31-JUL-2007
10:25 am
Have I mentioned that this stretch is really boring, so I took a lot of pictures? These signs are all over I-49. I find it amusing that they update you on the hurricane route so much. Now, the traffic update station is nice information, and if all the signs had the station on them, this would make sense. But a lot of them just have the little round evacuation sign. Once you get onto I-49, do you really need to be told ever 10 miles that you're still on the right road? Are you accidentally going to get off of the official evacuation route? I'm just curious.
31-JUL-2007
10:36 am
Finally, you hit a small bit of civilization. I left this picture exactly as is from the camera, so you could see the stylish slant. I'd like to say I did that on purpose, but in reality, that's what it looks like when you just hold the camera up and shoot at 70mph, trying not to hit the car next to you and making sure you are not taking a wrong turn.
This I-49 by pass was wonderful and shaved 20 minutes off the trip. Before it was completed (during my college years), you had to get off and take this road that put you on a little round abouts through the city. Round abouts in the US are scarier than they are in Europe because few people know how to use them.
31-JUL-2007
11:05 am
Really, once you get through the city, it just starts to look the same again. Hours and hours of this.
31-JUL-2007
11:23 am
Milestone Number 3. Nachitoches. Not pronounced as it is spelled (nah-ki-dish). One year, my mom and I drove through here to see the lights at Christmas time. It was actually quite pretty. One year, maybe Scott and I will get a room here during Christmas and take a little lighted boat ride on the river. However, nothing will erase my fondest memory of driving through here during college. Back then, after leaving Shreveport going south, this was 30 miles away and had the next gas stop. I thought I could make it. I really did. I managed to pull off the Interstate at the exit, cross over to the one gas station and make it just up the hill to the station on fumes, and coast into the pump right as the engine died. Perhaps this explains why I tend to make Shreveport my fill-up place even when my trip starts in Dallas and not Abilene.
31-JUL-2007
11:37 am
This is that 30 mile stretch between Nachitoches and Shreveport that once again looks just like the rest of I-49 through Louisiana. See, not a gas station in sight.
31-JUL-2007
12:01 pm
Here I am on the southern edge of Shreveport. Again, signs of civilization. I think this is on the I-220 by-pass from I-49 to I-20. Before this was built (again, back in my college days), we would take the Industrial Loop. I'm not sure if the by-pass really saves any time, but at least you don't have to stop and wait at a lot of lights. Of course, that's usually the point where we grabbed something to eat and some gas.
31-JUL-2007
12:17 pm
Finally reaching I-20 (in the rain I might add), I saw this pretty little church off to the left. Apparently, the big orange truck headed east thought he made a better picture.
31-JUL-2007
12:32 pm
Ah, crossing the state line. If you've ever made this drive, you'll notice that the road quality changes here. It is much smoother on the Texas side. When I was a Louisiana resident, I staunchly stood up for my state when Scott would point this out. Now that I'm a Texas resident, I can honestly agree with him. Texas roads are better--especially in the rain. I should have stopped and picked up new maps at the rest station, but it was raining, and I was ready to get home.
31-JUL-2007
1:18 pm
I stopped in Longview to get gas. This was a little road that I turned into just before getting on the Interstate when I realized that I had forgot to close my gas cap. I had gotten the call from Shaggy just before this that our good friends Bob and Cat Prather had been in a car accident. Bob had died on the scene and Cat was in ICU at the hospital. My picture taking sort of slowed down as my concern grew and I waited for more news.
31-JUL-2007
1:35 pm
My thoughts kept going to Bob and Cat. I had talked to Scott and asked him to check a radar to let me know when things were going to clear up for me. He told me that it looked like I was going to be in rain until Tyler. I don't really know where I took this picture. Everything had become a bit of a blur while my thoughts were consumed with Bob and Cat. I think this must be just east of Tyler.
31-JUL-2007
2:40 pm
And finally, I decided to snap one more shot. I think this is shortly before Hwy 80 splits off at Terrell. The rain was really coming down here. Another right out of the camera shot. We were slowing to 30mph at some points because you could hardly see the person in front of you. I didn't try taking any pictures at those points. This felt risky enough. I kept thinking that it would be really bad to get into an accident just after learning about Bob and Cat. And how on earth would I explain it? The weather got worse and then there was a traffic in Dallas, so this was the final picture.
I had a lot of fun on my picture quest and would like to try it again on a clear day. Perhaps I might turn this on the road gallery into a multi-trip gallery.