New Orleans, LA to Gulfport, MS to Orange Beach, Fl

I'm combining two days of travel into one because they both involve quite a bit of time and long days on open water.  When you leave Pontchartrain Landing, you run about 25 miles on the protected GIWW through a section called the Rigolets. Not much out there but we did catch a pic of a train on the port side. 

When you leave the Rigolets, it's about 40 more miles to Gulfport, all open water in Mississippi Sound.  Here's Opus One following us AGAIN!

And here's the arrival into Gulfport, MS.  More friends from Harborwalk, Amy and Rob, have been here for a couple of weeks aboard their sailboat, La Strada.  Wish we had more time here.  The marina is brand new and very nicely done, great beach right next door.  We had a great dinner at Mike's place across the street and need to move on tomorrow to take advantage of "quiet" water in the sound.

The next leg was 87 miles, our longest day thus far.  So, we had to leave at 6 AM to make Orange Beach, AL before dark.  Glad we did -beautiful sunrise as we were leaving Gulfport.

80 miles at 9 MPH - you do the math.  It makes for a long day.  Autopilot is an awesome thing.  Nobody home at the helm.

After passing Biloxi and Pascagoula, Dauphin Island was to starboard approaching Mobile.  Here's the Dauphin Island Causeway.

Here's our last view of open water for awhile as we leave Mobile Bay.  It was an absolutely gorgeous day.

You quickly transform back into the waterway routine re-entering the GIWW at Gulf Shores, AL

We were greeted by lots of dolphin, here's a group of 5 - I managed to get 4 caught on camera just off the bow of the boat.

We are docked at The Wharf in Orange Beach, AL and will take a few days now to move some cars and spend Thxgiving with my inlaws in JAX, FL. Should be back on the boat on Friday.  We wish each of you a nice Thanksgiving with your families and friends.

Tourists In New Orleans

After arriving in New Orleans, we found out Rhonda's brother was also in town (what are the odds of that?) so we touched base with Keith and Deanna and spent a day in the French Quarter with them.  We started our day with coffee and beignets at Cafe Du Monde in the French Quarter.

Next stop was the cemetery on the north end, all above ground of course.  It was pretty interesting with a  well-known voodoo queen, Marie Laveau, buried there, tons of history, and the fact that many families are buried together in one tomb.  

We overheard one of the tour guides say that when the family tombs get "full" they have to remove some of the older remains to make room for the new.  That's a little bit creepy.

Lots of street bands and other performers.

These guys were very good as acrobatic break dancing comedians.

There are some really strange folks in the Big Easy!

These above are actually imitators of Allison "Big Chief Tootie" Montana of the Yellow Pocahontas Mardi Gras Indian Tribe.

Most of the architecture is about the same, but definitely impressive.

The tile plaque naming Bourbon Street while under Spanish rule from 1762 -1803.

It has now given way to the neon lights and party atmosphere of today's Bourbon Street.  Some of the "activities" there did seem quite rough.

The St. Louis Cathedral at Jackson Park was quite impressive.  It's the oldest cathedral in the US.  I wish I had a camera that could do justice to the detail and beauty of the interior.

We've got a bunch more pics of our trip to NO, but you get the idea.  We also want to note that our friends on Opus One, Clint and Linda, finally joined us again after their mechanical delay in Lake Charles and a couple of 100-mile days to catch up.  Here's Opus One arriving at Pontchartrain Landing.

We really enjoyed Pontchartrain Landing - it actually originated as a FEMA trailer site after Hurricane Katrina which was later purchased and developed by private owners as a high-end RV Resort and Marina, complete with bar/restaurant (including Carolina pulled-pork BBQ), swimming pools and hot tubs, playgrounds and pet runs, shuttles to/from town, definitely a first class operation.

We delayed an extra day for better weather conditions in upcoming open water on Mississippi Sound and spent the day with Clint and Linda sightseeing some more.  This pic is at Louis Armstrong Park.  On to Gulfport, MS tomorrow.

Houma to New Orleans

This is one of the most difficult legs of the trip for recreational boats because of timing, distances, bridge restrictions, locks on both sides of the MS River, and availability of dockage.  If you don't have a workable plan with some backup options you run the risk of getting stranded in difficult situations with nowhere to go.  As we have noted in previous posts while traveling the MS River, it can be very unfriendly to recreational boats.  I'll cover the details later.  First things first.

Good morning to my mother-in-law in JAX, everyone calls her "G" so we got a shot of "Lady G" for her.  So G, can I please get some chicken salad this visit?  You have a month and a half to get it ready and don't give it to Tony!

Hello also to our friend Kim at Three Forks Harbor in Muskogee.

