After leaving the “Big Easy”, I skirted the west shore of Lake Pontchartrain and the causeway by Lake Maurepas, through the Manchac and Joyce Wildlife management areas. Lots of water down here, folks! I went about 25 miles on raised highway before reaching the first stretch of road that was actually on land! About 4 hours later, I made it to the Roosevelt State Park in Morton, MS, about 30 miles east of Jackson. The rain followed my path most of the way, but the luck of the Irish still held and I had about a 1 hour window to get set up before the deluge began again. It rained pretty constantly till about 11:00 the following morning.
Despite the rain, I really liked this little campsite, situated around a lake surrounded by hills and a hardwood forest! Seemed very much like home – even the temperatures reminded me of home! BIG difference from the habitat and climate in Florida and the Mississippi and Louisiana Gulf Coast!
Tonight, I set up camp in the yard of a wooden canoe colleague, Lex Brown who runs Tallapoosa River Outfitters, a guide and equipment service on the Tallapoosa River in Heflin, Alabama. After looking at a couple of nice wooden canoes Lex is working on (a Thompson and a UCO (“Unidentified Canoe-like Object”), he invited me into his home for a nice, home-cooked meal with his wife, 6-week old son and his in-laws. What a nice treat for the geezer to sit and relax with real folks. Thanks, Lex, for taking in a wandering stranger.
Tomorrow, weather permitting, we’ll take a run down the river and see what northern Alabama looks like from the water.
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