Plaquemine and Back p1

I left this morning late not knowing where I wanted to go. I had no rabbit to chase, no mission to complete. Before I got to Port Barre I'd decided to go toward Baton Rouge down good old US 190 into Pointe Coupee Parish. Sliding into Lottie/Blanks, I decided to turn south and ride around the Basin, making a 300 mile outing. I then gained my senses and converted a mistake into one of the most productive rides I've ever taken. Of course "productivity" is in the eye of the beholder. We report, you decide.

At Lottie I again saw the huge "hump yard" the Union Pacific has there. After chasing rail ghost for hundreds of miles, I decided to chase a live one. I'd follow the Union Pacific down to Grosse Tete on I-10 where it takes off across the swamp. Then I'd loop around and find where it reemerged. On the way I'd catch what I could where this rabbit led me. Along the way is La.77, a truly wonderful road connecting US190 to Plaquemine. I was further driven to investigate the reemergence by a story Mike Wilson had told me. There had been a railroad related tragedy near that point when the line was run by the Texas and Pacific RR.

This one is going to go slowly. I don't have the stamina for many hours of writing at one time anymore, especially after a long hot ride.

I'm cutting the ride track map into tiny pieces to reflect the short pages.

You're getting onboard just east of Krotz Springs. There is always something new to see in KS, but first I had to visit Old US 190, the road of my youth. Remember, all the maps and pictures are just thumbs. Click them and they enlarge, hit the back arrow on your browser to return or open them in new windows to avoid that.





This is a board road. It is used to allow heavy machinery to cross soft land. There is a pipeline being built nearby. 190 is mid picture.





Over the levee the old road stretched out.



You are looking at some very old cement.

Off to the sides of the many bridges are hints of what this road was called to conquer.



I returned to the back road into Krotz Spings.



At the time I was just shooting stuff. An old fire truck seemed a good subject.





Pretty cool.

I crossed the Atchafalaya and then the 6 mile bridge arriving in Lottie. I immediately got off of 190 onto 81 which goes through Blanks.

I saw the stacks of wood on the south side.



At the hump ahead was this.



The railroad hump in the road was not to what the sign referred.
Humping in railroad lingo is where a rail car is pushed up a little hill and then allowed to roll down the other side. Its route is controlled by switching rails from one track to another. If it gets going to quickly, there are brakes along the way. The process is used to assemble freight trains.

This is the entrance to the yard. Oh, what about the stacks of wood? It's a wood product company. How am I suppose to know? I'm just a clueless amateur photographer.



81 ends at 77. I took 77 south paralleling the rails and yard. Along the way, an old sugar mill stack still stands.





The lines of cars can be seen off in the distance producing a thin border between land and sky. I found that poetic, you?



So that train with no engineer wasn't a ghost train!



I entered Maringouin (mear OH guin).
I have never spent any time there and since I'd canceled the circumnavigation of the Basin, I felt like I had plenty. I'd look it over.

This is coming into town. That's Bayou Maringouin down there. I will learn how to spell that word. It means "mosquito" in French. I wonder why they'd name a place that? Wait until dusk.



That's all natural, no landscaping.



I crossed the bayou and rolled into town.
The tracks, fresh from the hump yard, lay in front of me.
It's 11:11, time to put it away. CLICK HERE FOR PAGE 2

The C&P Recon Ride p6

I went west to the old main drag and got the obligatory Vernon Parish Courthouse, 1910, picture.





Leesville is not a recent happening.

The Police Jury building was down the way. Do we still have Police Juries? Google "Napoleonic Code".



I was and am so proud of myself. I was headed out of town and I was really tired. Then I remembered seeing an old railroad structure on the north side of town on one of my trips. I needed to investigate. I u-turned and headed back through town. Leesville is not so bad when you get use to the 15 lights on 171.

I went under the train overpass and blew off that shot since I have one.
I was right.



I had to stop, pull out the water and Dr. Pepper and stoke my box before pushing on. After I'd replaced my helmet I crammed 2 granola bars in past the front bar into my mouth. Feeling physically rejuvenated, I went on down to the station across the grass on the bike. Was I getting wild and crazy!!! The heat will set you free. The station was from Benson, DeSoto Parish, La.

This was evidently going to be a little tourist area. It's all for sale.



I had to pull the vine away from the name to make it out.





Here's the little store. I don't know if it's old or a replica?



