Coast-to-coast: San Francisco to Savannah (Part 10)

This entry is part 10 of 30 in the series Coast-to-coast: San Francisco to Savannah

April 10, 2024

Coast-to-coast: San Francisco to Savannah (Part 10)

By Simon J. Lau

This morning we visited the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge. It’s the tallest capitol building in the country, standing 27 stories tall and towering over everything around it. From the base, looking up, it feels massive and almost out of place compared to the rest of the city. The Art Deco design makes it stand out even more, and at the top it’s capped with a lantern and cupola that give it a distinctive finish.

We also visited Louisiana’s Old State Capitol, a Gothic Revival building that served as the state’s capitol from 1849 to 1932. With its cast-iron dome and stained glass windows, it looks more like a castle than a government building. Inside, it witnessed some of Louisiana’s largest moments, including debates over secession and the Civil War. Compared to the current Capitol, this one feels far more modest and welcoming. The contrast between the two really caught me off guard.

Last night southeastern Louisiana got hammered by massive thunderstorms and strong winds, and at one point a tornado warning went out. I’ve never dealt with a tornado before, so I played it safe and waited it out until the winds calmed down. Later I learned that a tornado did touch down in Slidell, a town we had passed through on our way to Mobile. Thankfully, aside from some downed trees and flooded roads, there wasn’t much for us to worry about.

To be extra cautious, I took it slow on the drive today and made plenty of pit stops. One of them was at McDonald’s, where I grabbed a McCafe and a Double Cheeseburger, and picked up some McNuggets for Bruno. He was pretty pleased with his nuggets.

Finally, our route by Lafayette to Mobile (255 miles or 410 km).