Position
N30.11967
W91.02541
Last night for supper we had Poppies Chicken not the best of meal but it was filling and above average for fast food. Then we walked arcoss the street to Zack's Ice Cream and each had a sundae that was a nice end to the day. The Family Dollar store was close by and as no restaurants were around for breakfast bought some instant coffee and sticky rolls for the morning. Again they are not the best breakfast I have had but a whole lot better than having to cook it myself after walking 0.8 miles back to the canoe. So that is how we ended yesterday and started today.
We watched the speeches on the debt crisis, before falling asleep and it made both of mad that those idoits do not seem to willing to work together to solve the problem. It aggravates me no end to hear those talking heads keep saying cuts to medicare and social security. Social security is not even suppose to be funded by our tax dollars and yet it is going to be reduced because the government spent money from it and now can't pay it back. Man to hear them talk about no new taxes also kills me if my social security is reduced (which is money I paid in) then I have been paying extra tax for more than 25 years.
Enough of a rant on taxes and stupidity in DC. What happened today you all want to know. Well we got the canoe and the cows had walked around it several time and left a small present close by but no damage. We loaded up and started out the first thing Dianne shows me the map and clearly we had to cross the channel to get to the east shore as there are 3 sharp lefts ahead for the day. We had to wait for a downstream tow, then a upstream ship, followed by 3 more downstream tows and an upstream tow. Finally we just said here is a clear spot we have to go now and off we went only to find a small Corp. of Engineer boat coming down on us. Well we nipped behind him and things worked out. At one point we could count 5 tows in sight at once what a busy place. Another location the the wakes seemed to have some magic multiplier to them and they were over 5 ft high. Talk about a bouncy ride. Once over we stayed over for the day.
The rain started at 9:30 AM lightly increasing to big time rain then tampering to showers at 11 that lasted till 1. Another short shower at 4 but nothing to get into a panic about. Dianne had selected 30 miles as the target stop point today in hopes of a good camping place. (also scheduling seems to work well for that distance) Having reached that distance at 1 and have a break in the weather it seemed like a good idea to stop when a campsite was found so a late lunch but an early stop. We down to less than 70 miles to the recommend stopping point from last trip that is one day further than we went in 04 so the time out is getting short.
Well have to cook dinner soon Gumbo today hope all the meat is still good.
Count
7 Sea going ships (three of them we passed close enough to have crews shout down to us
10 loaded barges
1 dredge
1 ferry boat
3 herons
35 egrets
3 power boats (one stopped and asked if were OK, it was raining and wanted to say yes but insane)
Love and Kisses
Allan
Day 54
Position
N 30.01945
W 90.71867
Kind of sad today as it should be last night sleeping on the river, we covered more 30 miles and that leaves only 34 to where we were recommend to get out in 04. Right now we are about 2 miles from where we ended the trip last time so we go another 30 miles tomorrow. That will put us right outside of the Airport, the river is getting busy and this will only get worse as we get closer to New Orleans.
Started off as an OK morning with a heavy dew and I suspected that would turn against us latter in the day and I was right. It warmed up clouded over and then rained starting at 10 and lasting till 3 when we stopped for the day. We did not even think about crossing the channel today and the couple of times Dianne used the radio to tell barges or tows where we were she either did not get an answer or it rude one. Upstream whenever we talked to the barge operators they were always polite, but since Baton Rouge that rule seems to of been lost on people here. I guess we are getting closer to a big busy city and the big busy attitude is coming though.
The trip took us though Donaldsonville and St. James harbor and they were both busy with tows moving and sea ships moving or being tendered. At one point we paddled by at least 3 miles of barges loaded with coal all banked on the left side of the river don't ask how many but at least at 500 hundred at 7200 tons each that is a lot of coal. Must be a load getting ready to leave for loading onto a ship or a ship that unloaded and the barges are waiting to be moved up river.
At the end of the day we found a nice sandbar and stopped to camp. Then latter a family showed up fishing and the father, came over to talk. Did he ever have an Louisiana accent it made almost hard to understand, We talked about where we came from and how we planned the trip and talked about fishing. Turns out the sandbar is only 4 years old and US Corp of Engineers wants to dredge it up. The local like so they are fighting this change. The other thing that got answered was the mystery stuff we saw just before stopping. There was a flag pole with windmills on top and some patio furniture covered in mud. Turns out this guys family calls that spot a park and sit out there at night to watch the river. They had left the furniture just to see how much disposit the floods would leave.
Dianne wants to beat me again at dice how she always get the lucky roll I will never understand.
Count
8 horses
1 mule
6 egrets
1 heron
5 fishermen
1 golf cart
16 tug boats
6 harbor runabouts
53 tow boats
22 loading crans
10 sea going ships
1 bridge
1 dredge
Day 55
Position
Econlodge New Orleans Airport
Last night after visiting with the family for a while they went back to fishing and we had our spaghetti. As was getting the end of the trip Dianne made pudding use stuff up. Just as we about to start the pudding and play last game of dice the sister of the father, her husband and daughter arrived to visit with us. They stayed about 1 hour and told us about the history of the area and their family. Turns outs their grandparents had 13 kids that had 70 kids resulting in more than 120 grandchildren. At Christmas they light bonfires on the levee now limited to 20 ft high in 79 before the new rule was past they build a fire that was 70 ft high and it burnt for 3 week. The husband would swim across the river when he was younger and as he was not suppose to swim in the river had to hide the fact from his parents. The would know if he was in the water by the color of his underwear. So he and his bother would hide a pair in the trees that would wear swimming keeping the other pair clean and white. They were crazy nice people and just meeting them made doing this trip worth while.
We started paddling at the normal time of 8 and the weather was clear and sunny. Past under the 310 bridge and saw them unloading bauxite (aluminum ore). Then a busy busy port consumed much of the morning. When the river became a little less busy another nice area opened up and we stopped for a snack. Turned a corner and huge port started again. This time it was not so friendly to us as god made it rain. Did it ever rain visibility was down to feet and less. We want out of there as soon as possible as passed a set of parked barges god said, “just tie up behind the barge till next to you and be safe till the storm passes”. Well it was not god, it was the Point Clear on his bull horn, and were please he did as it was good advise it was thunderstorm and it was close overhead. Now completely soaked and wet we moved on once it eased up a little and we could see a bit. We stopped at Crescent City Boat services, and again it was a good choice. Except once we stopped a passing boat swamped us just as I was getting out and I was now wet and muddy.
The welder offered us a ride to the rental car location in the bed of his truck, we were too muddy to ride in his cab. Renting the car was a trip as they claimed not to have cars to do it at the airport the same agency did it right off. Shows some times asking different people give different advice results.
Andy our ferry is now working just as a note and the levee bike path is still open.
The plan for today is to party on Bourbon Street and start home tonight or tomorrow.
Count
67 tow boats
at least 25 tug boats
21 sea going ships
5 egrets
3 blue herons
1 great adventure
1 really fun adventurous partner to do stuff with who puts up with a semi grumpy Al at times
You made it-- congratulations!
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