Hanson Lumber Company Locks (*)

I'm listing this one as an "old railroad" report as it deals with a lumber company which was a big customer of two classic rail companies. The weather was perfect and I had a few rabbits to hunt.  I don't go hunting without a prey.

One was "the existence of a large hole in the ground near Parks". I have lived  up the road from Parks for 104 years, my wife taught in two schools there and I did not know of this crater. According to one source it   was large enough to swallow the entire village of Parks, Louisiana. He compared the place to Crater Lake and ground zero at the large meteor strike in Arizona,  

We, as a species, are so numb to our immediate surroundings, taking them for granted while pursuing the glitz and glamor of far off places. We see our neighborhood as mundane and trivial everyday fare. I suppose that is just fine because as we age and traveling afar becomes harder, the wonders of our immediate surroundings  remain undiscovered. Guess I'm doing it all ass-backwards.

Whatever.

Before I got off on that philosophical malarkey I was telling you about this hole in the ground.

After my source had finished with his headline account he did go on to explain that it was a sand pit and that he found it surprising to find  sand in our area.  Without going into the one sure thing I remember geologically speaking,  I'll  just drop the bomb that the Red River (of Texas origin) and the Mississippi River (of Minnesota origin) both flowed where Bayou Teche now resides. There was sand deposited and I suppose J.B. Talley of Parks found an old sandbar and proceeded to make a lucrative living from its grainy deposits.  Being the proverbial latecomer, I discovered it yesterday.    It has a similar amusement park like the one at the Lacassine Yard, now under construction near the village of the same name minus the "Yard" part.

Of note, the pictures in this ride report that are not good are the sun's fault. The ones that are good are the sun's fault or both can be blamed on Bush if you are an idiot from Hell Obama disciple.  "Disciple" is not used lightly because he must have you blindly indoctrinated. Your blindness is not caused by looking into the sun but into the pit. No, not the sand pit, The Pit.

That was cheery. Let's move on.

 A large hill sits next to True Friend Road. I may scale it for a good morning shot of the lake, or it may out challenge my feeble resolve.

 

 An elevated view of the Parks Crater might be postcard worthy. A "Parks Crater Gift Shop"?

 The next rabbit was a newcomer engine to the Louisiana & Delta fleet down in New Iberia. At least I hoped it was down in New Iberia and hadn't moved to some far flung satellite base. I used my negative thinking to produce it here in the north yard at New Iberia.

Unless I can produce something special about it,  I can see nothing special about it.

That is not the case with Mz Allegheny RR.  She is special and the folks at L&D RR have recognized that.

They have also left Mz Utah be herself without having to go through the lobotomizing orange color change

. 

 The sterility of the new robot weigh machine sucks any remaining romanticism from the depot area air.

 Moving south toward my objective south of Franklin, I had to go by Enterprise, the mill at Patoutville. You can't take a bad picture, foul sun or not.

 This has got to be a sand dispenser for RR engines. The rails must be slick and sand is for the trains to gain traction.  Yes, they have their old 1200. It's a beaut.

 The steam and smoke seem similar to a Pittsburgh's steel mill's.
But, as far as smoke goes, you haven't seen anything, yet.

 At Baldwin 1706 was hooked up to a long line of tankers. They could be filled with anything from oil to molasses.

  That's it for the railroad stuff. If you are here solely for that portion you can  leave.
The next rabbit will be the Hanson Canal Locks.

This was going to be tough. I had even printed out an explanation of the canal to give to anyone who questioned my presence. The first thing you do when approached by an aggressive jerk is to give him something.  The distraction is disarming.if they can read. The two guys on "Pickers" use that tool all the time.

If they can't read they pretend they can and that works, too.

Next stop would be to go to the canal at the St. Mary DOTD. It was Sunday and I did not expect anyone there but maybe a watchman. I found the gate locked and tried going around the back of  the St.Mary Parish Animal "Shelter". That was a fearful experience and I decided to bailout. Backtracking to the US 90 service road I saw a trail going back up the canal alongside it. Had I lost the ability to take it to the edge?  Hell, no. Sanity be damned. I was going to find the remains of the locks.

I first zoomed way down as far down as the camera could focus. I did not see it then, but I do now.

No, not the locks but the Hanson rail trestle behind that brown pipe. 

You can see the ties. But there was even more.

 In this version you can see something in the water. 

I had not seen it on location and knew I'd have to do better.  

