"East Bank" - August 18th, 2007 by Taylor Lasseigne |
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Just past the Indian Camp Plantation I came to a stop at the sign above. In planning the trip, I promised myself that I was going to stay along the river, no matter what happened, but this rough shell road did not look promising with cattle guards, no visible end in sight, and the possibility of being stopped and searched. My choices were to either head into Elayn Hunt to brave the cows and unknown length of substandard roadway or to backtrack and detour off the river road as a shortcut around Elayn Hunt. I chose to stay on the river and pass through the correctional facility property, but I would not DARE pick any pecans. The sign reads:
Elayn Hunt Correctional Center Property NO HUNTING NO FISHING NO PECAN PICKING All Personnel Entering Subject to Identification Inspection and Search Violators Will Be Prosecuted |
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| Ah... the country. |
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St. Gabriel Church marked mile 100 of my journey. Cyclists call this feat a "century", and this in fact was my first. I took a break to get some food and called a few friends to rave about my accomplishment. Only 30 or so miles to go. The historical marker near the church reads:
St. Gabriel. 1761-1763. Church of the Iberville Coast built by Acadian exiles in 1769. It was located in 1773 on Spanish Manchac on a grant given by that government. German settlers came from Maryland in 1784. |
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| Scenes from the Mississippi River levee: (left) The Plaquemine to St. Gabriel ferry. Notice the ominous thunderheads in the background - finally a respite from the sun's rays. (right) Cattle and egret race down the levee. | |
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| Seeing this tiny sign brought me great joy. |
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| The Horace Wilkonson Bridge in Baton Rouge, LA. |
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| Me in front of the USS Kidd, a World War II destroyer name dafter Rear Admiral Isaac C. Kidd, who was killed aboard the USS Arizona in the attacks on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. |
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| Statue and gravesite of former Louisiana governor Huey P. Long. |
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| After about 130 miles and over 14 hours of cycling, I reached my final destination just as the sun retreated, the Louisiana State Capitol. At 450 feet tall, with 34 stories, it is the tallest capitol building in the United States. There is a quote near the main entrance, "We have lived long but this is the noblest work of our whole lives... The United States take rank this day among the first powers of the earth," said by Robert Livingston referencing the 1803 signing of the Louisiana Purchase. The capitol was the vision of Louisiana governor Huey P. Long, who was assassinated in this building. You can stand right where it happened, even put your fingers in the bullet holes of the marble walls. Long's last words were, "God, don't let me die. I have so much to do." Well Mr. Long, after a full day of cycling and more ideas for future trips than I know what to do with, I think I know what you mean. |
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Statistics generated by my Cat Eye VELO 8 bicycle computer: Time Started: 5:40 AM CST Place Started: "The Fly" in Audubon Park, New Orleans Time Ended: 7:45 PM CST Place Ended: State Capitol Building, Baton Rouge Total Trip Distance: 130.44 miles Average MPH (time on bike): 13.3 MPH Average MPH (biking and rests/photos): 9.23 MPH Maximum Speed: 22 MPH Calories Burned: 3123.3 Time Pedaling: 9 hours 47 minutes Total Time of Trip: 14 hours 5 minutes Towns: 36+ Water Towers: 8 Plantation Sites: 10 |
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