Mississippi River Road Walk Pt 1

PREFACE TO MY JOURNEY

I’m sitting on the upper deck of the riverboat Cajun Queen languidly swatting mosquitoes and fanning myself in this 96 degree August afternoon. It’s just like me to start a journey in the hottest month in Louisiana with little preparation. A sucker for pain. That’s what I am. Or, just plain dumb.

The Cajun Queen is about 30 miles south of Buras slowly chugging up river in the Southwest Pass. I’ll be jumping boat around nightfall and looking for a place to ‘hole’ up for the night before embarking on this trip. I’ll be heading north on LA23, about a 2-day walk south of Buras.

The captain of this paddleboat told me that the river is 2,350 miles long, although I know that I’ll be walking more than that ‘cause the river road doesn’t always follow the river. And, more than likely, I’ll get lost or take a few side-trips along the way. I do have a tendency to wander off the path now and then.

Well, I’d better start wrapping my backpack in the garbage bag I took from the boat’s café and prepare myself for the short swim to shore. I can just see the small camps and shipyards that are clustered around the southern tip of LA23. I tell you, the river water here looks like the coffee-au-lait I’ll be savoring in a few weeks while in the New Orleans French Quarter. Here at the mouth of this great river, I’m not sure if I’ll be swimming or wallowing to the banks of the river. The water looks like a river of mud.

Oh well, guess it’s time to get wet…

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3 August 2006
5.7 miles – North of Venice, LA on LA23

Can't chat too long now. I'm currently walking through a desolate stretch of road between Venice and Buras. I'm trying to get as far north as possible before Tropical Storm Chris enters the Gulf. Not only do I start this walk in the hottest month, I start it at the beginning of hurricane season. I'm praying that Chris fizzles out and leaves us all down here in peace.

In fact, as I drudge along LA23, the signs of Katrina's passing last year are remarkable. Venice was almost completely destroyed by Hurricane Katrina and the town's future is currently uncertain. I can tell that there was a thriving community lining LA23. A Community wedged between the River and swamps of the Gulf. But now all I see is empty foundations and pilings jutting out of the bare earth.

It's hot right now. No breeze. The air is heavy, weighted with salt and gases from the marsh. Will talk later. With my Treo, I'll be able to report from the road easily.

Brian