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I left Sarah's this morning intending to make Houston tonight. On the way, I stopped off in Baton Rouge, which is about 25 miles from Sarah's house. Here's the Louisiana State Capitol, built in the 1930's during the reign of Governor Huey P. Long. It's 34 stories tall, the tallest state capitol in the U.S.
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Huey Long was assassinated in this building in 1935, and is buried here under this statue. It's strange that he seems deified this way, since many people consider him to be the closest America ever came to having a dictator. He obviously inspired very strong emotions pro and con.
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It doesn't look like a capitol building to me, but yes the Louisiana legislature makes Louisiana law here. Here's the state House of Representatives chamber.
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You can go up to an observation deck at the top of the building (well, the 27th floor, anyway). Later today I drove across this bridge over the Mississippi River. Another sign that I'm heading west!
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I asked and was told that this is the Exxon/Mobil refinery, and I think this is where Sarah works! What was I saying about you couldn't go far in Louisiana without seeing some sign of the petroleum industry...?
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On the grounds of the Capitol, off to the side, there is the Old Arsenal Powder Magazine. Baton Rouge was a prize military location and was changed hands many times during Spanish, French, and American occupation. There's also army barracks from the Civil War era. They're not open to the public because they're used as housing for legislators. This afternoon I had terrible thunderstorms, got stuck behind a multi-car wreck and then a semi stalled on a bridge. It took me the rest of the day just to get to Beaumont Texas, just over the Texas border. A long day, but I wanted to at least get to Texas!
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