and then, to complete the outing, I write these recollections.
Putting "delirium", "recollections" and "writing" together
sometimes produces prose only I understand or understood
at the time but not now. And that's fine. Hope you enjoy
the ride. sm
At US 190, just east of Port Barre, La. I turned east for
a change. I was headed to Morganza Spillway Country.
The word is out that the gates of the huge flood control
structure on the Mississippi will be opened Thursday
or possibly a decision will be made then. The crest
of the Mississippi river has not arrived. I think it is
due later this month. I've seen high water at Morganza and it
is not quite where they would open it yet, but getting there.
Mother's Day duties were done. She was grinning. It was time to run.
I always take the RR tour of Krotz Springs. If you know
these little caches, why not check them out? You are there now.
You might not be there again. I know about Time.
There is a petroleum tank car loading facility in KS. This is
their little yard. Cars are picked up and dropped off here.
Then they head up to the main line going east. What's east?
Baton Rouge and its refineries.
The rail bridge is always an awing site. It is a historical vision
that has transcended time and will probably continue to do so.
Arriving at the north side of the Livonia Yard, BINGO, I
had a treat waiting. It was the first "never saw that before"
of the trip. I have Timing.
This is the "sawmill" mentioned by the dispatchers all the time.
"Merle, I checked every engine cuz I was wantin' to wave.
There twernt nobody in them cabs, Bubba.
They wuz ROBOTS. The engines had "Y" behind their numbers.
Cept this one and the "Y" might have been somewheres else?"
Is that the Terminator?
Getting freaked out, I headed to Livonia and shot the trestle.
It's a habit practiced over time.
Up 77, a wonderful La. highway, end to end, I went by the
location of the Fordoche Depot. I don't know why. Trains
don't stop there and it's gone. But, there's something about
Time and Relativity. I think Einstein had a grip on what
I'm talking about. I don't know if he ever equated depots
with his thesis.
Crossing the Fordoche crossing.
Leaving Fordoche, I topped the crossing at McKneely Spur. (below)
Seeing Mr. Louis putting his garbage cans on the road, I stopped
and asked him what the story was on McKneely Spur.
After 20 minutes of trying to make phone and relative
connections, he hooked me up with his great uncle who told
me all about the spur. Virgil, the part I didn't tell you was that
it curved down and went 200 yards back into the woods.
The parts I did tell Virgil was that it was a spur that was
used for loading sugarcane and timber, very big logs which
were probably cypress, probably virgin red cypress.
There are still cypress trees along Fordoche Bayou.
McKneely spur is also where the T&P rails were realigned
onto their present elevated route to the Melville rail bridge.
Lowell expanded on that in a note to me back a while.
I'll try to find it. I'm sure it's in a folder marked "Lowell"
or "Agent OOL", a handle he once used as he moved
amongst the shadows in the LeCompte Depot Hunt.
Oops, I may have disclosed a secret source. Wiki Steve?
Locals still call the road that occupies the old T&P route,
"the old rail road". Farmers are factual people not given
to dumb naming like community developers. Turkey Hollow?
I also learned a lot of family history. The family has
owned the land for over 100 years. The first thing
he said was, "We've been here for over a hundred
years and I don't know much about Kneeley Spur".
I told him I'd been wondering about it for about that long.
I think from that point on we were a research team.
His wife thanked me for rekindling their interest in
their family's history. Everyone won on that one.
But, he didn't offer me a pork chop. I wouldn't have either.
But, he did say he would have put one on for me if I'd
gotten there a little earlier. So much for the "perfect timing" thing.
At Morganza I was saddened. There were three very cute
little buildings there. They have sunken into disrepair. The little
shop on the left has lost its roof. Morganza started this
downward spiral when the cafe that was used in Easy Rider
was demolished. When I see stuff like that I have to leave
or I'll start kicking cans or worse. I've learned that cussing
to yourself serves no one. You need an audience. Just a
suggestion: Don't blow yourself up with a stoke or heart
attack unless you can involve other people.
In better days:
At my lowest moment, a crane appeared to lift my spirits.
Then SHIZAM, I, yet again, found old railroad crossing timbers.
I've now seen them in Eunice, one other place, and here.
Some say this is where aliens landed (below). In reality, I think it
is where a couple of large tanks were placed. This stretch
was where the depot was. I could feel it. Remember: TIME
Tick Tock Tick Tock (The Chamber Brothers) Probably not.
The first verse went like this:
Time has come today
Young hearts can go their way
Can't put it off another day
I don't care what others say
They say we don't listen anyway
Time has come today
Is that irrelevant to this ride report? Probably so.
It may be a hitch in my "timing" claim. But, it
is a great example of reverse thinking and excuses
used by children and politicians.
OK, here are the alien landing pads.
It was time to check out the spillway. Here we see the rails
and the road climbing the spillway containment levee.
I'll pan a little to the left to show the rails climbing the levee.
This was just a "pond" on the river side. Views of the great
expanse of water would come soon.
I was parked. I went to an official road crossing and shot
the rails. This is looking north across the spillway to Simmesport.
This is looking south and down into Morganza.
This is looking back toward the Mississippi side for no reason.
Maybe I was trying to compare the Mississippi side water
level to the yet to be flooded south side.
From there I walked back across La.1 to my bike. An official
in an official truck was eying it until he saw me bull rushing
him with a spike in each hand screaming "Geronimo".
Please, I mean no offense to that great Indian Chief.
And then I joined the rubbernecking Sunday drivers.
