Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple

Temple #47

Baton Rouge, Louisiana 

December 3, 2015

 

     Here we are at another trip! We just got back from Tennessee, which was a blast, and we were back in Texas. Our friends Brad and Erin Johnson flew into Dallas-Fort Worth, and we picked them up. Little did they know we had a fun week planned for them! 

     At first we were planning on hanging out at our place in Scroggins, but we weren't living there any longer, so we had a Texas road trip planned. It started off by driving south, and first stopping in Austin. We somehow ran into a parade there, and then went to the capital building. 

     We then drove to San Antonio, where we spent a bit of the day. We walked along the river, and saw the Alamo, just as Ivy and I had done not too long before. It was fun, and it's always fun going on a trip with friends! 

     I do have to mention an awesome gas station in Texas which we stopped at whenever we saw one. It's called Bucees, and it's the largest gas station we have ever seen! It has tons of pumps, and a grocery store inside, and even a mascot who is a beaver that runs around giving hugs! 

 

     The next day we drove to the coast, near Mexico, and brad and I tried swimming in the ocean. It was December, so it was really cold, but it was fun. We got out of the water, and drove down the beach for a while, and came across some dead sharks and hundreds of man-o-war jellyfish on the beach. Needless to say, we didn't get back in the water that day. 

     We then drove up the coast, took a few ferries with our car, saw some dolphins, fed seagulls, and eventually made it to Louisiana. Louisiana, the moment we drove across the border, changed from pine and hardwood forests, to swamps and bayou. 

 

     Louisiana was a unique and beautiful state. We started off by going to a swamp tour in the middle of nowhere, which was a blast! The Cajun-speaking man was hilarious, and took us around on a small little boat through a bayou. We saw turtles and egrets and a few crocodiles, which were fascinating. 

     Everything had been extremely fun and adventurous, especially with Brad and Erin, but the real reason we wanted to go to Louisiana was the the Baton Rouge temple, so that is where we headed next. 

     The Baton Rouge temple was a small one, but it was still unique in its own ways. We went through a session with Brad and Erin, which is always nice to have friends who are the same faith. There were murals in the rooms, and they were painted to mimic the forests and wilderness of Louisiana. It had turtles, crocodiles, birds and swamps in the pictures, which was unique and beautiful. The members inside where also incredibly nice, as are most people in Louisiana. 

     The temple was fun and we all enjoyed it. Most people don't do temples while on vacation or traveling, but we always do, and while traveling with others we always try to as well, hoping we can help others have the same desire. 

     We has done the temple, and fulfilled the reason of why we had come to Louisiana, yet we were still not done exploring the state. The next day we went on to New Orleans, a city which can not be overlooked while in Louisiana. It is fun and interesting city, full of music, street artists, and smells. We went to the famous bagnett shop, and went and ate at a restaurant, eating jambalaya and gumbo. It was pretty good, and we really had a blast in New Orleans. 

     We then headed back to Texas, where we spent another day, exploring Fort Worth, and eating at my all time favorite BBQ restaurant, called Wilson’s BBQ, which I ate at while on my mission. We got some ribs, brisket and sausage that were smoked for 24 hours. It was delicious and I can still imagine the taste now.

 

      It had been a fantastic trip, and we were sad to say goodbye to Brad and Erin. We sent them away on an airplane, and went our way. It had been a blast, and the Baton Rouge temple was a highlight of the adventure, although it was a small one. Baton Rouge itself wasn't too exciting, but the state of Louisiana was. 

     When visiting the bayou, the jazzy streets of New Orleans, or the coastline of Louisiana, don't forget to stop on by Baton Rouge, and go to the temple.