Something written on Day 38 helps to summarize Louisiana:

About now I was trying to get my mind around the contrasts in what we have been experiencing. On the one hand we have the principled actions of the Methodist musical director, the generosity of Bruce and Sam, and the elegant hospitality of David and Marieanne. We have the French Quarter, the skilled musicians, the wonderful cuisine. But on the other hand we have a society totally enraptured and enslaved by the automobile, by national franchise businesses, with people living hand to mouth, and with some so cruel as to kick a puppy out at a gas station. I also thought of Cindy Weber, struck off her bike by a careless driver in adjacent Texas, the driver not so much as receiving a citation. Mostly, I cursed whoever screwed up this shoulder!

After writing this, being chased by dogs all day long also became a factor. At the same time we passed into the Cajun areas and got a great Boudin at a restaurant run by an immigrant family from Gujarat, India.

Louisiana Pros and Cons

Pros

New Orleans food and music
New Orleans French Quarter
Audubon Zoo
Chance to see effects of Hurricane Katrina
Houses on stilts near Lake Pontchartrain
Cajun heritage areas in the west
Rice and crawfish farms
Pine forests
Bayous and swamps

Cons

Loose dogs, caged dogs, abused dogs
No shoulder roads
No cycle paths
Few or no bike shops
Few true camping grounds
Cajun areas really show little Cajun culture
Access to New Orleans difficult by cycle
Lots of overt expressions of racism from white people