Back Home in Indiana

We left Corpus Christi on Saturday the 28th, headed through Houston, across Louisiana and into Mississippi. In LA we turned north on I-55. The temperature remained in the 50s so icing was not a problem, but gosh did it rain. I have never seen such rain. We kept looking at the weather radar trying to figure out when it was going to stop. On two different days we stopped for a meal, just because it looked like the rain would pass over and we would be driving in an opening.

Saturday night we spent in a Walmart near Lake Charles, LA. Did a little shopping and headed out in the morning, hoping to stay ahead of the rain. Nope. It was a slow slog, but we made it to the George Payne Cossar State Park in Mississippi for the night. One thing the rain was doing was washing away the snow and ice that had hit the area on Saturday. Many of the pines along I-55 were snapped off about 2 feet from the ground. Those on the edge of the road tend to lean in a little toward the sun which makes them particularly vulnerable to the weight of the ice.

The state park was really lovely with large, long sites with views of the lake. It must be a wonderful place to stay on a summer day, rather than a 35-degree Sunday night in March. We were off again first thing in the morning.

Sunday the rain stopped and blue skies appeared. With the blue skies came lower temperatures, below freezing. But because the roads and air were dry, it was a great drive. We decided to make the push and finish the trip home as freezing rain was forecast for West Lafayette starting over night Monday into Tuesday. Our drive was around 600 miles, much more than our usual limit of 300, but when we heard the rain and sleet on the house roof (while lying in bed) at 1:30 AM Tuesday morning, we knew we had made the right decision.

Back home in Indiana. Feels good, but it is not yet spring here.

 

-- Janet (text) and David (photos)