Beaumont » Lake Fausse Point State Park, LA

2009-08-13: Today I decided to use only my sense of direction to navigate. My only objective was "travel east along the coast". I made a few stops in Port Arthur, TX for supplies. It was a town dominated by its refineries, and was accordingly run down and quite polluted. But once I had reached the edge of town, the marshy coastline appeared pristine and wild, although I suspect water pollution was still present if not visible. Oil platforms could be seen in the distance out on the gulf.

Damage from Hurricane Katrina was still quite prevalent. Along the roadside, abandoned vehicles, such as minivans and boats, could be seen slowly disintegrating and sinking into the marshes. Many buildings had been severely damaged by wind and water. Some were in the process of being repaired, while others hadn't been touched.

Along the road, there were tiny piers for fishing, some occupied, sometimes by a lone fisherman, sometimes by an entire family. The road was nearly empty, and with the sunshine and the ocean breeze, these anglers appeared quite content. I stopped occasionally to enjoy the fine weather and to watch the wildlife, mostly wetland birds.

Unexpectedly, I came upon a ferry crossing near the town of Cameron. While I waited to cross, a somewhat large and interesting ship, the Candy Counter, came through on its way out to sea.

The highway I was following then turned north. I stopped for a few more things I needed, and searched for a place to camp, intending to explore some bayou land. Lake Fausse Point State Park appeared on my map, and I made my way there. Inland Louisiana was hot, lush, and very different from what I'd seen prior. Sugar cane and other unidentifiable crops were grown in small plots of land. Wetland trees, rustic houses, ditches, levees, dikes, and every other kind of waterway dominated the scenery, and there was something new around each curve in the roads as they wound through the bayou.

I made it to the park and got set up. In the early evening I went looking for alligators near the Atchafalaya River, intending to photograph one, though none appeared. The bayou was strangely quiet...until the sun went down. Then it seemed to come to life as insects, frogs, and so many other living things sang their nocturnal songs.

I planned an early start for my hike through the park, but it was incredibly hot and humid at night. I found myself on my hands and knees pouring sweat and attempting to cool off in the still air. Eventually I did cool down, and slowly laid back down, and then began sweating again almost immediately, and I repeated the cycle. Eventually I was exhausted enough to fall asleep. Later, I was awoke to hear something shuffling, scratching, and snorting outside my tent. I found my flashlight and shined it outside to find an armadillo digging away at the roots of a nearby tree. I slapped the tent wall, hoping to make it leave, and it jumped straight up, but it never looked back at me, and it resumed its excavation. I decided it would probably move on soon enough and went back to sleep.