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| The Columbia Ride, The Last Page |
| Barry had created the loop which was way to big for one day's thorough investigation unless I decided to wander these hills at night and after being so close to Big Foot's lair, I was feeling a bit timid. I was headed home. Barry in preparing the route had requested some pictures and inferred interest in having some others. He really wanted a picture of the bridge at Columbia as a momento. I think he wanted a picture of the Big Foot campsite since he's too scared to go back there anymore. Another one I think he wanted was a picture of the Little River in the Little River Wildlife Management Area, the first "Route by Barry" I had pursued but was unable to complete because it was flooded. He had also mentioned the old lumber mill at Selma, La. So, as I headed home I tried to check off those presumed request. I went back in the area known as Selma and interrupted a gentleman's afternoon beer drinking to ask him about the mill. A long detailed explanation could be summerized into, "you can't get back there". Next stop was the Little River WMA. Still flooded, Barry. Now I have half this route to finish, I know I need to pursue the Selma Mill thing with more gusto. Marion told me he is headed there. Maybe he can finish that one for me. He said that there was a mill at Urania also. This is getting overpowering. And, Little River, which looks even more Big Footy-ish than the campground, needs exploring. Below is pretty self explanitory as I'm getting really tired of writing. That's a house and those are pictures of the road to the Little River and where I stopped, being of sound mind. Remove the comma and the truth be known. |
| I started the ride at 9am and would finish it at 8pm after 430 miles and darn near running out of gas. What a great ride! I want to thank Berry for the time and effort he made in guiding me to a before unknown part of Louisiana. |
| Back Home if you are ready to go, but you'd be missing the best part. |
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| But Wait! We're not through yet. As expected, when Barry read the article he had comments to add. I knew he would. This is the good stuff so please take a look at his additions. I may have changed a few words and corrected a little spelling which is the product of rapid emailing. |
| Concerning the old Hebron Church west of Grayson: "My relatives go to Hebron Church out in the boonies and never expected a shot of it. You sure don't miss much. Concerning the house above found as I looked for the Selma Mill: The yellow Victorian house you saw in Georgetown (Selma) was one I actually considered buying 3 years ago. It used to be the pastor's house at the Baptist Church in Pollock (south of Georgetown) and was moved there and restored, and quite spectacularily, too. More on the house: Inside that old yellow house were numerous pictures of the area back when it was thriving and was the capital of Southern Yellow Pine, the kind of lumber you don't see anymore. In the bottom of those lumber ponds are likely huge logs that sunk 100 years ago and are probably still salvagable if brought out and dried. My grandmother's house was made of the stuff and driving a nail into that wood was like working with concrete and an exercise in futility. The Search for theSelma Mill: You may have to give up the ghost on Selma as there really isn't much to see. One needs to leave the road and walk a little in order to get to the lumber ponds and it is all overgrown. There are old cemeteries out there few know of and I know of them only through my grandmother. Before Selma was razed, we Boy Scouts used to walk the railroad track down to Selma and go camping in the ruins of the lumber buildings. It was awesome. All he had to say about Big Foot: Beware of the rumors of Bigfoot's cousin lurking in the area. Agreeing with my thoughts on the old bridges: So sad to know the Bridges of Caldwell Parish are disappearing, especially at Columbia. Thoughts on the 126 to 127 loop from Grayson to Olla: The road out of Grayson is pretty alright and gets twisty only near Olla. There was a Finger of God twister that hit that area last November and cleaned the clock there pretty well. Now my favorite, concerning the US 165 bridges on the previous page: Those old bridges you saw, where old and new 165 bridges cross the Little River, brings back a lot of memories. My buddies and I used to park on the bridge at night and drink beer, waiting for the trains to go over the trestle. Why? Dunno... The area is called Rochelle and used to be a thriving lumber mill town like Selma, but you'd never know it now. Future articles will include his insights as I have a bunch "in the bank". Barry has repeated a saying, "A libray burns when someone dies." It is so true, so if you know something, share it with some younger people like Barry obviously had done with him. We don't want or need any libraies burning. |
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| Another or Barry's Routes, The Little River Adventure. |
| Visit 2 abandoned sawmills of the early 1900's |
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