Motel 6

Left Slidell at around 1 p.m. Needed gas, so we went to the station. No luck. After 3 tries, we finally found a gas station that not only was open, but had fuel as well. Whew. It would of been a long walk to Alexandria!

Driving west on Interstate 12 & Interstate 10, and north on I 49 was an eye opener. The further west and north we went, the more normal everything started to look. No debris piles. Stores were open. Traffic was light. Gas stations had gas. Even though it was a short drive of about 240 miles, we still had to pull off the road and take a 30 minute nap. As the adrenaline of the week wore off, fatigue started to set in.

Got into Alexandria at around 5 p.m. First hotel we tried was fully booked with displaced victims of the hurricanes. Oh no, I thought, not again. But the second hotel we tried, the Motel 6, had one room left. We took it. We looked forward to beds, indoor plumbing, air conditioning, and clean towels! (Not to mention we had to go back to Outlaw's BBQ for some good 'ol southern Q. Really, we had to!)

The startling thing about this hotel was that it was occupied by families, just like any urban apartment complex. Children were running up and down the halls playing tag, laundry was hanging from the railing, and men and women were grouped together talking, laughing, and passing the time away. Many hotels in Louisiana are now the primary housing for displaced victims of the hurricanes. This makes it inconvenient on those traveling through the state----sometimes it's just impossible to find a vacancy at any of the hotels.

(I wonder what the long term housing solution is. Permanent housing at the Motel 6 isn't the answer, but it'll have to do for now.)

Louisiana and the south has many problems to overcome; I didn't have the energy to ponder the possibilities nor the solutions. My eyes were too heavy...sleep came easy and quick. Before I knew it, it was time to go to the airport.

Glen