02/28/11

02/28/11
327.8 miles
Woke up at 4 am and started preparing questions for interview with French national Matheiu Calvet and preparing for breaking camp to go to either Alabama or Florida depending on what I hear from my friend Bob “Bubba” Allen. A few plops on the tent turn to a staccato drizzle. But it’s duration is brief. This repeats for a few times and then ceases all together. I type a few notes and then go back to sleep around 5:30 am.
I get up about 7am and start to test my micro cassette only to find that it is not moving forward. Either sand or humidity is preventing the tape from moving forward for more than just a few seconds. The Capstan and tape week both work without a tape in the works so I’m hoping it is something that can resolve itself later.
This means I have to devise another way to interview Matheiu. I make a list, review it with Matheiu and get his release and then send it to him via a Facebook message.
Camp is packed up and we each head off I different directions.
I travel over Bayou Teche one of the first named Bayous and Atchafalaya (sp) river which is magnificent.
Going through Baton Rouge and then to the south side I recognize a street named Bluebonnet Ave. and know that a AAA office is on that street so I stop off and get maps and camping books for state from the Carolinas up to Maryland and the Virginias.
Before Baton Rouge I get a call from Bubba and a plan is devised to delay my visit to Florida until his return from China. So I route my trip to Alabama this week, Georgia the second week of march and Florida the next. (I’ll then shoot up the Georgia coastline in a day to Hilton Head, SC in a single day.)
As I approach New Orleans area I have the massive Lake Ponchatrain exposed to my left and then to a lesser volumn on my right. (The “smaller” volumn is larger than all of Lake Charles!)
I have determined to go across the Lake Ponchatrain causeway which spans the lake from the big easy to Mandeville on the north shore. I had planned to do this trip two days ago for my last stay in Louisianna at the Fountainblue state Park, but they only had overflow camping with no electric and I had grown spoiled by easy internet access. (Plus it would cost me more to go there as I’d be subject again to a $6 surcharge for the first night as I had at Sam Houston Jones state park).
Crossing the “Train” I had done once before and it was a surreal experience. I was on a train from new Orleans to the Winston-Salem-High Point area in North Carolina. We had just left New Orleans and I soon realized that I was over water. Soon I realized I could not see land…of any sort …out of either side of the train’s windows. For miles and miles. I would every once and awhile see a little berm island. I began to get a little paranoid and clostraphobic (aquaphobic?) about the time and distance this passage was taking. And the train would slow at times. I began to wonder…what happens if the train breaks down here? Do we walk to land over the tracks? Do they send rescue boats? I was very glad to see land beside and below the train again.
On this passage I had the benefit of the long span of cement roadway to comfort me on my transit. There were at lest 7 “crossovers” along the way for people to turn back if they needed to. The span was 24 miles over water and there were times when no land could be seen on either side of the two multi land spans. I noticed a change of Parrish about midway along the span. (How do they know it’s right there? Do they ever have border disputes or jurisdiction conflicts?)
I crossed the border into Mississippi and passed by the NASA site and state welcome centers going by Gulf Port and heading to Gautier just west of Pascagoula. The sun was setting as I passed Buloxi and I realized I would most likely be putting my tent up in the dark again. Pulling into Shepard State Park I was greeted by an empty kiosk. I searched for to open campsites found space 10 and filled out the “honor” envelope for payment. Settling in for the night about 7:45 pm I had thought about posting on the internet…but no signal could be found. I’d thought of writing (these notes among others) but soon gave up to weariness and was asleep before 8pm. I woke around 11pm due to the first of many train blasts through the night. I used that brief interruption to take a bathroom break. I remember walking there in a simi stupor like a drunken sailor. I was tired. So tiered that I didn’t notice (till the morning) the multiple attack that mosquitos had made on my sandled feet.
I woke again at 4am (thanks train!!) and noticed a few brief moments of rain. The morning was sunny and clear. Camp was broken by 7am and I was showered and waiting to pay for my night by 7:30. I had to wait an hour before an attendant would be at the kiosk to pay. I finished these notes about 9am and we’re on to our next day. Atmore Alabama or maybe even Dothan. The day will tell!