The scenery is pretty much the same as the past few days with open landscape, ship yards, and residential.  One really big addition about 10 miles out is the new flood walls being constructed since Katrina.  I have to admit - I still struggle with the logic of building a city of this size below sea level and spending more and more money to protect it from flooding, knowing that it will eventually flood again.  There is a gate between the two large yellow cells that allows the powers that be to completely seal this off when closed.  They are building a similar project on the east side of town.  All I see is tax dollars going down the toilet.  Sorry, it's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.

   

 Once you get close to New Orleans, things pick up quickly.  Here's the continuous gaggle for about 5 miles just prior to the MS River.

So here's the sequence through New Orleans and the MS River.  The bridges and gates open for entry into Harvey Lock.

Once inside, you tie to a metal stob in the wall and the entry gate behind you closes.

The lockmaster raises or lowers the water in the lock.  In this case there was only a 6 inch difference between the waterways and the river so it was not even noticeable.  (The largest rise or fall we've experienced is 93 feet at Wilson Lock on the TN River and that is definitely noticeable).  Once the water level is adjusted, the exit gates open and out you go into the MS River.

We have run about 400 miles of the MS prior to this trip and it is always an eye-opener - there is a reason they call it the Mighty Mississippi!  We happened to exit the lock right as a huge tanker and two barges were passing by southbound.  There was also a container ship heading the opposite direction.  With all that traffic in close proximity to each other, the river was pretty rough but not a problem.  Here's a pic of the city's riverfront. 

The container ship, Polsteam, inquired about our boat on the radio and gave us some nice compliments on her looks.  I personally really appreciated that with all the work I've done on the boat the past year (still got a few projects to complete).

You check in on 2 different radio channels while on the river, CH 67 to communicate with the other boats and CH 12 appeared to be for someone monitoring all the movement of the vessels on the river.  There were two large military ships docked side by side on the left descending bank - pretty impressive.

Just past these ships is the entrance to Industrial Lock and there is another bridge that has to be raised on the river side before entering the lock. Once again, no delay. 

The process in all locks is pretty much the same but this one did not have anything to attach to on the wall.  The workers at the lock drop lines down to you from the lock wall.  I stayed pretty busy keeping the boat positioned correctly on the wall from the helm and Rhonda was holding the lines so we did not get any pics.  Once you leave the lock there is another lift bridge, Florida Avenue Bridge, that you have to call for permission to pass through and of course they have to raise it for you to do that.  Again, we had no delay.

After the Florida Avenue Bridge, you hang a left off of the GIWW on the channel toward Lake Pontchartrain.  One more bridge to get through - the L&M Railroad Bridge.  We had about a 20-minute delay here for a train but that ain't bad considering we had no delays at either of the locks and their associated bridges.  The catamaran in the pic passing through after us is a couple aboard "Nightingale" traveling from Kentucky to Corpus Christi.  They stayed at Pontchartrain Landing also and we had several chances to visit with them at the marina and also touring New Orleans.  

Now all that sounds pretty simple and it actually is if timing works out and there are no delays.  Most boaters traveling eastbound delay at Boontown Casino, about 5 miles from Harvey lock, and allow a full day to get through the locks.  The problem is normally timing.  The bridges close daily from 6:30 to 8:30 AM and 3:30 to 5:45 PM.  Also, once you pass Boontown, there is nowhere else to stay except a small dock at Industrial, and you have to get approval for that.  Delays for traffic in the locks can be several hours at a time so it's just a mess if you don't hit it just right. Worst case scenario is to get through one lock but not the other and get caught on the river for hours after dark - that would not be pretty and certainly not fun. We had planned to stay at Boontown but Rhonda called Harvey just before 2PM and they advised there would be no delay.  Then she called Industrial on the phone and got approval to stay at the dock there if we couldn't get through.  As we approached Industrial and called the lockmaster there was again no delay as I've already noted so we actually got through both locks and all the bridges in about 2 hours with 20 minutes left before the 3:30 PM bridge closings.  We are still shocked that it happened so smoothly but we'll take it.  I'll cover Ponchartrain Landing and our trip to downtown in the next blog post.

Morgan City to Houma, LA

First of all, I need to apologize to south Louisiana for no WIFI per the blog yesterday.  After I hiked 24 blocks round trip to use the WIFI at the Hampton Inn, I found out it was available at the public library 2 blocks from the boat!

Moving on, we left Morgan City today around 8 AM.  It was 44 degrees last night and pretty chilly getting everything ready for departure this morning.  Just a few miles out, we had to pass through Bayou Boeuff lock and fortunately it was open with no delays.  Sorry for the pic below but I wasn't about to go outside or open the window just for a better pic.

After the lock and several miles of industrial/commercial/shipping/fishing/everything you can imagine to do with large boats, we entered a stretch, at least 15 miles or so, of solid cypress trees covered in Spanish moss, very peaceful and scenic (even in cold temps).

And then, right in the middle of nowhere and among all that serenity is a sign advertising legal services for maritime something or another!

