Gotta visit the swamp when in Louisiana... Oct 7, 2014
Got up early for a swamp tour today. Louisiana Tour Co. in Marrero, LA. Very nice people and Captain Mark was knowledgable and humorous. We had about 2 hours in the swamp and canals of the Bayou Villars. Lots of gators were around, not to many birds and no snakes today. Herons and Egrets only. It was an experience. So to get there I had to drive into New Orleans. Stayed on the highways though for most of the ride. Traffic was thick and I chose not to go downtown today. crossed the Mississippi River again and drove along Lake Pontchartrain on I-55 which is elevated on pillars above the swamp for some 30+ miles.There are no crocodiles in this area it is just to cold for them. Alligators are the major reptile of the region other than that gecko who hitched a ride today with us. The tour company offered airboat rides also but I thought better of it when considering you cannot hear the captain when the engine is running. There are communities in the bayou. In the one we traveled today about two thousand people live in and amongst the waterways. No cars just boats. Much of the property is privately owned. It's not a state or national park. We traveled past homes on stilts and cemeteries. the hurricane did do damage here and there not sure if all the deceased are in the correct graves after rounding up the floating caskets. Gators are hunted for 30 days a year with a specific number of tags available. Most all alligator hides, boots, teeth, heads and other trinkets on the market come from alligator farms. Not wild alligators. Everywhere I go I learn something new. Life is a lesson isn't it? These waters are also used as a major waterway for commercial vessels as you can see by the tug and barge photo. interestingly some land owners lease out some property to the oil companies and receive monies from the oil that is removed from there land. Tankers come in regularly and extract oil from each persons tanks. ~Link to Photos~
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