Free day in Baton Rouge

April 3rd was a free day. First thing we did was sleep in. Rolling out at 6 a.m. to go sight seeing is not that easy sometimes. It is warmer now, I'd sure hate to be here in August. If you have been noticing the photos everything is fully leafed out now. Early on the forests looked pretty desolate.

We toured the downtown today including the USS Kidd, a destroyer active in WWII. In 1945 it was hit by a Kamikaze and something like 50 men were killed. After that we watched and listened to a negro gospel choir then came home.

Today, the 4th is our last day in Baton Rouge and I have yet to see the red stick. We did visit some more old houses (plantations). Today it was hot, humid and overcast. By 6 p.m. we had a severe thunder storm and as luck would have it we had our drivers meeting in the ladies restroom for shelter.

Tomorrow we head for our last stop in Biloxi.

Along the waterfront.

USS Kidd.

The big Muddy.

Mmmmm, what's cookin'?

An old salt.

The right age to have fun.

Some of the grounds at Rosedown.

Very beautiful but now owned by the state.

Sorta like driving up to Versailles.

All this is only a small part of how it looked.

Even had a doctor.

Guess who?

This is by far the prettiest plantation we have visited.

Garden out back.

Who dat?

This is the Oakley Plantation. Owned by the state but built around 1840.

After hearing all the stories of these places I understand where Margaret Mitchell got her story. It's all so sad! Seems nobody lived happily ever after.

See Ya! Barry and Shirley