Bet You Can't Pronounce "Natchitoches"

FRIDAY. Something told me to stop in Natchitoches. We'd spent all morning driving through Alabama and Mississippi, and all afternoon in Louisiana. I hailed M on my walkie-talkie. "I know you might think this is crazy, but I really want to check out Natchitoches." M replied, "Yeah, I think you're crazy, but let's do it."

Some 65 miles short of our planned Friday night destination we pulled off I-49 in northwestern Louisiana. After checking out three different motels, we found a room. I have this thing about smelly motel rooms. What is that revolting smell, anyway? I keep asking front desk clerks what they use in the rooms, but no one seems to know. I'm beginning to think it's sent to Earth by aliens and that's why no one knows what it is. All I know is it makes me wheeze, sneeze, cough and feel ill. My eyes water and my throat burns. The Natchitoches Super 8 Motel room is small and very 1968. Mostly, the smell is tolerable, unlike the first several motel rooms I checked out. I have been known to leave motels in the middle of the night and wander out to the van to sleep on Murphy's dog bed because of overwhelming odor neutralizers and mold--that thing we call "motel smell." My search for a room without mold, mildew, or heavy fragrance is serious business. I always ask to see (and smell) the room before I check in. I'm beyond feeling embarrassed about this--it's a necessity. This ritual usually prevents me from making reservations in places that are new to me, and often means taking chances on the road. To be honest, I don't enjoy traveling on the edge.

Natchitoches (pronounced Nack-a-tish) is a historic town about 65 miles south of Shreveport. Established in 1714, it's the oldest permanent settlement in the Louisiana Purchase territory. After a quick dinner in our room, M and I left Murphy in the room and took a spin around town. The 1989 movie "Steel Magnolias" was filmed entirely in Natchitoches. Encompassing a 33-block area, the City’s Historic Landmark District includes a mixture of Queen Anne and Victorian architecture, along with Creole style cottages. I'm eager for a daytime viewing tomorrow, camera in hand.

For tonight, though, I'm content to watch a little TV, slip between clean sheets and fall into a deep sleep, dreaming of what this place was like 300 years ago.