Day 92

I didn’t sleep well last night. I think the rest stop where I stayed was too bright. Back into the forests tonight for a completely natural camp-out. My breakfast today was delicious—a simple donut that dissolved in my mouth like a breath strip. It may have been spun out of gold. I crossed the river into Louisiana with plenty of optimism.

The new state immediately felt different. Only five miles down the road, I saw my first drive-through daiquiri shop. There were no sub shops, only po’ boy emporiums. The earth felt just a tad swampier. I drove through several parishes, Louisiana’s equivalent of counties, and wound up in Alexandria. (I just realized I drove from Memphis to Alexandria—not bad.) I sat through an oil change and a tire rotation, then walked around downtown. Not the fanciest of cities, certainly not as posh as Natchez, but down-to-earth and likable. 

I decided to stop at one of the aforementioned po’ boy shops and get my Thanksgiving fix a day early. Everyone, there is something magical in the food here. The sliced turkey, which I usually find bland, had kick. The condiments and toppings were high-quality and complimentary. Maybe I’m the victim of a self-fulfilling prophecy. No matter. My stomach was very happy today.

I spent the rest of the afternoon reading in the library. I’ve been working through The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes as I go, tracking down a copy and banging out two or three stories every week. It’s an inspiring way to read a book. I’ll have more downtime this week than usual, so once I finish I might move onto Shirley Jackson or Flannery O’Connor. Or I might eat more. Time will tell.