with a bowl of gumbo and rice prepared at home, washed down with a bottle of California cabernet.

Ed Evans