The first time I visited the state of Louisiana was back in 2009. My older brother, Chris, and I had decided to canoe the distance between New Orleans and our hometown in Southwest Wisconsin. We left September 2nd and arrived at our destination—as fate would have it—on Chris’s birthday, November 7th. It was the sort of trip that propelled me into the next phase of life full of enthusiasm for the many places and people that this country contains. It was the sort of trip that c