Day 83

I sat up in my tent at just the right moment to watch the sun breaking the horizon. As the sun came up it  the large smoke stacks from the chemical factory downstream obstructed the view. I knew that it was an omen for what the rest of the river would look like from here to the Gulf. The forecast called for a sunny sky and with 105 heat index so I loaded the boat and hit the water. The air smelled of chemical residue but the banks of the river looked as wild as any other area. After not passing a barge for the first three hours I started to think maybe everyone is over reacting to the amount of traffic from here south. About that moment the metal straps holding my seat to the boat snapped one by one almost spilling me into the river. I readjusted best as i could but knew not having a proper seat was going to make handling the canoe much more difficult.  By noon I had covered the twenty miles to the northern edge of Baton Rouge Harbor and City. Here I encountered barges parked two to three rows deep on each side of the river and three small work tugs running about. I turned on the VHF radio to scan and quickly caught the tugs communicating. They had three to four hundred barges lined up along the banks and it was enjoyable to listen as they sorted it out and built a barge.  As I rounded a right hand bend in the river I could see the two bridges and the heart of the harbor. The broken seat had wrecked my lower back over the last five miles so I pulled over under the shade of the 190 bridge.  Louisiana Governor Long had the bridge over the river built at a low height. The low height of the bridge guaranteed that ocean going vessels coming up river had to off load in Louisiana. For my much needed resupply I was counting on a Wal Mart just off the river downstream of the Inter coastal Waterway Lock and Dam. I paddled for 3 miles along unused fuel loading docks on one side and a huge oil refinery on the other. In the center of the channel a large dredge was stationed removing sand. Just before the second bridge on my side of the channel sat a massive ocean going grain hauler. The massive storage silos beside it was feeding a endless stream of grain into the hold. I paddled into some slack water and watched as a tug turned 6 barges 90 degrees and docked them behind the ship. I paddled down passed the docking barge and swung onto the sandbar at the mouth of the Inter coastal Waterway Canal. Having stashed my canoe and gear in the willows above the sandbar I set off with an empty backpack to find Wal Mart. It was about a twenty minute walk down the levee to a country road and out to a busy highway and retail area. I grabbed everything I needed for a eight day food resupply including a isobutane tank because I thrown thrown mine away on accident two days before. I had an early dinner of steak and eggs with hash browns at Waffle House before heading back. As I was hiking around a large soybean field a tiny thunderstorm passed over soaking everything. I arrived back at camp wet and muddy and plopped into the canoe to work on the reattaching the seat. I got lucky and found a way to tie it to the frame on my first guess. Today worked out well and I feel ready to push to the Gulf.

Day 82

So last night I set a finish goal for this trip of next Saturday or Sunday. The last leg of the river from here to the gulf is supposed to be very industrial on the banks with lots of shipping traffic. I plan to do a quick 7 day resupply in Baton Rouge and paddle for the salt water. I only passed a handful of barges the first part of the day and most of them were nosed up into the muddy bank like sleeping giants. The water was slick and  I was able to paddle across many of the large sandbars that are now under water. I guess I was able to cut off at least a handful of miles versus if I had been forced to paddle around the outside of the bend. The river has been coming up about half a foot a night and between Friday and Sunday it is fore casted to go up four feet. At noon I reached St. Francisville, planning to walk to town for lunch. I discovered a stand of large willows on the shore and decided to have lunch there. During lunch a large line of thunderstorms blown in from the gulf drifted over the river. The wind was blowing, waves smashing the shore and slow rolling thunder but no rain. The storm to be, drifted north as I paddled off. The storm was gone but a strong wind was still chasing it to the north creating the 3 to 4 ft choppy waves I hate so much. Not only do these waves beat up your body but they are just big enough to flip the canoe, requiring 100 percent focus. The river finally made a bend and the pounding was over. I drifted with the current for about 30 minutes till I noticed a sand bar with an old channel marker close to the edge. On closer inspection I decided that the slope of the bank and the placement of the old marker would make a good spot to tie up the boat for the night. The sun came out shortly after I set up camp, it was nice to air out some things and clean out the canoe. There was another amazing sunset.

