After a 3 1/2 month hiatus, it was time to head out for another states run.   January can be a challenging month to find an interesting course with decent weather, but the Louisiana Half Marathon bubbled up as a course that would meet our criteria.    Melodie had to set her alarm the earliest this round as she left Oakland at 6:00 am to meet Kathy and I at Sky Harbor for a 10:00 am flight.   This particular departure was made interesting by the fact that Kathy was chasing down details on the closing of her new home right up to the minute that we boarded the plane.

For many of our states races, we have encountered weather far outside normal patterns, usually erring to the cold side.   For our Baton Rouge run, the forecast was a full 20 degrees warmer than normal, and 40 degrees warmer than it had been just the week before.   The Race Director was putting out warnings for runners to stay hydrated and be prepared for much warmer temps than normal.    For us, temps between 60 and 70 seemed pretty perfect, so we were happy.

We landed in New Orleans mid-afternoon, picked up our rental car and headed upriver to Baton Rouge.    As we pulled into the downtown area of Baton Rouge that evening, we were somewhat concerned by the overall seedy, rundown look of the area where our hotel was located.    Construction was everywhere, and some of the buildings looked dilapidated and unoccupied.

However, the Hilton Baton Rouge Capital Center was very nice and our room was great, so we decided all was well.

We ate at the Capital Grill that evening based on local recommendations, but were somewhat underwhelmed.   Even though the food was poorly prepared, however, the wait staff was extremely gracious and friendly.   Everyone was eager to help us carb load for the upcoming race.

That night as we looked out our window, we were further charmed by the view of the Mississippi River.   It was magical.

At the risk of being highly predictable and repetitious, one of the first things on our agenda was to find a decent cup of coffee.   We discovered that Louisiana natives like their coffee weak and lukewarm, two qualities not highly esteemed by Pacific Northwesterners.   We found a little local shop called “Strands” which produced coffee acceptable enough that we could continue on with our day.

Our agenda for the day was to head over to the Baton Rouge River Center, pick up our packets, and then explore the area a little further on foot.   The weather started out cool and foggy, but within a hour the sun came out.  We walked along the Mississippi River, watched the barges go by, checked out the Louisiana Memorial Plaza and USS Kidd, and immersed ourselves in the feeling of history and timelessness from the area.   Everyone we encountered was extremely friendly and ready to be your bosom buddy on the spot.

Our next stop was to locate the race start so we knew where we were headed at 6:00 am on race day.    Turns out it was staged right in front of the current Louisiana State Capitol Building.   After doing a little fact checking, we discovered that this building was erected in 1932, largely due to the efforts of Huey Long, a former Louisiana governor and US senator, who was later assassinated by Carl Weiss, a Baton Rouge physician.   Politics were a nasty business even back then.  The tower stands at 450 feet (34 stories) and is the tallest capitol in the United States.

This building replaced the Old Louisiana State Capitol building which housed the Louisiana State Legislature from the mid-19th century until the current capital tower was constructed.  It was considered the best example of Gothic Revival Architecture in the South, despite Mark Twain’s characterization of it as “pathetic” and likely the result of the medieval romances of Sir Walter Scott.  It is now a museum in downtown Baton Rouge.

We wandered around downtown Baton Rouge for a bit that afternoon and were surprised at how quiet everything was.   It was Saturday afternoon, but it felt like everything was closed and even finding a place to eat lunch was challenging.    However, later on that night, while walking back to the hotel after dinner, we did get a taste of Baton Rouge nightlife.   The streets, and the people on them, were pretty colorful and lively.   We were grateful to be walking together at that point.

Sunday morning found us crawling out of bed at 5:30 am, grabbing a bite to eat, and heading down to the race start.   The Louisiana Marathon and Half allows 7,000 participants so there were a lot of people.   Race morning was foggy, with temps in the low 60’s and humidity at 100%.  We snagged a passerby for one pre-race photo, and headed off to the races.

Thanks to my sister Melodie, we always have a couple of photos from the race course.     The course was mostly flat and picturesque, taking us through the LSU campus and rural Baton Rouge.    Despite the high humidity, conditions were very pleasant for running.

And as always, we enjoyed the run, but we enjoyed the finish even more.   At this point, we were as wet as if we had been swimming and the breeze was cool so we didn’t hang around for long.  We grabbed a post race picture and headed back to the hotel.

The other third of our party decided to run at the last minute, despite the fact that she was fighting a nasty bout of flu.  She couldn’t resist stopping to take a picture of this sign at the 12th mile, which tells us her sense of humor was still intact.   Hats off to her, she committed to a wise pace and finished smiling and without injury.    She earned that medal for certain.

The remainder of race day was pretty lazy.   The hotel did not have a hot tub which is always our favorite post-race activity, so we did a little stretching and football watching instead.   Finding somewhere to eat again proved challenging.   We decided this town only finds a pulse at night.   We ended up at a little Mexican restaurant that featured local music and brunch.  Despite what these pictures look like, we did not imbibe heavily.   These are just our relaxed faces.

Monday morning we packed up and hit the road again.   As is typical, we found our favorite place to eat as we were leaving Baton Rouge.   Magpie Café had a definite western flare and served some pretty incredible coffee and breakfast.   In addition, the entryway seemed to be designed just for us.

Our flight didn’t leave until 4:00 pm, so we decided to do some exploring in the French Quarter of New Orleans.   This was easily one of our favorite parts of the trip.   What an incredibly fascinating place, despite the fact that we all held on to our purses a little more tightly than usual.   We walked up and down streets that I have only read about;  Bourbon, Dumaine, Upper Chartres, Jackson square.  Many of these buildings date from before 1803, when New Orleans was acquired by the US in the Louisiana Purchase, although some 19th century and early 20th century building were added later.   Since 1920, these historic buildings have been protected by law and cannot be demolished, any renovations or new construction has to be carried out in accordance with regulations, preserving the historic architectural style.

After the Great New Orleans Fire of 1788, new fire codes were mandated that required all structures to be adjacent and close to the curb to create a firewall.   As a result, colorful walls and roofs and elaborately decorated ironwork balconies and galleries abound.   The streets are very narrow and oftentimes it is a squeeze for even one car to get through.   Finding a spot to park was rather challenging, and we hoped that the car would still be there and in one piece when we returned.

Street bands set up in the area where cars were not allowed.   Most of them were actually very good.  We stayed and listened to this one for a bit.   You gotta love their creativity when it comes to chairs.

Novelty performances were everywhere.   Here are just a couple that we caught on camera.

Mule-drawn carriages were the transportation of choice for many visitors.   The mules seem to take all the commotion in stride.

There were two and three art galleries on every street.   I wished I would have taken more pictures, but I was so busy looking, I forgot.   I did capture this picture as the medium the artist used was very unique.

We found a spot to eat lunch that featured beignets, a must-have eating experience for any visitor to the French Quarter.   They were as delicious as billed.   It was a great way to finish off our French Quarter visit.

We parted ways at the New Orleans Airport;  Kathy and I headed back to Arizona, and Melodie to California.   Even though we do much of the same things on these running trips, there is always something new to learn, about the area, and about each other.   We treasure each opportunity to travel and run together.

Next up, state #24, Charlottesville, Virginia.