And the Days Go By .. Water Running Underground

Yes they do and yes it does.

I've been off doing History Hunts, a worthy use of time my time.

I have to balance it out with a little frivolity or all this becomes drudgery.

Riding up and down active rail arteries in search of trains is a one of those worthy frivolities.

We have an Amtrak train once a day,  plus many freights. 
I enjoy photographing them in scenic, interesting,  and historic locations.
That's what got me on my horse this afternoon.

It had been a while since I've met one of the Sunset Sisters.
I headed quickly to the West Switch of the Lafayette Yard.
I immediately found that my earphones did not work.
Chasing trains is senseless without the radio.
This would be the last train I planned to shoot.
I'd have to shift gears.

I rode west to Scott.
I was on the eastern edge of the Cajun Prairie. A ride north might be fun, again.

I wanted to check on Lewisburg,  a community on the old, very old Opelousas Gulf and Northeastern RR, later the Texas and Pacific.  The ancient freight office / depot was disappearing.   Lewisburg was once a thriving community.  No more.  The most recent addition there is the building of a  section of "project houses", 
or "Buy a Vote" housing as I consider them.
The presence of a "non-invested" community only brings down a place.


 Being just south of Opelousas, I decided to pay Mark a visit
and to see how static AKDN was.   It never changes much.
OK, I like junk yards. I like combining parts from old vehicles to make one good one.
That seems to be their business plan so I'm always looking for the next combo.
I could see no plan today. The once green and yellow 8100 is now decked 
out in Harley colors.
 What's going on there.  Like the truck manufacturer and scarf people, are they now catering to the boutique bikers? Will the mufflers be very loud? Will it have an attitude problem?  Should other engines step aside? Tattoos?

 Wanna Bees are below.

 There are two big Union Pacific engines on the property.
 I have no idea what their story is. I have seen a Norfolk Southern engine there, also.  I saw that Harley was keeping his distance.



 The little bipolar  yard engine was dwarfed by the large UP road engine.
Greenie was looking good.
 An oldie had her nose sticking out from behind the other engines.
Locally, she is known as "Bell".
 I headed out Tower road. These hoppers stay out there sometimes.  Harley had
been seen paying them a visit.  I don't think they wanted anything to
do with him.
 I love this old place. Mark worked for the owner as a kid.
I suggest that it might have been a small store at one time.
I once took barn pictures by the dozen. I can see the draw. I may again as they are 
probably the most endangered architectural category.
 This was the T&P line from Opelousas to Ville Platte. 
The Louisiana  East & West RR  had owned the rails
between Ville Platte and Bunkie.
After visiting with Mark,  I rode out west and dropped south ending  up in
Roberts Cove, a German place.
 In Rayne I shot this church.
 I rode west on old US90. I spotted a train going east. I wanted to chase it. 
 I ran into construction and it beat me into t he Lafayette  yard.  
I threw in the towel and headed home.
But first I'd check the yard and see if it was a through train. I concede poorly.
  It wasn't.
 The other end yielded the sitting container train. It wasn't going anywhere.
 On the way home I crossed the tracks on Mudd Ave. and look what showed up.
I would try for some descent shots in the harsh western sun.
The first were terrible.  These had to be "fixed".
I then decided to give it a chase, though it would be through the "neighborhoods"
on a Saturday afternoon when there are sometimes gangs in the streets.
I turn my scanner up loud to the cop station and try to look
undercover which isn't a stretch if "wino"  works.
This was my route if you'd like to replicate it one day.
Obviously, I could not cross the tracks  to follow the train west.
I went north on Buchanan and then west on Madeline.
Next, I went south of St. Antoine and west on Huval, a place where they know me
and still shake their head when they see me.
Often I hear "Crazy white boy" being muttered.
It's nice to be complimented.

This is the Mudd Ave crossing shot. The sun was a killer.  I knew I had to do better.
There he went across Mudd.  The new road covering has further obscured the old rails.
 Then I got the sun to my back near the University Underpass on Huval.
My timing was great.  It was moving at maybe 10mph approaching the 101 switch.
Dealing with the sun again, this is from the Performance MC Shop parking lot.
   I was looking good and I knew it.  I wish they'd been open to see how a real biker does it.
 I blew it at The Alley.

The old Yardbirds song about " the train kept a rolling all night long" came to  mind.
Yes, I know you think the Yardbirds, Aerosmith or Led Zeppelin sang it first, not.
This guy did it. Click Here.  The Wiki page is Here.
It is from a cumulative album:  Between the Rails: 
America's Train Songs, assembled in 1996.

While at the underpass, I spied this great bus.
 My wife wants to go to Montreal. I found her a ride.
 I, happy about not going to Montreal, rode on home through Lake Martin.
This is the road to Lake Martin.  It crosses a remnant of the Mississippi River shore.
 Then goes back down.
.... to here, a special place that is going fast.  The "Cajun Swamp Cruise" concessionaire has
already marred the view.

This is the gate that allows you to hike around the lake.  I did it one night, in pitch dark,
in the mosquitoes when my truck got stuck. I ran (on foot) into the rear end of a cow.
Mr. Black,  of Black's Bar, later the Teche Bar of "In the Electric Mist" fame, saved  us.
I have no idea what he was doing back there.
Then he adopted us and insisted that we stay for free drinks.  The rest of the story
gets hazy.

I wish the gate had been up that night.

The problem was we needed to be towed away.

There's the visitor's center. I have no idea why the walkway to it is chained.
This is a blue heron, believe it or not. 
He would get himself together and fly off.



Not a bad ride, glad you could come along.

Back to the title of this ride.
Talking Heads wrote what I believe is a reflective song.
See what you think.

And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack
And you may find yourself in another part of the world
And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile
And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife
And you may ask yourself
Well...How did I get here?

Letting the days go by
Let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by
Water flowing underground
Into the blue again
After the money's gone
Once in a lifetime
Water flowing underground

And you may ask yourself
How do I work this?
And you may ask yourself
Where is that large automobile?
And you may tell yourself
This is not my beautiful house
And you may tell yourself
This is not my beautiful wife

Letting the days go by
Let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by
Water flowing underground
Into the blue again
After the money's gone
Once in a lifetime
Water flowing underground

Same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...

Water dissolving...and water removing
There is water at the bottom of the ocean
Under the water, carry the water at the bottom of the ocean
Remove the water at the bottom of the ocean

Letting the days go by
Let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by
Water flowing underground
Into the blue again
Into the silent water
Under the rocks and stones
There is water underground

Letting the days go by
Let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by
Water flowing underground
Into the blue again
After the money's gone
Once in a lifetime
Water flowing underground

And you may ask yourself
What is that beautiful house?
And you may ask yourself
Where does that highway go to?
And you may ask yourself
Am I right?...Am I wrong?
And you may say to yourself yourself
My God!...What have I done?!

Letting the days go by
Let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by
Water flowing underground
Into the blue again
Into the silent water
Under the rocks and stones
There is water underground

Letting the days go by
Let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by
Water flowing underground
Into the blue again
After the money's gone
Once in a lifetime
Water flowing underground

Same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...
Look where my hand was
Time isn't holding up
Time is an asterisk
Same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...
Yeah, the twister comes
Here comes the twister
Same as it ever was...
---
"Once in a Lifetime" as written by Brian Eno, David Byrne, Christopher Frantz, Jerry Harrison, Tina Weymouth