Shreveport, art and gambling

LA State Exhibit Museum

Our first glimpse of a paddle-wheel riverboat casino on the Red River.










Shreveport, Louisiana on the edge of the Red River...named for the steamboat captain, Henry Miller Shreve, who opened the river up in 1839 - from a logjam called "The Great Raft" - 150 miles of logs clogging the Red River and leaving it virtually un-navigable.

 

We spent a couple of hours touring the Louisiana State Exhibit on the state Fairgrounds. Built in 1939, it is a Smithsonian affiliate and was really beautifully done, with these dioramas that present “Louisiana in Miniature", covering the history of  people, industry and economy, culture and natural resources of this state. From the Caddo natives to the present day oil and gas exploration, the displays captured our attention.

 

Along with the state history there is a large area devoted to original letters and documents "Autographing History" from the 1700's (Lewis & Clark) to the 1800's (T. Jefferson) that have been donated by the collectors Charles E and Gloria B. Meyer.

 

 

Sitting bull and General Custer above.             Daniel Boone above.

 

 

The sunken, circular map, which measures 49 feet in circumference, was created by internationally noted sculptor Duncan Ferguson, is located just inside the entrance.

 

If you find yourself hungry, as we did and having asked for a recommendation, we ventured into the "depressed" industrial area to eat at Herby K's....managed by his granddaughter, this 'diner' has been in the same location for 77 years. We had the house specialties: gumbo/etouffee and jumbo shrimp.

The diner has been "expanded" by enclosing the patio. The original space

here, has 9 counter stools and 4 booths -- that in a pinch will seat 24.

The food was very good, the staff friendly, service was good and we would willingly go back.

 Next up...an art museum. We checked our GPS and were directed to one on the campus of Centenary College -

Meadows Museum of Art

Really exquisite art on display...
"Our permanent holdings includes Indochina Collection of Jean Despujols. This comprehensive Collection represents the aesthetic achievements of a variety of world cultures and includes works by George Grosz, Emilio Amero, Mary Cassatt and Alfred Maurer. Additionally, the Meadows Museum of Art has received a copy of The Triumphal Arch of Maximiliian I by Northern Renaissance artist and engraver Albrecht Durer." (from http://www.centenary.edu/meadows)

 

and some of whimsy.

Marion Davis "Games On" 2011

 

 Gambling in Louisiana, for the most part, must be on the river. Hence the casinos are on riverboats and all the other services are built adjacent and on the river bank.  My total outlay = $0. By obtaining a "players" card with $5 to spend from the management, I was able to parlay that into winnings.

 

 YES! <cough>winner<cough>

 

 Hey, it helped pay for lunch.

 

~ Ciao

 

 

 



 

 

Bits and pieces as we race towards the SUN

We are traveling east and will be turning out of Wyoming and going south soon. It is just plain cold, too cold to hang out in beautiful WY or NE...but we have been tempted. WY -, specifically Laramie and Cheyenne, we will return when it's a bit warmer to explore.

For those of you who read last week's post...here is a very short video Mike took of the Perrine Bridge (Twin Falls) Base Jumper....ENJOY!

Traveling into different states is really educational, fun, and thought provoking...I'm starting to pay attention to the differences...it's a cultural shift that rarely happens at home and once we get back into our winter-routine I find it again. One of those for me is discovering all the different fast-food joints that I will never, ever in a million years enter, let alone buy anything to eat from them. (Yes, I am a fast-food snob, but that is a entirely different blog and longer post, with a different audience.)

It's Chester Fried...found at a truck stop in Utah...do they serve it in buckets? I now wish I had gone inside to see if Colonel Sanders was wearing a cowboy hat and was clean-shaven.

 

Our overnight in Honeyville, at the Crystal Hot Springs, had a herd of sheep out our back window and....



a duck couple, laying eggs and being fed Jelly beans by the 2 small girls, next door to us. That's an egg just above the duck on the left....the next morning there were two eggs. The couple were resting comfortably when we left...both ignoring said eggs.

We left Utah for Wyoming...big, big mistake on our part we soon discovered. Wyoming is at a higher altitude, well not at the start, but by the time we reached Rock Springs, elevation 6388' we hadn't drank nearly enough water and having only just leaving sea level...we both were suffering from headaches and that tiredness that altitude brings on.
The mistake? Higher elevation = colder temperatures and did you know the wind blows at really high rates of speed here?

We found parking at the Sweetwater Fairgrounds (Sweetwater Fairgrounds)
via All Wyoming Campgrounds... the fairgrounds has 1200 parking sites! We 'guessed' closer to 500....this place is massive. Since it was just us and another trailer it was very quiet, even for a Friday night. Don't let the Sun fool you...it got really "crispy" come dark...so crispy that Mike unhooked us from the water line...."crisp" as in frigid/freezing. We were both really happy to be here for just one night. (I just wished that had been the end of the 'crisp air' story.)

Next on the trip menu... giddy-up Cheyenne WY. Little did we know that high winds AND more altitude was in our future. And according to the weather reports, some snow had dropped in on Cheyenne earlier in the week, but "not to worry, it was forecast to rain by Sunday". Yep, erm, right...not happening during our 2 day visit.

The highest point on I-80 is located at 8640" just outside Laramie, WY, and yes the wind was blowing where these photos were taken last Friday. The wind blew so hard and was so loud, we both donned ear plugs just to hear the radio.

Above...the remains of the snowfall days earlier.

Eight days out, 1550 miles through OR/ID/UT/WY and we are only half-way to our "we-can-start-to-relax" state of Louisiana. I know, we probably ought get to the 'start-to-relax' part now....it's just been too d**n cold up here in the northern hemisphere of the US.

While in Cheyenne we drove down to Ft Collins to meet up with friends we met while visiting Lake Louise 2 years ago, who drove up from Denver for lunch...so if you are visiting Ft Collins, treat yourself and dine at  Austin's American Grill  - the food was delicious, the company was marvelous. Thanks H & M!

If you are cruising I-25 to Ft. Collins, look for the bison up in the hills, you can see it for miles.

OK, I'll admit it....I am a West Coast woman...I have never seen signs announcing road closures at on-ramps - followed by gates that actually close the ramp...

this just boggles my mind....

 

Just as we are about to leave WY...Pine Bluffs rest area, right at the very edge of the state. High-Plains-Archaeology-Museum and a visitors center is conveniently located, more-like disguised, on the grounds of the rest area. The volunteer was kind enough to tell us a bit about the museum, open June - Aug... built on ground where Native American artifacts had been discovered.

and if you are a Cabelas fan, the photo below is their distribution center and store in Sidney, NE...left to right all Cabelas...it's gigantic.

and we witnessed another circle of life....like us, birds heading south.

We head towards Oklahoma over the next few days.
~Ciao