Kayaking to the Intracoastal Waterway

I took advantage of Washington's Birthday, a federal holiday, and crisp clear weather to kayak down Minor's Canal (approx. 2 mi. each way) from Bayou Black to the Intracoastal Waterway. It's still a little too early to see the brilliant springtime colors, but I went ahead and took a few pics anyway. The trees on the left side of the canal are mostly of the bald cypress and those on the right with the emerging brilliant-colored red male flowers belong to the swamp maple, draped with spanish moss. Here is a website that has some great pictures of Louisiana's wetland region.

Kayaking on the Falgout Canal

Extending from the Intracoastal Waterway that intersects Houma, four major bayous meander southward to the Gulf Coast like four extended fingers on a hand. They include from West to East, Bayou du Large going through the town of Theriot (tier-ee-oh), Bayou Grand Caillou (Kie-you) going through Dulac, Bayou Petit Caillou going through Chauvin and eventually Cocodrie at the end of the Hwy 56, and Bayou Terrebonne going through Montegut.

On Saturday, I took the 18 mile drive from our home down Bayou du Large through Theriot all the way to the Falgout (Fal-goo) Marina where I launched my kayak. I paddled my kayak the full distance of the Falgout Canal and back (3.6 mi. x 2 = 7.2 mi.). It took about 2 hours.

There is a highway that goes along the south side of the canal. At the far end of the Canal, I got out, crossed the highway and took a picture of what has been described as a "cypress tree graveyard," an area that is transitioning from fresh water swamp land to brackish marsh land.

The loss of land in southern Louisiana is of great concern to Louisianans, and should be to the Nation as a whole.

The yellow arrows in the Google Earth photo show beginning and ending points of my trip, and the yellow dot is where I took a picture of the dead cypress trees.

Discovering the wetlands of Louisiana

Christmas 2007, Judy bought me a 9' kayak and put it under the Christmas Tree (actually in the garage). It was probably the biggest Christmas present I ever got. For several months, about the only place I ventured with the kayak was in a body of water in the back of our gated community, which, by the way, is called "The Lakes." Our so-called "lake" is small, only about 1/5 of a mile in length and shaped like a long-neck vase, but adequate to navigate a small kayak.

Within the past few months, I have started to venture out, trying out canals, bayous, waterways, and wetlands in the area. I have discovered a whole new world down here in southern Louisiana, and have really gotten the bug to continue to explore. I would like to buy a waterproof camera, so I can post pictures some of the fauna and flora I see in swamps, marshes, lakes, and bayous while kayaking. I realize now that there are local kayak tours, local clubs, kayak magazines, and more out there. My next exploration activity is going to be the Mandalay National Wildlife Refuge which is close to where we live. Unfortunately, most of the refuge is on the far side of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway which can be dangerous to cross because of speeding boats and large commercial barges, ships, etc. Right now, I am content to just explore on the north side of the Refuge. It takes me about 25 minutes to go the two miles from Bayou Black to the Intercoastal, and I can just skirt along the north bank of the Intercoastal to get to the part of the Refuge that is on the north side.

What animal life have I seen in the winter thus far? Alligators of course, a water moccasin, nutreas, a wide array of birds, and "flying" fish (none have landed in my boat yet). This morning, I navigated a new waterway. Once away from all indications of human activity it was an amazing experience...almost spiritual, just gliding through the water with the only sounds being from the rustle of wind against the cypress trees and bird life. A bird with a very long beak, poked its head out of of the water right next to my kayak. I thought, "Where in the world did you come from?" Anyway, look for additional posts that will hopefully have some cool wetland pictures. Lousiana has about 40% of the lower-48's wetlands, so I shouldn't run out of places to explore.

Some favorite kayaking destinations include the following: Atchafalaya Basin, Bayou Teche, Bayou Lafourche, "7"-shaped Elmer's Island across from Grand Isle, Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve south of New Orleans, Manchac Swamp, and Pointe au Chien marsh land.

You Live in Cajun Country when...

• You find it difficult to give directions without saying "up the bayou," "down the bayou," "across the bayou," and similar
• Roadkill generally consists of armadillos, alligators, nutrias, ‘possums and ‘coons…all of which are tasty with the right amount of Creole seasoning
• You go to a local restaurant, and the choices include crawfish etouffee, shrimp gumbo, crab bisque, and jambalaya
• You think that the four basic food groups are broiled seafood, boiled seafood, fried seafood and beer
• Your “camp” consists of a trailer house perched on 15-ft stilts overlooking a bayou
• You look at your barometer each morning and wonder if it is reading accurately or if it is just stuck on 100% humidity
• You are a distinct minority if your name doesn’t end with …in, …on, …ois, …ot, …iot, …ert, …et, …ete, …ette, …ene, …nge, …ngue, …oux, …eaux, …ier, …aire, or …ard and have a distinctive French sound to it. Examples: Herbert (A-bear), Richard (ree-shard), Breaux (broh).
• Your next-door neighbor’s dog is named either Fideaux or Gator bait, and the bumper sticker on his car says, “Geaux Tigers!”
• Until you left home, you thought Mardi Gras was a national holiday.
• You understand the difference between Zatarains, Zapps and Zydeco. Under Zydeco, check out some of the Musicians at the bottom of the page. One example: Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band.

Hurricane on the Bayou

As everyone knows, Hurricane Katrina was life-changing event in southern Louisiana. Images of New Orleans under water are some of the most vivid. I had the opportunity to go into New Orleans several times to assist in the clean up, and will share a few of the images I captured in future posts. Houma was just far enough to the west, actually about 60 miles southwest, to have been spared from the extreme wind and water damage that occurred especially on the east side of New Orleans and the coastal areas of MS and AL. Hurricane Rita impacted Houma more than did Katrina, with hurricane force winds occurring as nearby as Morgan City, and coastal flooding severely impacting Houma on the SE side of the Intercoastal Waterway that intersects the city, and points further south in Terrebonne Parish. The sugarcane belt was far more impacted by Rita than Katrina, a sizeable portion of it being severely flooded with water high in salt content.

Judy and I were invited to attend a preview of the IMAX film, "Hurricane on the Bayou," prior to its general opening in New Orleans. Amazingly, much of the footage of this film occurred before Hurricane Katrina, with the anticipation that something like a Katrina was well within the realm of possibilities because of coastal erosion and a relentless loss of vital wetlands. Ironically, from the perspective of the producers, the timing of Hurricane Katrina was almost as though it were on queue. This film is a must-see, if you have any interest whatsoever in Bayou Country and the potential far-reaching impact of not taking decisive action to protect Louisiana's wetlands.