The last few days

The hospitality on the last few days of the river was amazing. I felt like an escaped slave on the underground railway as I was passed from family to family down the river.It all started at mile 180 south of Baton Rouge. I had just paddled through one rain shower when i noticed another approaching. The problem with the rain was the almost complete loss of visibility and with tugs having a nasty habit of speeding out from behind parked barges it was a little unsafe.I happened to come upon a dock at which were moored two launches that service the freighters that anchor at the edge of the channel, taking workmen and supplies too and fro. I spent 3 hours with the captain of one ,George Mitchell zooming out to the ships and back. He then offered me a bed for the night in his trailer behind a plantation house nearby.In the morning I met Daniel Wahl,a young man doing the same job as George. He immediately volunteered that his grandparents who lived 35 miles down the river would look after me. When I got to Lutcher I called Daniel and within minutes his grandmother was there to take me home,where I took part in a combined father/daughter birthday party.The grandparents in turn said that they knew someone in New Orleans who could not only put me up but also remove the kayak to safety as it couldn't be left on the river bank over night. When I got to N.O. I came ashore on the south bank at the Algiers ferry landing in the sand/mud and rang Steve. He was there in very quick time with a helper and we lifted the kayak over the levee and on to the back of the pick up truck. It overhung the back and stuck out the side and two of us sat on the back to hold it for the 6 blocks to the accommodation. In the morning they delivered me back to the river for the last 2 days of paddling to my final destination