11/19/2009 - Bayou La Batre

Launch: Bayou La Batre Public Launch

Had planned to paddle to Garrows Bend as the forecast called for calm conditions, but with whitecaps in Mobile Bay, I opted to kayak in Bayou La Batre since it is protected from the wind.

Header Image

1) I always forget how depressing it is to kayak in Bayou La Batre. Trash, trash, and trash (and some shore birds).

2) Great Blue Heron walking around the trash. I keep coming back hoping to see some change. Bayou La Batre never changes...

3) (Click on photo for larger view and scroll across image). Trash, Trash, Trash.

4) There are five boats in this photo on the bottom.

5) When cars break down on the road or are involved in accidents that ruin them, the cars are quickly removed. One would think that our water is a wee bit more important than the side of the road. Why don't they remove boats instead of letting them pollute the water. (You can see a petroleum sheen in this photo).

6) One of the first things I noticed on this trip is a petroleum sheen on the water and it was like that to beyond the lift bridge (miles of it!).

7) Not only is it visible, but it smells bad, too! But, I've already talked to the Coast Guard environmental response team and they don't bother doing anything about "petroleum sheens." They only deal with major spills. Don't kayak in Bayou La Batre unless you want to breath petroleum fumes.

8) Gambling ships in for an overhaul.

9) The saga of the tree house continues. Once, it was a nice tree house. Then some hurricanes came along and damaged the tree house. No surprise here - over time the treehouse has fallen into the water as trash and nobody cares to remove the trash. Welcome to Trashy Bayou La Batre.

10) Going upstream, once beyond the Hemley Road bridge, Bayou La Batre becomes less trashy. This man made canal can be followed for about a mile upstream of the bridge.

11) Sunset in the Bayou La Batre trash and petroleum dump.