Last Day: 11/20/06

After driving through the night (Ben and I got the 11pm to 7am shift!), we found ourselves in the foothills of the Ozarks, in SE Missouri. We would have been further along on our journey home had we not made the decision to take Highway 61 all the way back. Note to anyone still reading this blog: TAKE THE INTERSTATE! Highway 61 is gorgeous in sections, but from Baton Rouge to Davemport, IA it's a long way from the river.

Pulling up to a rural gas station to fill up, we found no gas because the pumps were down, but they did have coon meat! We have no idea if this is a competitive price.

Our traveling companion/heat source, Bella. She behaved extremely well for being the youngest and most energetic of the bunch.

Our canoe, "Minn" rests firmly in place on the last leg of her journey. She got us through so much, yet our adventures with her are only beginning.

Day 73: 11/19/06

A beignet breakfast on Bourbon. Beignets are a fried French pastry that are usually covered in sugar. What's not to like?

There were all sorts of Katrina-referencing T-shirts available. This is one of the nicer ones.

The second half of the day we spent driving out to Venice, LA which is at the end of the road on the Mississippi's delta. It was already apparent that this section of the river is the most industrial one. Oil refineries and storage facilities were a prominent feature throughout the drive.

Ocean liners frequent the river between Baton Rouge and the mouth. This loaded up vessel has about half of its height below the water's surface. Not only are they humongous, they are quiet and fast. Sounds dangerous.

In the last light of the day, Ben and hop out of the van for a quick pick on the edge of the delta. Funny to think our trip has come down to a roadtrip to the end of the continent, but we're happy with the adventure.

Continuing on in darkness, we reach Venice, LA. The road comes to a T. To the right of the T runs Halliburton Road (no, we're not kidding), where many oil companies have set up shop. To the left of the T is a small settlement where all of the oil company employees live. Somewhere in between, are the helipads that choppers use to go to and from off-shore oil rigs. Wow. What have we done to the river that Native Americans call "The Father of All Waters"? We knew what waited for us at the end of this great river, but it was anti-climactic nonetheless.

Day 72: 11/18/06

Saturday morning came and our ride arrived. Michelle, Kevin, and Bella (the hound-pup) arrived mini-van style and we gave them a brief tour of the Parish. This picture is from a bridge going over the intercoastal canal, which connects Lake Pantchartrain with the Mississippi. The right shoreline holds a levee that was breached in several places. Surge water topped the levee, eroding the land side of the embankment, and weakenig it.

A shrimping and fishing village that was devastated by the storm. Boats were strewn about everywhere.

The Habitat "Musicians' Village Project" in the Upper Ninth Ward will house returning musicians native to the New Orleans area. Around 50 homes will be completed soon!

Dinner with our friends from the north. Thanks for the ride!

You never know what you're going to find in a New Orleans' back alley. This time we stumbled upon Mardi Gras masks and cross-dressing Ken dolls. I wonder if Barbie knows?

Day 71: 11/17/06

Our last day in St. Bernard's Parish was spent finishing Mike's house (In which we found 4 air rifles!) and working on a home that was 50% complete.

All of the homes that were flooded in the metro area had to be searched for survivors and victims by rescue workers. To mark a home as searched, authorities would leave an "X" with info in each space. The top is the date of the search, the left is the department that searched the home (in this case "GA", probably for Georgia Firefighters), and the bottom is the number of bodies found.

The water line in this home was 12 feet up, in the attic's rafters. There were three inches of mud in all the rooms of this home that was kept wet by holes in the roof. It took hours to shovel out.

An end of the week photo of our team's survivors. To have so many people from different backgrounds united in one cause was very moving and empowering. The sense of humor that we built as a team in the week helped us undertake what otherwise might have been a somber experience.

Yes, this is a corny shot. We promised some friends we'd pose with our canoes before week's end. Here ya go. Happy now?

We have a group meal at Angeli on Decatur St in the French Quarter. Good times with good peeps.

After eating our fill, we walked toward Bourbon and heard some classic New Orleans Jazz at Preservation Hall, a living museum that we highly recommend! We felt a little bit like the cast of "Lost" walking down the street. So many different people all getting along.