I got gas at the adjoining Shell station, then headed south on 171 back through town. Seeing the old house, I had to get a picture. It was huge and, it was being restored.







I cleared town and was on the south 4 lane when I saw the old store. Not yet having enough "old", I u-turned at New Llano. I was overcome by stuff and had to leave.





I turned east on La.10 which runs on the side of For Polk. The traffic was heavy as it was 5 pm, but it was all coming at me and I had an open road ahead. It got cold and the sky darkened. It stayed that way until Ville Platte and never rained. I threaded the needle the whole way enjoying all the benefits of the weather but none of the rock and roll which is associated with severe temperature changes. Not a drop. It never got over 75 degrees. The bank clock in VP registered 75, and VP felt warm to me. I'm still shaking my head over that one. That's it. Bye.

A Mr.Clark left a nice note in the Guest Book. He remarked that he liked the history aspect of my rides. That reminded me to put a link to the old C&P ride to Camp Claiborne. Those places I mentioned in this one are in that write. CLICK HERE to go there.

The C&P Recon Ride p5

I parked the bike at the crossing. I think I was getting a little woozy as my give a dam' was gone. I'd just parked in the middle of the road. What were they going to do, run over me? This was a great place for me to cop an attitude since there was no traffic. I think I was still hot over the "Road Out" experience. I'm getting one of those orange cones and put "Road Closed" on it and park anywhere. No traffic will be allowed to pass me. I know, that's brilliant. Glad to share.

Good shot, huh?



Thank you, but this one is better. That's where I was headed.



Well?

Here's looking down 3rd Street which looks like the old main drag.



Oops, maybe this one is a little better.



The next one is looking north. If you are going to do it, do it all.



A map would make things easier for me, so I'll put one. Click it, it gets bigger.



A brief explanation. The yellow line is an old railroad coming into Leesville. I think it's a branch of the C&P, though it shouldn't be. I would think the C&P ended at Camp Polk, but the yellow line hooks up to the dashes I followed from Claiborne with a brief break in the line. So, who knows? It ain't going to make me crazy. That's been done. The weighpoints marked Y1 and Y2 represent where a wye met the main line. The following businesses were on that wye. It also marks where the mystery railroad connected.





Then I saw this building. I didn't know if I could uncover it enough for a shot. Then I wanted to go inside, but it had "signs" and I decided not to.





It was the real deal railroad building, maybe an old depot or railroad warehouse. I think it was connected to the railroad that left Leesville going east. I know it was. That may make me mo crazy.



This is the tank that was next to it. Was it for water???
I don't think it was high enough for what I wanted it for.



But it might have been for oil.

I returned to the main line and surveyed the depot and nearby buildings from the east side.

Was that a dog trot?



Yes, it's all a part of the museum that is the depot property now.
The next building is another old depot. I didn't see it as such then, being delierious.



Then the Leesville Depot:



As I rode south, I saw this huge old warehouse.



I can't quite figure the rail set up here. There is this very large open space which says "yard" or "business" or something to me. I think you can say for sure the green building had a siding next to those doors.

Past it was this little building, still moving south, paralleling the tracks. It had great roof vents. Everyone and everything needs a compliment from time to time.



"That pipe is connected to the haunting mystery which may push me over the edge", Edgar Allen Poe.

Then a real surprise, engines with KCS on their sides. I thought the Kansas City Southern had been eaten. With them were CN engines, urg. I got a thing about Canada. I had some Canadian jerk come up to me in a campground and start wailing in on President Bush. I almost hit him. I guess I could have taught him a lesson about being a guest in a foreign country, and now I wish I had. "Never pass up an opportunity to achieve a little justice", my new motto. Maybe I should stay away from train yards?



I was now on the west side of the tracks. Here's the south end of the Leesville Depot.



Backing off a bit:



And, at the north end of the station was this cracked bell surely a copy of the Liberty Bell, but I couldn't be sure. There's the museum's sign and you can barely see "Leesville" on the station sign. My framing was getting sloppy. I'm sure that's not all.



Here's the other side of the "little station":



The Dogtrot:



And adjoining facilities:



Some other little house. I'll call it a crew house. I know there's a RR name for it, but I forgot.



Then there was the China Grove Church and School:



China Grove seems to be a common name in the woods. Why?

Across the street was Fertitta Brothers, 1915.





Oops, got too many pictures on this page, a sign I'm wearing out.
We have one more left. CLICK HERE to go there.