The "something in the water" and the trestle rails are evident. 

They were invisible at the time.

It would be a challenge. This is the un zoomed reality of where I was.

What started as an open path closed in. I was hooked  up. There was no place to turn around as I was riding atop the levee the builders of the canal had created. There was no holding back, no fear as .I shifted into trail rider mode, did a wheelie hanging the front wheel in a vine and flipped completely over recovering nicely still headed in the right direction.

 I saw the concrete through the autumn bared foliage.  This is actually looking across the canal.

 Looking down at the control arm that came off of the actual doors that were hinged to this massive concrete structure. The cypress gates and mechanism were gone.

 Looking down where the gates once were.

 Looking across the span.  This was a serious waterway.

 Backing up a bit.

 Looking down again. 

I didn't want to miss anything.  Falling in was not an option.  

I have no idea how I would have gotten out as the walls were sheer.

I'll  guess that this post was  for a fence.

 These pictures will be studied in detail later.

 It was time to go.

 The sun was setting quickly and if there was a problem this was not where I wanted to spend it.

 I decided to go back to Franklin on the south side service road. That way I could get a shot of the Hanson Canal going south on its way to hook up with the Intracoastal Waterway.

 These are "into the sun" shots with all that comes with that.

 I call this collection, "Study of the Arched Pipe". Subtle differences define each capture.

The next rabbit would be the "Sugarcane Harvest of 2014".

I do a yearly Sugarcane Ride and I was in the right place to get that done.

I saw smoke down Penn Road. I'd ride down there to investigate.

I met it and panned back to where I'd come in.

 I crossed old US 90 headed to the bayou.

Even the old stack at the Adeline Mill was obscured.

 I turned back toward Old 90.

 I could now take a breath.

 I decided to cross the Teche at the Adeline Bridge. That would put me on La.87, a  most scenic route.

 The Teche is no more beautiful than in Autumn.

 Lots of pictures of highway views coming. I'm wearing out so my rap will get sparse.

A hint at the grandeur of this place.

This farmer had once had his display of many items on the other side of the road. Evidently much was stolen and the remains are now behind a fence. I have pictures of the original display. Such a shame.

 I caught this house flying by. It seemed a bit unique.

 I check on my old houses from time to time. This is one of them.

 The Saints Headquarters have been moved to the backside of  Jeanerette.
It is now boarded up, appropriately.

 This may be my future.  I wonder if hanging a license on it would work? That did it for many of my bikes.

 Baywood, the most beautiful.

Santa was even there or was it Edgar Allen Poe making mischief, again?

 A gear from the Baywood Mill. The mill had a railroad.
I found a curved trestle in the "back" via GE.  I may one day visit it.

I once had a story about this cemetery.

 Loiseil Plantation's stack is down a resident's driveway, across the bayou.
 I wonder if his insurance covers "a fall".

These antenna pictures are for Mark. He collects them.

This one's better.

I was at the LSU Experimental Station.

Captured Alabama fans are dissected here.

Catching the coach will be the prize.

 LSU Road is no more. It is being grown over.  The bridge over the Teche is turned open. It is sad.

 Another grand home.

 Crossing the bridge off La.620.

 Curving into east New Iberia.

 I could not pass up this phenomenon over the cooling pond.

 The new mill, "Cajun Sugar".

 Complete with rail tug.

Old carts out to pasture.

 Marshall's in St. Martinville.

 Others out to pasture.

 Stretching out toward St. John.

Once called "The Haunted Forest" because of the large oaks that stood guard over this place.

 The classic St. John approach.

The big house featured in the Burke movie.

 The store  likewise featured.

 The rails came through here.

Want to build an old time sugar mill?  

You once could with the collection that was here.

 The old plantation church.

 Leaving St. John.

 Nothing changes. I was again being pursued by a rabid 4 wheeler rider. 

They'll even race old men on little putt putt motorcycles.

Kudos on the display.  Scroll down, they have it covered.

These are taken at a distance while going 40.

 The all important Nativity Scene. 

 Santa's Reindeer Stable (the garage)

 Rudolph

 Santa with a Sidecar.  I swear I've met him.

Santa riding a 4 wheeler with a low tire.  Very realistic.

Snoopy on a Scooter. (A Charlie Brown Christmas).

 And Felix, who will beat  you to a smudge if you mess with Santa.

That's it, Merry Christmas. 

And remember, there really is a Felix.