When we got up the weather was still blustery with lots of rain squalls. So we decided to drive into Lake Charles rather than hang around the RV or go over to the casino. Taking an alternate route from Kinder we drove the backroads south to Iowa (pronounced Ioway) and picked up Hwy 90 west into downtown Lake Charles. After stopping by the Tourist Information Center we drove to a park by the lake to walk the dogs. The park had a nice path along the lake with fountains, public art and a lovely outdoor bandstand. The rain had stopped so we were able to get out and walk a bit.
Returning to the car we drove back into the downtown historic district to look at some of the older homes and buildings. This is a very beautiful "older" city with a lot of civic pride in its history. After driving around a while we stopped for lunch at a bustling bistro in the middle of the business district.We had a nice lunch then headed back down to the lake to tour the houses along the shores of Lake Charles. There are a number of newer homes but most are from an older period where plantation style living was the norm for people of wealth. We really enjoyed seeing these beautiful homes.
Before leaving Lake Charles we drove to the "Cottage" District where about a dozen old cottage homes along a one block stretch had been converted to retail businesses. We parked at one shop, got out and went in. The owner and I talked coffee while Tina browsed. We visited several of the others, buying a few items along the way, finally stopping at a bakery for a treat before returning to the car and heading home.
A nice afternoon with no rain made this side trip very much a surprise.
Total distance for this side trip, 80 miles.
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2 comments:
Lake Martin! Wow!!
Your adventure is grand!
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