Bayou Fountain — June 12, 2015

We’re always happy to paddle Bayou Fountain.  Sometimes we even get to give guided tours.

We got a message last week asking if anyone would be paddling Bayou Fountain on Friday.  Well, rain had briefly bumped Bayou Fountain to over ten feet earlier in the week, so we had considered making a special off-day trip to handle anything that may have come down.  You don’t have to twist our arms much to get someone out there, and so, 8am Friday morning found us at Highland Road Park.

The bayou had come down considerably from its quick peak, and passing the chain gauge showed it about two feet below the bridge (instead of more than a foot into the side).  That’s ducking level, but just ducking.  We headed down the bayou comfortably enough.  Along the way, I described some of the interesting bits, but mostly we just enjoyed the views.

Stringy algae and weeds are very prevalent on the shallow, unshaded expanse of Bayou Fountain upstream of the paddle trail, and when heavy rains come, they flush tons of it down the bayou.  When the water level drops again, you end up with “carpets” coating limbs and branches and trunks and whatever else was available.  If it’s caused by the poor quality of the waterway upstream, well, at least it’s an interesting look.  Less interesting was the one downed tree and a couple jams that we cleared up along the way, but the work wasn’t too extensive.

We paddled the full distance to Bayou Manchac and back.  The last mile of Bayou Fountain had significant current from all the water being channeled between the rising banks, but a short break or two kept us fresh.  Soon enough, we were halfway back or three-quarters done, but not before a classic Louisiana downpour came along.  The lightning stayed away, but the storm had some amazing leading-edge winds.  It dampened us but not our spirits, as otherwise it was a fantastic trip (and it is Louisiana, so rain’s not too big a deal).

By the time we were leaving the park, the skies looked beautiful and no hint of rain was to be found.  It would be back, of course, and hard enough to question whether the Sunset Paddle with BREC Outdoor Adventure was going to go on.  It did, of course, which means a second update this week.  To be continued, then.