this little documentary. She also told me about their ride
over to Alabama and the beach. They stopped at Fort
Pike on which she gave a healthy report. I was glad to
hear that since, I guess, my last visit there was in 2006, the
year after Katrina. One side was bulging out. It was closed
and the future looked bleak. Someone, or group, should get
credit for fixing it. Bush? Anyway that's an update, visit there, it
is awing. We are very lucky to have such a fine historical
site within our borders. Pity poor Fort McComb and
the Old Spanish Fort in Lake Vista. They are not as celebrated.}
{And, thanks to Michael Dwayne for the great Super Bowl
winners, The New Orleans mf'n Saints, team picture he sent
to me and duh daughta, very nice!!}
{Back to the book now that the local news is over.}
Gibson.
Elevation 11 feet.
Population 60.*
New Orleans 67 miles.
{Back to me. Gibson sits at the intersection of La.182
and La.20, the road to Thibodaux. What the state now
calls 182 is old US 90. Renaming the road that was wrong.
There's too much long term history associated with it to
make following the "trail", the OLD SPANISH TRAIL (OST),
difficult for future generations. Instead of naming it
stupidly, 182, why wasn't it called the OST, reverting
to its earlier name while creating a tourist attraction?
Because bureaucrats are dumb and don't give a .....}
{I yelled about that back in 2005. I guess I can't let it go.}
{Anyway, here we are at the intersection. I'll let our narrator
run a few lines and then I'll come back because, though
he says that there is no significant structure here, there is stuff.
Extreme beauty is just a bit off the road, that is if you
like lazy bayous with shrimp boats tied to the banks
under sheets of Spanish moss and significant structures
if you use my gage? Ok, Bernie...}
Gibson is a small village on Black Bayou, a waterway of some importance. A quaint old church is about the only feature of special interest. Gibson was formerly an extensive lumber-milling community, drawing on the rich supplies, now mostly depleted, of cypress and other trees in the great swamp country to the north. This swamp vegetation is still a picturesque feature along the railroad in places, especially the drapery of Spanish moss on many of the trees.
{2 points for you, Bernie, you do get it.}
Spanish moss is extensively utilized for making mattresses and other cushions at moss "gins" at many places. The moss is cured by moistening and airing to decompose the living portion, then dried, carefully worked to remove dirt, sticks, and other undesirable materials, and thoroughly washed.
{I feel obligated to stop here and and dredge my
lake of photos for local shots. I could hang out at the gas
station at Gibson and watch traffic, catch a few
passing trains and absorb the aun viance of the place.
That's a Fr. word? Maybe 2, spell check can't figure out.}
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DL, still new.
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The bridge turns to allow boat traffic through. At one
time a full time employee was required. What preceded
the 1946 bridge? Now there's a good question.
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{Swamp, nic nic bugs., there you go George E. BTW, do
you identify with Jack Nicholson while watching ER?
Not that ER, Easy Rider. Is that show still on?
Hopefully not.
What is it with watching hospital TV? A lot of people
like that stuff. I can't figure it out. Oh no, I watched
Ben Casey, M.D.}
.jpg)
{What did you expect, "Johnny Lafitte's BB Marina"?
He would have called it "Breaux's BB Marina", but Breaux is
a common name, so he chose "Bob". Not many Bob's, no.}
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{February in Louisiana. We have a great ice fishing season.}
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{Mason du Masons}.
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{Just what you'd expect to find nestled against a dark La.
bayou, a beer parlor. Someone really has a sense of humor.}
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{Back in '05 there was this rare open spot on the bayou as
you approached Houma. The country is getting filled up
and we are letting more and more, some that plant bombs
in our largest city, into this country. Get rid of the politicians
that are allowing that. They are doing it to add to their
supporters at election time and to add to the dependent
class where big government is the the provider and boss.
Big government supplies only what it steals from us. In
return they get more control over our lives and a terminal
loss of our liberty.}
{There is no reasoning with this arrogant tyrant and he's getting
stronger with each bill passed by the likes of Charles Melancon,
Pelosi's gigolo, and our own Hillary look alike, the likewise arrogant,
Katrina Mary Landrieu. Over 60% of Americans thougth that "health"
thing was BS and he has ignored us. That is arrogance. Same goes
for our "machine" politicians that practice Chicago politics just like
their northern counterparts.}
{"B.O.", aka, Stinky , kiss my butt. Can I still say that?}
{You better believe it."}
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{You might click this map to make it larger. That's the
railroad. You can see 20 and it taking off to Thibodaux
and US 90 headed south. There is no new US90 on this map
which really makes it nice. The blue lines signify swamp}
{This is now. There is no swamp, no bayou, only sterile
"US 90". The railroad remains. Check out the road labeled
as "Old Spanish". Continue its curve to the next road and
I'll bet that's the old route. Ah, I cut it off, too bad.}
I'm cooling it for the night. That rant wore me out. The pictures
are going to get thick from here on since we are now within
my afternoon ride radius. Checking this outing's shots I see I
didn't stop to take any in this area due to the fact that I already
have them. Finding and orgainizing them are my next tricks, so hang
in there. Getting through the Boeuf, Morgan City and Patterson
area is going to be fun.
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