DeRidder is bigger than we thought since we hadn't gotten to the downtown yesterday. It's a nice town with a lot of renovated or maintained older buildings.
We left hwy 190 east of DeRidder taking hwy 26 through Mittie and Oberlin. 
I noticed a pistol lying on the shoulder and alerted Jim who walked back to examine it. It was an semi-automatic 38 but really beat up and missing pieces. Jim called the State Police and they said they would intercept us with a car when we continued on to Oberlin. 
We ate lunch here. Nothing fancy but they did have gumbo on the menu and some appropriate condiments. 
The police never showed so we left for Mamou, 26 miles away. We left hwy 26 taking farm road 104. This area is covered with crawfish farms. 
We crossed into Evangeline Parish (Parish = county) at this rather sad looking river. 
The sky is getting darker as the day wears on. That's consistent with the forecast of rain this evening.
Jim turned in the pistol at the police station in Mamou while I looked online for motels. There was very little available and it was all very expensive. Jim called a motel in Ville Platte on the ACA map and they said $55 for a double. We took off for Ville Platte 12 miles away. It got darker as we approached with rain visible In front of us. We got almost to the motel when the rain hit. We made it with a little exposure but not enough to get wet. I checked in through a small porthole in a robber proof screen, not a good sign. 
The room was pretty substandard but we were inside and the thunder, lightning and pouring rain outside made the room seem pretty nice. 
This is the next door building as we walked out to eat Chinese for dinner.
Dinner was good and the waitress (wearing a gym outfit) gave us two beers each for free since they didn't have a liquor license.
79.4 miles today.
One word: Yikes!
ReplyDeleteWow. Nice
ReplyDelete