Day 81

 I woke to another gray overcast day. I was hoping to make some extra mileage today to make up for the early finish yesterday. I turned the VHF radio to the weather band and listened to the update for my area and the latest report on the Hurricane about to impact the East coast. Possible storms for me and really bad news for the East coast. About six miles after my start I passed the first of three intake areas for the Old River or Atchafalaya River. Water is allowed to enter this river system through a series of gates at three locations. I paddled around the first two gate structures sticking to the far bank, horns mounted on the levee gave a glaring warning of the dangerous flow in the area. As I reached the bottom structure that includes a lock and dam  for changing between river systems  I could see a traffic jam of barge traffic. On the opposite shore I spotted a side channel that would let me slide around and downstream of the traffic. I successfully crossed the channel and continued my progress downstream. It was nearing the end of the day and I paddled into the sliver of shade that was forming on the west bank. I was floating along checking the map on my phone when something caught my eye. I glanced up briefly and saw a painted bottle on the shore as I floated by. I thought it might be message bottle and paddled the few feet to shore. I walked back up and took some pictures before picking up the bottle. It was a medium sized clear glass bottle with 2018 painted in red on the side. Inside I could see a couple of sheets of pink paper and a stick. I removed the cork and the papers from the bottle. It was a note from a kid named Skylar Smith born September 24 2004. Try and find me, is what was written on another. I was pretty excited about my find and hope to locate this kid. It made for another good finish to a day on the river.

Day 80

I kept thinking about the dead sturgeon that lay up the beach as I packed the canoe for the day ahead. I had left the rubber ring on its body the night the night before planning to return to take pictures. Now that the task was at hand I really didn't want to start my day like this but I couldn't leave the ring there to kill another fish. As I was removing the ring I could see it was a flat rubber seal or gasket that was used in industry or farming. Where did it come from? How many miles had it traveled? Had the fish suffered long? None of that mattered, I was pissed.  I don't know why that one dead fish upset me like it did but I was in a very unhappy place and with a dark sky and distant thunder I couldn't see the day getting much better. I paddled along in my cross mood making steady miles and listening to thunder grow closer. Around two I stopped for late lunch and a stroll and the wind suddenly started to blow much harder and cooler. I checked the radar and saw a huge thunderstorm rolling my way. I spotted a better spot to weather the storm and set about racing the storm to it. I had just enough time to set up the tent and throw my things inside before it started to rain. While I was securing the canoe and other gear I managed to get soaked. I stripped down and lathered up letting the rain rinse me off. I walked up and climbed into the tent to dry off. I spent the next couple reading and listening to the storm unleash rain and rolling thunder. After the storm passed I made a dinner of chicken and Mexican rice burritos while enjoying a great sunset. Another great finish to a day on the river.

Day 79

After another breakfast at the Natchez Coffee Shop I was packed and ready to paddle. As I loaded the canoe I noticed the river was up about a foot overnight. I took a quick look at the river forecast and I saw the river was going to continue to go up over the next week. I was pleased to have an overcast sky, cool temps, good current and a stiff breeze from out of the north. The paddling was easy and I made good time despite having to pull over a couple of times to let barges pass. Around lunch I paddled over to a section of shore that I saw had a lot of trash. I spent about an hour picking up buckets, a milk crate, part of an old fishing net, and lots of plastic bottles. Back on the river  I used my tent rain fly to make a sail. I was able to make about eight free miles by adjusting my make shift sail to capture the strong north wind. Towards late afternoon the wind turned against me and slowly my progress to a crawl. Most of the vary large gently slopping sandbars are now back under water changing the look and feel of the river. I pulled up onto the bottom end of one shorter sandbars around five. I spent a hour walking the sand bar and collecting trash. I found two milk crates, a chewed up duck decoy, a headlight assembly, plastic bottles, plastic cigar tips, a bleach jug, two milk jugs, a five gallon bucket. Much of the plastic trash that enters up river has been broken down into hundreds of small pieces mixed in the sand, up and down every sandbar. Towards the end of my walk I found the remains of a dried out gulf sturgeon. The sturgeon is a species that is heavily managed because it is on the road to recovery after years of declining stocks. The fish was about a foot and half long and it had a plastic ring around its body behind the gill plates. The ring was about five inches around and it had eventually killed the fish as he grew. It was a sobering reminder that plastic trash kills.

