After a mixed night’s sleep, we’re ready to hit the open road again for what will be our second‑last stop. Our pack‑up routine is well‑honed at this point – bags, car, kitchen, all sorted in no time.

Getting out of NOLA around peak hour isn’t as bad as I thought, and we pass the Hyperdome, so familiar to us from watching Katrina: Come Hell Or High Water which was a shocking and interesting docu-series about the inequities in the way people were cared for in the aftermath.

We’d heard Katrina mentioned by locals a couple of times in passing conversation while we were here. Showing how much of an impact it had on so many if it was something that just casually came up without prompting.

The highways are both confusing and interesting, and without Google Maps we’d be lost. Sounds obvious, but as someone who is geographically challenged and incredibly anxious when I take a wrong turn in new places, GPS is an absolute game changer. It used to be crippling. Matthew is a lot more calmer than I, and certainly more chilled than my previous experience with an ex in what I like to call ‘going on adventure’ when misreading of a map occurs. It makes travel in this way SO much less stressful and incredibly fun. My girls are very aware when travelling with me, you don’t get lost, you’re going on an adventure.

Today’s journey has been affectionately named ROAD KILL BUFFET. The line up is wild. Raccoons, alligators, snakes, armadillos and deer. Oh dear. On one of the back highways we nearly added to the count when a crow refused to abandon his middle of the road feast until the very last second. A close call, and it explains the number of vultures we have seen loitering along the way.

We’d left early so we could hit our next destination by lunch time, and even with a detour around Baton Rouge on account of a pretty gnarly accident, we managed to arrive in Natchitoches perfectly timed for a bite to eat. The drive has been so interesting passing sugar cane fields and small town turn offs.

Do NOT be fooled by the name – it isn’t pronounced the way it is spelt. We’ve heard a few different ways to say it, but we now know it’s said “NACK‑uh‑tish” or “NACK‑uh‑dish”. How those letters produce that sound is beyond me. As we roll into town we practise it out loud so we do not embarrass ourselves.

Lunch is at Flying Heart Brewing and Pub, tucked in a deserted industrial area and converted from an old warehouse. The southern charm returns immediately and we are warmly welcomed by staff and patrons. We learn quickly that this place has quirks.

There’s a beer mug you can buy for $250 which gives you access to specials every Wednesday. It may be drink all night for free, your first drink free or access to a new brew before the rest. However if you want to double down on your commitment, get the logo tattooed on you and you get a free beer EVERY SINGLE DAY!

We are taken care of by the lovely Ellie, who wondered how we ended up in Natchitoches from Australia. We talk tattoos, books, and recommendations to eat, along with other staff who swing by who are intrigued by our accents and why we sound so weird. People are so bemused as to how a couple of Aussies end up in their small towns.

We chat to Sharon (not her real name – she never introduced herself) who had only just showed up after us, but either loses her train of thought quickly or has been day drinking before she got there. She was forthcoming with telling us she’s nearly 60, had a son that died, but couldn’t remember – or read from her memorial tattoo – the date he passed away, showed us pictures of her other son, Googled the place names we should check out cause she couldn’t remember and then told us about 3 times there’s music bingo on at Flying Heart tomorrow night, followed closely by calling over a staff member to also tell us about music bingo. The signs were there. Speaking of signs, it was probably ours to set off as we wanted to have a quick ‘lay of the land’ wander in the historic district by the Cane River.

The place is quaint, and we intend to explore a lot more tomorrow, as we were keen to escape the heat, check into our AIrBNB and make our way to our riverside accommodation.

We are once again suitably impressed as we walk up to the door, getting a fright as I entered the door code and someone opened the door. I thought we may have rolled up to the wrong place, but turns out they were just quickly changing a battery in a smoke detector. She apologises about 6 times before excusing herself and politely saying goodbye.

The place is HUGE and we immediately feel at peace. There is definitely something about being near water, for me, that has this incredible calming effect. It brings me joy!

After a short relax at our river side abode, we take up a local recommendation for dinner, and head out. The other side of the road is a cattle farm and think I might pop over and say hi to them if I can.

T-Johnny’s looks like nothing special from the outside. In fact if you saw it in Australia you’d probably drive out of the car park as quick as you pulled in. But in all our travels, and life, we’ve learnt it’s what inside that counts. We head inside and get a spot at the bar. We were contemplating sitting outside as it’s right by the river, but one of the staff overhear us talking and let’s us know someone has booked the whole balcony as they’re bringing their own crawfish.

As we look around, we are both confused and curious. There’s a Christmas tree in the corner, the air con is cranked, trophy deer heads on display and a fire playing on the TV.

All the staff are definitety younger than my girls, and I ask them about the university nearby. I had noticed nearly every shop in town either had a sign that said ‘Proud to be Purple’, or a flag with the uni’s distinct logo. As purple is my favourite colour, I am cool with being here. We learn from our new friends Bella and Zoe the college is well known for it’s nursing program and all of them are at the end of their first year.

We learn none of them have traveled and are keen to ask questions about our travels, not just this trip, but some of our favourite places in the world. We hear not one of them has been out of the country, or owned a passport, but keen to be nurses around the world. I can’t help but think what a great profession to chose if your goal is to see the world.

We loved chatting with them and our bartender, who we didn’t catch her name as she was busy keeping an eye on the drink orders coming in and attempting to make polite small talk to a very inebriated local sitting up at the bar too.

We give them each an Aussie pin, and you’d think we’d handed over gold. Such a tiny gesture on our part, but their gratitude is huge. They are absolutely stoked. The bartender arrives soon after we’d settled out bill and then reciprocates by giving us a bottle of wine, saying “this is from all of us, we had to, y’all were just lovely”.

Happy we’ve spread a little bit of sunshine, and ask if we can snap a quick selfie on the balcony with Zoe and Bella and get a glimpse of the crawfish awaiting the group about to arrive. The 4 boxes are huge, so the I wonder how many people are actually going to fit on the balcony tonight.

We take our selfie, farewell the staff, and head for home.

It’s an easy drive home, and given the gorgeous homes and outlook, we can’t wait to explore more tomorrow.

Not bad for a town we could barely pronounce this morning.

Missed a day? You can catch. up here.