US 71 to LA 10 Shortcut

   Back in the woods I thought I saw something dimly flashing Green, Yellow, Red. I think he saw it, too. I might not return.
   If you need a great Shortcut from US 71 to La.10, I would highly suggest taking Williams Spur to Swayze Lake Road. Go down the mystery road and look at the bugs and swamp and then continue on Swayze Lake Rd to La.10. Let me know if you see anything, red turtles?
    From 190 I headed west and dropped down the Teche home. I immediately contacted Ray D., source of the Light report. I didn't tell him about the Egret and/or I seeing what I /we saw back in the woods.
I only told him that it wasn't there and that he was fired. I immediately put out request for applications. He applied. I hired him.

"In Search of the Light"
"Part Two"

Louisiana Jones here. In our last episode we found ourselves emerging from the depths of the Sherburne WMA. I wanted to go to the terminus of historical US 71. Being without the benefit of the latest technology or any sense of direction, I turned away from my goal, heading across the Morganza Spillway on the longest six miles of bridge known. The bridge defies all principles of mathematics. For having retraced the six the sum total milage was thirteen. This was not the last of the little oddities which would present themselves today.

I know some of you folks out there take pictures of the beginnings and endings of roads. Here's a couple of freebies, the beginning and end of US 71. I get request for these all the time. I find it a little strange, but to each his/her own. Want to trade for some swamp pictures?

    After getting realigned with my destination and passing unnoticed through the speed traps of Krotz Springs, I rose onto the elevated portion of US 190. I felt the mysterious 71 Light close at hand. In my mind I saw it on that lonely stretch of swamp crossing. Green, Yellow, Red, Green, Yellow, Red. No visible crossroad, yet traffic was made to stop and wait for what? My imagination raced as did my anticipation.
     I leaned into the turn and powered out stretching toward the promised light.
     I continued powering toward the promised light.
     I powered on some more.
     I looked back. Had I powered through it?
     No, there was no 71 Light. I rode all the way to LeBeau, which only has a flashing light at the intersection of US 71 and La.10. There would be no signal light until Bunkie.
     I am a chameleon. I can adjust. But, this was hard to overcome.
     So, here I was in beautiful LeBeau. LeBeau is known for where you had to catch the Greyhound Bus back in the day. It is also the home of the LeBeau Zydeco Festival. Both were not happening so it was time to move on. I took off toward Melville with no intention of getting there. I've been to Melville.
     I wanted to re-ride a gravel road that starts just after you go into the Morganza Spillway after leaving Palmetto. It is called Levee Road at that point. I took it south. I rode the levee for a while and then a side road dropped down to the pretty little bayou road I had taken before. The surface was perfect.

The first two pictures were taken earlier this year. I knew I had them and saw no reason to reproduce the scene because I was enjoying the bike. Now, I wish I had. Winter and Suimmer are so different down here. Some people believe that because we live in "the tropics" our seasons are less defined. Not so, they are more pronounced because our growing season and availability of water produce bountiful foliage. When Winter comes the absense of that greenery is more stiking.
Hey babe, got some more coffee?

The road weaves past a large farming complex. You can't get lost, keep on riding. The first old house appeared. I really like the addition of the corrigated window awnings. They kept the rain and west sun out. The barn and other out buildings were across the road. Notice the road is getting a little grass in the
middle. Don't worry. The road is fine.

The little swamp has grown to a full sized bayou. Actually, maybe, it was always a bayou but was cut off by the levee. Hard to say. The road was running through a stretch lined with camps. Sometimes you can't tell, maybe some were homes. I arrived at the intersection of Williams Spur which I had powered past looking for the Light out on US 71.

The last time through here I had seen a new bridge being built. I needed to know where such a large expenditure of taxpayer money in this wilderness would be leading. Would it be a shortcut back to La.10 through unchartered terrain? As I turned to cross the pristine new bridge, my anticipation meter red-lined.

These signs always mean that just the sides of the road are posted. Ignore them. Keep going.

What do you see below? It is a straight roadway raised above the surrounding environment. I see an old railroad bed. There were a few hunting camps after crossing the bayou.

To the left, the swamp/lake presented itself in the afternoon light.
I presume it was Lake Swayze. I don't think "Swayze" is French.
More research is required.

To the right was a bayou (flowing, no green stuff). I wanted to get down to water level and get a shot, but.......

........there were spider webs and I almost slipped down the slope. I, sometimes misgauge things. Often.
I attempted to take a picture of one of the web inhabitants. I had no idea it would work. "My, my, said the spider to the fly," Name the song and album and you'll get a free year's subscription to TWL.

I rode on and entered an eerie area hung with purple moss. I've heard of purple moss, but have never seen it. I've heard of red turtles. I've never seen them either. I've heard of marooned stop lights with no purpose. I sat and watched. I felt myself in a land far away.
That happens from time to time.

I continued down the gravel road and it ended at two houses/camps. The raised "bed" continued on beyond the houses. It was overgrown. I know it was an old rail bed. It was going straight toward La.10 where there is a main rail line(the one that crosses the Atchafalaya at Melville). Why had it been abandoned? Did the rail company know something? Why didn't I take a picture of that bed? Gotta go back.
The hoped for shortcut to La.10 would not materialize. The bridge was there for these two houses and the hunting camps. I suspect it was built to replace the old rail wooden bridge which had been converted to faclitate vehicle passage. Pure speculation. There was nothing else down this road. No industry, no farms. Just hunting and trapping, I hope.

   Back at the intersection I followed Williams Spur back to US 71. Along the way I crossed another cement bridge and saw the old dead tree down the bayou. I zoomed in on it and decided to back off as the forescape only augmented it.
   A young fellow crossed the bridge driving a large tractor and stopped to see what I was looking at. After a few minutes he moved on. I don't think he saw it.
    Getting back to 71's straight and seemingly boring stretch back to it's origin/ending at US 190, the show began in the ditches, a common stage.

I stopped at a distance from the actors. Otherwise, they get spooked and fly off. Be careful of our Egret population. They are not the smartest birds on the evolution scale.

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