Let me ask, when you rubberneck do you steer toward
where you are looking or the other way? I go the other way,
I guess to avoid hitting what I'm looking at. But, don't you
go to where you are looking? I think I've discovered a
hitch in that theory.
At the north containment levee I parked at a familiar place.
This is the ramp I used to go down and ride old La. 1 which
lies on the Mississippi side of the control structure.
In dryer days this was La.1. It was raised in 1958. It does
resemble the Great Wall of China.
This is the structure. This shot is next to impossible now
because of construction there. It was taken from the
Corps' shop area south of the spillway off La.1. I'm thinking
that there are 125 gates. Don't quote me.
Turning east on 419, this is an old oil burning engine used
in a cotton gin. A person came by and told Al and I this. Then,
mysteriously, he left. I'm not trying to run that Time
thing in the ground, but he sure looked like Professor Einstein.
I took the road toward the river, on the dry side.
Not every tourist rubbernecker that twas out knows this spot.
At this point let me tell you potential levee riders, the heat
is out and they are patrolling. With heightened security in
such demand, I was glad to see them.
This is looking southeast to northwest. Morganza would be at
center top of this page. The Mississippi would be over my left shoulder.
This shot reminded me of pictures of the 1927 Flood.
I was digging the egrets.
Funny animals.
Pretty dumb, but funny.
I think this is a dredge.
I have no idea what it was digging.
{That was my late night foray into the poetry world,
I hope you enjoyed it}
More shots. I am wondering if the Corps worries that if
they open the gates the water will come. To the naked eye
that doesn't seem an immediate problem. Maybe it was carting
around those back hoes. I had a friend who had a 57 Cadillac.
The rest of that story can go untold.
Variation on the same theme.
This place doesn't change. I was riding a Guzzi in 2001
when a shot identical to this one was taken. The bales
of hay may have been in the same place frozen in Time.
419 to Claiborne Road to 418 follows the levee. There is no
better way from Morganza to Simmesport. The amount of
history along this stretch is phenomenal. The Civil War
is commemorated at St.Stephens, General Banks occupied Simm's
home. This is the home of a famous WWII flyer. It goes on
and on. Plus, this is area includes the Torras Peninsula.
Not interested in history? The levee road is beautiful.
This place may have inspired my handle, "Levee Rider".
Old River Landing was sunk yet again.
Houseboats were the only structures above water. I didn't
see the famous raised trailers.
If you see water, it's on the east side where the Mississippi still is.
This is the road where I found remnants of the first route
the T&P took to Torras. It was moved when the river took
the town of Red River Landing.
This feeder is sitting on the fill.
When Lowell told me about the original route, it sure
brought a grin. Traces are on my old Garmin Topo software,
a priceless addition to this hobby.
Below is what I'm talking about. "TP5" marks the above
location. (bottom of the map) You can see the dash lines
heading toward Red River Landing, now submerged. I
have a picture of RRL. The train went through it on the
way to Torras The red line is my track. Click the map.
Like all the pictures, it expands. Further Info. Torras
Landing was where Edenborn's trains left for Angola,
not at Angola landing, in my humble opinion.
Wheat was everywhere. Mr. Lewis said they were getting
theirs in before the water came up. He also said that the
water would probably be down in six weeks and that he
wasn't worried about planting the beans.
More water and road level comparisons.
The birds were "good" with it all.
At Angola Pen landing, it seems that the ferry was probably
not running, so visitors had to take a boat across to the prison.
I did not investigate thoroughly. You do understand, I hope.
I took La.15 up to the locks. Out there were the bridge supports
the T&P had used when it left Torras and headed north to Ferriday. This is
why the railroad gave up on the line. Submarine trains were not invented yet.
Will they come in time? {At this point, I think delirium was taking over}
I scanned the water and only saw this one thing peeking through.
It may have been part of one of the supports.
La.418 is on the right. This is a serious situation.
Now, why are there trees on the left? Could the land
on the left be higher also? Yes. All that silt that was
suppose to be building Louisiana is just filling her up.
Heading toward La. 1, this cute little house sat next to the road.
Three front doors. Doors were an important part of the interior's
environmental control system. Not much has changed over time.
At Simmesport, on the Atchafalaya, I took a bunch of shots.
La.1 Bridge
Edenborn's LR&N Co. Bridge (1925) maybe. He died
before seeing it completed. I reflect on some of my projects.
Oh, well, that's timing.
This is the swing section. I bet it's a great place to work.
Thunderstorms come to mind.
A peek at La 1.
The river is not happy. In fact it's boiling.
Both bridges.
Evening shot:
Ok, here's the next "never saw that before", harvesting
wheat in Louisiana. I was transported to North Dakota.
No, wrong, there are trees behind the field.
Down La.105, the Atchafalaya Road, I flew to Bayou Current,
then across the Bayou Rouge basin to Palmetto. It's got a
great old feed store/mill of some kind next to the tracks
with its old siding.
Looking at the depot location with the mill in the background.
Back in Port Barre, I took a picture of a barn I'd shot in 2001.
I was back to where I started. Tick Tock The clock goes round.
I'd never shot the old Port Barre bank. Too many people were always
around. Now it seems like a place where garbage is kept. That made
me reflect on those in charge of our Treasury and Federal Reserve Bank.
Wait until all their play money hits the streets. Maybe a Crane will
come along to pull us out of this funk. I don't care what his name is.
Just get that thief out of our lives. The Time has come TODAY.
Suggestion: If you want to check out other rides in this area,
check directly below.
Also: OOL, aka Lowell, just added this useful link to the Corps' Morganza website.