East of the Mississippi

Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday were all scheduled posts,
because I had to go out of town.

My grandmother's husband died, so we got in the car and drove to Baton Rouge.
He was old and in declining health, so it was a blessing that he's in a better place now.
But, my grandmother, it's been tough on her,
and she needed family support.

My husband had to stay behind in Texas.
I took the boys with me and caravanned with my mom and stepfather.

It's a long drive from Dallas to Baton Rouge.
8 1/2 hours long.

I have lots of photos and posts-worth of stories to share, but for now...

Here are the boys posing east of The Mississippi River...in Baton Rouge.

The Mississippi River, the second largest river in the United States.
It's 2,340 miles long.

What's the biggest river in the U.S.?

And here's us driving over the same bridge from the above picture, on our way back to Texas.

The Missouri River is the longest river in the U.S., 200 miles longer than the Mississippi.

I think this is one of the biggest bridges I've ever been on.
My boys were suitably impressed.

You also have to cross miles and miles of swampy area on bridges in Louisiana.
It's the Atchafalaya Basin.
Say that three times fast.
It's the largest swamp in the United States.

My boys imagined gators swimming below us.
Ready to eat us at any moment.

They're dramatic like that.

At least they weren't alien gators.

8 1/2 hours is a loooooong time to be in the car.
with two bickering boys.

They're so lucky I didn't leave them on the railroad tracks like I was tempted...

We played lots of car games.
Cow Counting.
I Spy.
I'm going to Louisiana and I'm going to bring with me...
20 questions.

And then there was plenty of reading, coloring, movies in the DVD player and handheld video games.

What car games did you used to play on road trips?
What do your kids play now?