Day 119 on the Mississippi River

Day 119

October 7, 2022

Friday

LRM 77

2218 miles completed

25 miles today.

It took me a long time to write this blog because there’s so much to write about, and I met so many people.

I resumed my paddling at the Audubon River Park in New Orleans.

I paddled along all the wharfs, and then the French Quarter.

My daughter Tracey and granddaughter Brittany and great granddaughter Charlotte were having lunch in the Quarter with Mary Ann when I paddled by. They took my picture.

There is a canal and locks south of New Orleans on the east bank. About 2 miles past the entrance to the locks I met two people on the river:  Ellen Falterman and Aaron Duenke. Ellen was rowing a strange looking craft that is probably an ocean going rowboat. Aaron was paddling a standup paddle board. I thought I had found Waldo (See picture). They were paddling upstream to get to the canal. We took pictures of each other. And I learned the next day thatTony Peralta took pictures of us too. I don’t know Tony, but he posted the pictures on the Mississippi River Paddlers page.

Later I met Collyn Martinez on the East bank. He had his dog with him. He took a picture and posted it on Facebook.

Late in the day I crossed the channel to the west bank to cut across the turn and save some distance. Then at the next turn, when I wanted to cross back to the East back I had three north bound boats coming toward me. I had to stay on the West Bank a little longer than I wanted. I use the app FindShip  to find when ships are coming. When I saw there were no ships within 5 miles of me I crossed back over as fast as I could.

I stopped on the east bank at RIver Mile 77. Steve Navarre was coming down a trail to let me know where to stop. (As I was approaching the shore I saw another alligator.)

Tina Treuil and Steve Navarre were there with Mary Ann to help me carry my kayak up to the levee. After loading my kayak and gear we drove about half a mile down river to Tina’s Ferry Stop convenience store. They have a little café in the convenient store and we sat in there and drank beer with the local people. Everyone was so friendly and they wouldn’t let me pay for anything. We stayed and talked and drank beer until they closed, at 7:00.

You can actually get off the river right at their store. If you get off the river beside the Belle Chasse Ferry on the east bank, it’s a short walk over the levee to the Ferry Stop cafe and convenience store. I can recommend it. Go in and meet Tina and Steve, and hang out with the locals.  If you’re  lucky you might meet Georgie who works there or Tina’s daughters, Logan and Ashley. If Ricky is there (one of the customers) buy him a beer for me. Whoever you meet in there it will be worth the stop.

Tina recommended a place to eat dinner. It’s Charlie’s. We went there and sat at the bar. Mindy was our waitress/bartender. We ordered way too much food: gumbo, crawfish pasta, catfish, salad, softshell crab Poboy, Boudin sausage. Everything was really good.

Then, on the way back to New Orleans, we stopped at the Old Arabi Bar. There we met Sarah, the bartender. Sarah was really nice. When we told her about padding the river she was very interested. She said we were the most interesting people she had met tending bar.

It was really a full day. Then it was a long drive back to Kenner. I think I got in bed around 11 o’clock.