If you’re driving on I-10 to or from Houston and wanna take a quick pitstop and even a nap or a swim, Lake Charles can be your place for creature comfort.

It’s easy to get off the interstate right by the archaic Lake Charles bridge with its steep arc and decrepit deck as you plummet down like a rollercoaster – terrifying as hell.

There’s plenty of parking, especially for bobtails. There’s a bath house with a shower and the beach is nearly a mile long. It’s usually not busy, so there’s space for social distancing.

There was a volleyball game going strong and a couple of hunks going for a jog. Guys with a case of PBR horse playing in the sand and a couple laughing as they lightly tread water, or barely getting wet. But I know why.

Even though there were a group of kids jumping and swimming, I highly recommend not submerging your face in this water. It’s ok to go in to chest level, but I wouldn’t go past that.

The lake is fed from the Gulf, but with factories and plants along the river, these factories have led to high pollution. The water is checked from May to Oct, and there usually is high bacteria levels.

There’s human sewage pollution, and besides not putting my face in it, I wouldn’t swim with any open cuts. In the hot summer, necrotizing fasciitis is always a concern.

Thankfully there’s more here than beach and swimming. There’s the casino and the Mardi Gras Museum. Pre-Covid, summer months meant tourist season. And unlike bigger, vibrant New Orleans, it’s low-key and right off the freeway.