Day 78

I woke early and hungry. Checking my phone I found my breakfast choices were very limited, the bed and breakfast places in town ensure a slim number of tourists are looking for a breakfast spot. I walked up the deserted Main street taking in all the old buildings and historical information displayed on the many markers located in the area. I enjoyed a nice breakfast at the Natchez coffee shop before walking back towards my room to pack up the canoe. I packed up my bag and turned in my room key before heading down the steep ramp to the boat. The sky was overcast but I had not bothered to check the radar. I had to make one last trip up the hill to fill the water container and just as I finished the sky let loose a wall of water. I sat on the front porch of the saloon and watched the rain pour for about an hour. I looked at the radar and was disappointed to see large band of heavy rain storms was going to be passing over the area all day. Just as a slight break in the rain came the bartender asked if I wanted to rent the room for another night because someone was on the phone wanting it, I told her I needed it one more night. I walked down to the canoe, unloaded my pack, and stacked everything else to side and flipped the canoe over the top of everything. By the time I made it back up the hill I was soaked to the bone. I changed into dry clothes before returning to the saloon. Under the Hill Saloon has no TVs so looking at the various items lining the wall or talking to someone is how you pass the time. I tried to talk to a few groups of tourists but they did not speak English and I don't speak German or French so it was a wash. Back at the bar I meet two nice ladies from the Baton Rogue area who had come to town the day before to meet friends who make a yearly trip to Natchez. I told them about my trip and we passed several hours and beers discussing my adventure and life in general. They offered to help me when I pass through Baton Rogue in the next few days. The band had started around 4 and the saloon filled up with locals visiting and dancing to the band. I meet the owner of the saloon and he told me about the history of the saloon and how back in the old days there had been four more blocks of streets under the hill but the river had slowly eaten away at them. I returned to my room to do some reading and fell asleep at 10 when the band stopped playing.

Day 77

Last night was cool and quiet no storms, I was only woken one time and it was by an owl that a had landed near my tent and called WHO, WHO, WHO COOKS FOR YOU. I was jolted awake and replied WHO WHO before falling back to sleep. I was up and on the river by 7:30. The morning was cool and barge traffic was at a minimum, making for a easy miles. I was disappointed to see that the butterflies from the day before had disappeared completely. By noon I had covered over 20 miles and was excited to see that making Natchez by dark might be possible. After eating a quick lunch while sitting in the floor of the canoe and drifting. I was back paddling for town. With about twelve miles left till town I rounded a bend to see a wall of rain a mile downstream. I drifted in place for about an hour, nether the current or wind could overcome the other so I sat and watched as the storm inched across the river. As the storm cleared I could see a line of the big tugs lined up and running up river. I crossed to the other side of the  channel and pulled over to a sandbar. After the first tug passed within yards of the sandbar I jumped into the canoe and paddled into his rushing wake. I rode the surging wake for over a mile before I pulled over to allow the next tug to pass. I repeated this another couple of times till all the barge traffic had passed. Paddling the six miles into Natchez the river straightens and opens into an unusually wide run. I could see the old homes perched high on the bluffs overlooking the river. The sky was clear over the river but all around me the sky was filed with dark storm clouds and rolling thunder. The final few miles the I could see lightening strikes from down river past the Natchez bridge. I felt very exposed, paddling alone in the large expanse of open river. The last few yards to the concrete boat ramp the rain began to slowly fall. I quickly unloaded what I needed and pulled the canoe onto the rocks beside the ramp. It was a long steep walk up the boat ramp to the famous Under the Hill section of Natchez. This area was known to be one of the most wild and wicked places on the river during the steamboat era. I walked into the Under the Hill Saloon and inquired if they had a room upstairs available for the night. I rented a room over looking the river and was rewarded with a view back up the river that gave me clear line of sight to the spot were Jim Bowie had his famous duel on a sandbar. The sandbar is now under water but the legend lives on. After a quick shower and change of clothes I visited the Camp restaurant next door, I had the smoked wings and enjoyed a some college football on TV. Soon enough I found myself back at the Saloon and enjoyed sitting on the benches outside visiting with local farmers, ranchers and other tourists. The bed upstairs called my name after a few whiskeys and I drifted off to sleep with the sound of the band playing downstairs.