A Ride through the Louisiana Delta

[While I spend time with my parents at the hospital while my dad recovers from his recent surgery, I am going to be featuring a few "reruns" of posts from the past. Please excuse me if you read them the first time around.] Sometimes the journey to a destination turns out to be more fun and exciting than actually reaching the destination. That's what happened to me the day I decided to take a drive up to Lake Village, Arkansas, to visit a huge home decor warehouse outlet called Paul Michael Company. Lake Village is about an hour and a half from Vicksburg, "as the crow flies," but it took me around three hours to get there. Why is that, you wonder? Well, because along US Highway 65, between Vicksburg and Lake Village, lies thousands and thousands of acres of flat, fertile, Louisiana Delta lands, stretching as far as the eye can see ... And there are about that many pictures just waiting to be taken along the way. The highway is flat and, for the most part, straight, and you pass through communities and towns with names like Panola, Shelburne, Alsatia, and Transylvania. You've gotta love a town with a sense of humor ... Along with the cotton gins and grain elevators you see every few miles, you also see scenes like these ... I love the observation tower located on the grounds of this sprawling Delta estate (near Alsatia, Louisiana) ... I can just imagine the view from its windows ... These headstones in a private family cemetery have always fascinated me. I first saw them last summer on a trip through the area, and they were barely visible above the sea of lush green cotton ... And speaking of things I saw on my trip last summer — I also visited with these little guys, or, perhaps, some of their cousins. They were just as friendly this time, and seemed to be smiling for the camera. Aren't they sweet! I love silos, and there are an abundance of them to be found in the Delta. Throw in an old barn and oak tree, and you have a photo opportunity that no photographer could resist. One of the prettiest towns you pass through on Highway 65, is the town of Lake Providence, Louisiana. Highway 65 meanders through the center of town, then follows alongside the beautiful cypress-lined Lake Providence for several miles. I'm going to end today's journey here, and will continue it in my next post, with some closeup photos of this gorgeous lake. I hope you will join me.