No Atkins foolishness for this Louisiana gator. That's his tenth hamburger bun in half as many minutes.
BootsNAll Travel recently published an excerpt from Ribbons of Highway: A Mother-Child Journey Across America . Boots' editors introduced the excerpt with "Lori Hein knows she's in for an adventure when her alligator tour operator claims they don't keep track of the toursits they've lost in the murk." Click here to enjoy the excerpt. And keep your hands in the boat.
(Charlie, a blog reader who lives in Texas but hails from Cajun country, sent me this note about the excerpt: "I enjoyed your story so much I had to thank you. One correction: the man from California [that's John -- you'll meet him in the excerpt] was only partially right. Man, i.e. the Corps of Engineers, keeps the Mississippi River on its present course so New Orleans won't go dry. The town that would be flooded would be Morgan City, which sits right on the Atchafalaya, which would be the course the river would take if it weren't for the lock and levee system near Morganza, Louisiana. I was raised in New Roads, which is about ten miles from Morganza and am well-acquainted with the system. My brother just retired as an engineer with the Corps in Vicksburg, Mississippi, where most of the research takes place for not only the Mississippi River, but for all the river systems and estuaries in America." Thanks, Charlie, for all the great info!)
And, my race went well. Thanks for asking and for sending your good wishes. My knee felt perfect, the park was glorious, the weather was brilliant, and I turned in a 4:17, a time I'm very happy with. Let's wish the Boston Marathon runners a great day next Monday. I'm going to enjoy watching that one on TV, legs up, feet nestled in cozy slippers...