As you arrive Houma, there is lots of residential waterfront property as well as industrial sites which mixed well together, all in all a very pretty town. We were a little busy getting all of our lines and fenders ready for docking so we missed lots of good shots. The city docks are designed for just a few boats and with limited services. However, it is very nicely done in a park setting nestled between two bridges.

This shot is for the grandkids.

As usual after docking, Rhonda is ready to sightsee and we can only do that by foot so off we go.  I guess every coastal LA town has the old antebellum homes and live oaks but we never get tired of seeing them.

After many more city blocks and not much exciting to show for it, I'm starting to get tired.  Rhonda wants to keep sightseeing so she presses on without me.  First of all, I don't do well in cold weather and my right leg and left foot have not completely recovered from my surgeries a couple of months ago so they are hurting as well. Also, lots of folks don't realize how tiring traveling by boat can be, especially in new territory.  We normally get up early so we can depart at sunrise or shortly thereafter.  By the time you do engine checks, get shorepower, water lines, dock lines and fenders in, and all the equipment ready in the flybridge, you've already had a pretty busy morning.  During the day is steady attention to where you are, periodic engine room checks, etc etc and then all that is required for docking.  And as another reminder, I fractured my shoulder blade in 2 places this summer so it's still a bit stiff, and then topped my "medical summer" off with a stent and a pacemaker!!!! So, by this time I'm about ready to check in for a room at the facility below.

But I'm getting close to the boat, I can see it across the canal but "just can't get there from here" and then get the sign below.

Cock your head to the left - it says "4 laps equals 1 mile."  From this position I have to walk 2 of those laps to get back to the boat so I've still got 1/2 mile to go!  Anyhow, I finally made it back and I might add that I'm pretty pleased with the pacemaker.  It's still a bit uncomfortable but with it set to kick in when my heart rate drops below 70, it's running about 9% of the time.  And in case you are wondering why the boat is so dirty on the front end, that's the "moustache" we always get from the tannin in the water as it rides up the hull.  We'll get rid of that when we get east of the Mississippi River in New Orleans and the Tenn-Tom Waterway at Mobile.

Rhonda asked several people in town for dinner recommendations.  They all said we should eat at the hospital!  The sad part is that we did and we even invited the sailboater docked behind us to join us!!!  It tasted like hospital food, not sure what we were expecting different than that.  But we did have an interesting conversation with the sailboater.  Turns out he is also a retired air traffic controller - very small world considering there are only about 16,000 ATCs on the payroll at a time. 

One good thing about the hospital, they have WIFI and we obviously took advantage of that to get another blog post done.  I asked Rhonda to proof-read it for me while I went to the bathroom.  Something didn't look right when I got in there - you guessed it, I was in the womens restroom, not kidding.  Clearly time to call it a day and head back to the boat.

We will probably head toward New Orleans tomorrow but it will take 2 days to travel the 69 miles to get there, get through the 2 locks and run a short time on the Mississippi River. BTW, remember our friends we left behind in Lake Charles?  They are leaving LCH tomorrow and will be catching up with us in the next few days.  Rhonda and I plan to sightsee some in New Orleans while they travel.  

Morgan City, LA - I could live here

Every now and then you come upon a town that just feels right and "inviting."  Morgan City is one of those.  The city docks front the Atchafalaya River and are adjacent to the city, separated by a flood wall.  The docks are rough and there's a lot of train and highway noise, but somehow it kind of fits with the history and charm of this old fishing and shipping town.  In the pic below I'm standing on the flood wall which I guess is about 20 feet tall.  I think the wall has been breached once or twice.

You may remember a few months ago when the MS River was in serious flood condition.  I found this pic online - they flooded this area to provide some relief upstream.  The light pole between the "M" and "O" below is the same light pole adjacent to HMR above.  So, clearly it's a very functional system.

Here's the gate from the docks in to the city.

Just a few blocks away is their city park with beautiful live oaks that occupies an entire city block.

And some beautiful and charming old homes.

We attended church on Sunday with the members of Pharr Chapel, UMC.

And there are some very special treats sometimes when you get delayed for weather.  We will be having dinner this evening at "Rita Mae's" which was closed on Sunday.  We ate here a couple of years ago when headed for Galveston and I'll just say it was "awesome."  I try not to overuse that word as it detracts from things that really are awesome, but in this case it is appropriate.  Just good-ole home cooking and lots of it!

And to close on this tour of Morgan City, the charm of the town is again exemplified with this little book swap stand for childrens' books, in the front yard of a private residence.  "Take a book, Return a book."

We are planning to leave tomorrow, heading out through the railroad lift bridge (below) and hanging a left for Houma, LA.  It's only about a 40-mile run but is supposed to be the prettiest stretch of the GIWW through Louisiana.  Some friends from Harborwalk traveling ahead of us on their sailboat "La Strada" tell us there is WIFI at the hospital!