There were just two choices.
Nothing else was of interest.
It was either go east or go west.
I went south for some strange reason that made no sense.
Probably posting this falls into the same category.
Of course I was initially after train stuff.
That was almost a complete failure but other stuff intervened.
"Old interest", pun intended, saved the day.
"Old interest", pun intended, saved the day.
I began the ride in Amite Old house, old fence.
Here begins a very boring pictorial of my ride south out of Amite to Hammond.
At Hammond I planned to veer west to Scotlandville, nestled snugly on the north side of Baton Rouge.
Why? Illusions of grandeur? I could handle the encroaching chill, gloominess and depression.
Trivia-lettes began.
Amite
Amite
Not seen when taking this shot are the rail access doors on the left of the building. "Rail Access Doors" (RADs) have been my passion as of late.
It's a shame I hadn't noticed them when I was putting through town.
It's hard to explain how such an insignificant bit of evidence can mean so much.
Next up was a little white house.
No RADs can be seen.
The street sign tells all.
Yes, an American factory stood here. I bet it had RADs.
Moving South
A Canadian company was working on its rails. They once belonged to Yankees. Before that I think The Confederacy owned them. Before that .... how much can I know?
Moving south to Independence, La., I approached the old Illinois Central depot from a new direction. It probably belonged to a predecessor RR.
It had RADs of the freight portion of the depot.
The spur rails, as with the others, are gone.
More Canadians working on their track.
North of Hammond, the Black Cat Grocery / Liquor Store / Gas Station and Home were closed.
The Black Cat was the last name given to this fairly modern version of a home / store.
I found another one driving home but was unable to take a shot. I was in a car pulling a trailer and basically paralyzed because of that situation. Could the gas prices been the cause?
At Hammond, Herzog, the rail inspection people, was just getting off the tracks.
Patient motorist waited and waited.
This was at the cross tracks of 2 historical IC branches near the Hammond depot.
Both are now Canadian. Canada is not one of our United States.
I mention that in case this is being read by a person from "Watters' World".
I mention that in case this is being read by a person from "Watters' World".
I'd head west.
Southeast Louisiana, still in places along the coast, is awesomely beautiful.
I had to paint this scene.
I moved toward Holden still checking the crossings for anything new.
New ties!
At Albany, a historic mill town and rail terminal,
the old steel building had lost some of its glow and its rail crossing.
It had rail access doors on its side.
Those rails are gone or the building has been moved.
New piers?
This was on the front porch in 2006.
Moving west.
Importance? The mile post is all I see at the Holden depot location.
More.
At Holden I was freezing and knew I could not make it to Scotlandville. I had wanted to see if Watco had done any work on the rails to Slaughter and then west to Zee. I had to go north to shorten this ride. I ended up on familiar La.442 and then La.1036 and what should I find.
Flashback. I once partied pretty hard up in these woods. One night the group I was with decided to go to church. Refocus. I think the draw was that there was a piano within. One of the guys started playing. It might have been gospel. Might have been Jerry Lee Lewis. It was all very strange. I'll leave it at that. The group I was carousing with was most reverent, very reverent. Oh, and by the way, they would slowly kill a vandal to this holly place. Well, they were reverent to a point. Yes, they were rough characters and a reminder that you don't mess with the son of a Rebel's son or what he protects.
They are still out there.
I cannot believe it. I don't have a picture of the actual church.
This is the little building behind it, possibly for Sunday School.
The church was locked. Times have changed. The following are attempts to take pictures through the windows. They are interesting mixtures of the interior of the church and the surrounding woods. My interpretation is that the church was and is an integral part of these piny woods' social and physical environment. It's all blended together.
Miserably I made it to Slaughter and Zachery. The rail crossing was paved over. No work at this point and I was not going south in search. I'd attempt to make it home. I considered buying a sweatshirt or two at the Dollar Store. The parking lot was full and shivering seemed the lesser evil. No trains were going to Zee.
At Clinton I had a fantasy of finding the old Clinton & Port Hudson RR creek crossing. Delirium had taken hold. What I found was probably Old La.10's route into Clinton. I had taken Jackson St. whose bridge across the creek is no more. The red line was the railroad's entrance into Clinton.
The railroad was important in the Civil War. It supplied Port Hudson for a while.
I had removed the windshield because on my last adventure it had tried to remove my nose. I will not elaborate because that will only increase the volume of your laughter. So, try a 55 mph wind on your chest at 68 degrees F. The chill becomes 58F by my estimate. Fully submerge yourself in 58 degree water. Watch a movie and tell me what happened. So, you'll understand why this ride report is a little sketchy.
I went by the house that once belonged to my aunt and uncle.
I stopped by to say "Hi".
But then I noticed a very old part of the cemetery or possibly a separate cemetery. I think the "latter". It was Jewish. I have never visited a Jewish Cemetery.
The death date is given using the corresponding date of the
Hebrew or Jewish Calendar. I'll let you find the interesting stuff.
I wouldn't mess with a son of a Jew, either.
Figuring it was all over I arrived back at Arcola which is on that
Canadian rail line. I was amazed. The ride was not going train-less. With all the work going on I figured there would be no train traffic. There were 2 trains at Arcola, one a northbound, another a southbound. After the northbound passed I went to Railroad St, Arcola and settled in to watch the southbound depart. Who was watching the engine? Three crewmen were on the ground.
Settled in:
I had 12 miles to go. Arriving at base camp the sun came out.
I was not amused at the disbelief as I told my chilling tale.