Project Clearwater

Expedition Thirteen [upcoming]

Thirteen may just be our “lucky” number.  Expedition Twelve found us blowing through #19, the last of the major logjams.  Then we played Chase the Flotsam almost all the way down, ending up 3.25 miles downstream from the park, 3/4 of a mile from Bayou Manchac, and only 80 yards from the last numbered blockage from the scouting trip.  While we don’t know exactly what Saturday will bring, we figure there’s a very good chance that we’ll reach breakthrough and raise a beverage over Bayou Manchac.

We’ll do our usual 8am at Highland Road Park, and we’ll take care of any remedial work on the way.  Then it’ll be powering through the last work leg into open Bayou Fountain before returning to the park.  It’s a much longer paddle than it was when we’d just started the project, and if you just want to enjoy the bayou or pick litter along part of it, we’re all for that, too.  With “luck”, we’ll get to do a little dance in the canoes — in our PFDs, as always, of course.

Project Clearwater

Expedition Twelve [upcoming]

We have seen the promised land (i.e. Bayou Manchac), and now it’s time to start attacking the last major logjam remaining on Bayou Fountain.  Blockage #19 is not nearly the same epic scale as Blockage #15 was, but it’s still a good bit of work.  We’ll be hitting it one way or another this Saturday.  We launch at Highland Road Park at 8am from just upstream of the archery range.  (For now, look for the tire totem made of wheels we’ve pulled out of the bayou.  It’s only temporary, but while it’s there, may as well use it as a marker, eh?)

As we always note, there’s litter out there ready to be plucked from the bayou, and we’d be delighted if anyone wants to grab some while we’re out there.  Even if you just want to paddle a bit of the bayou to see what it’s like, we’d be more than happy to see you.  It’s getting ever so close to being completely passable.  Now, if only we can get a primitive canoe launch to make that part easier for everyone.

Project Clearwater

Expedition Eleven [upcoming]

We made it to #19 last time, but part of that was due to high water.  (We got to partially skip one blockage.)  We’ll be back out on the bayou Saturday, launching from Highland Road Park at 8am as usual.  It’s up to a 2.5-mile paddle to get to the main work area, but it’s a nice trip and an easy paddle.

With rain this week, the water level may be higher than normal.  That will not impact the paddling, but it could make the clearing work a bit harder for us.  On the other hand, it should make it much easier to get to more of the litter, so come one, come all!  We can carry the litter in our canoes, and we welcome all with or without their own paddlecraft.

Project Clearwater

Expedition Ten [upcoming]

Last weekend we successfully completed the campaign against Blockage #15 and its 65 yards of flotsam.  Now we get to continue on down the bayou and keep working on more.

We’ll be launching from the back of Highland Road Park (near the archery range) at 8am Saturday morning.  If you bring your own canoe or kayak, you can arrive and leave as you’d like, but do note that the entry and exit are on a rather steep bank.  (We do it with multiple boats each expedition, but it’s not quite as easy as launching at Baton Rouge Beach.)  It’s about 2-1/4 miles downstream (in the bayou’s all but immeasurable current) to where we’ll be continuing our blockage clearing, and it generally takes us a bit under an hour each way of leisurely, stress-free paddling on a wonderful Louisiana bayou to get there or back.

The litter is now easy picking from any canoe or kayak.  We’ll also gladly transport your excess litter back to the exit for you — with the Canoemaran, we have tremendous capacity, and anything we can do to help clean out the litter is our pleasure.