I'd say that moist is a good word to describe southern Louisiana. I camped in quite a bit of rain, and when it wasn't raining it was anything but dry. It's fairly damp and humid up in the Memphis area where I live, but I believe it's a whole order of magnitude more so here in bayou country.
Here's a summary of training sessions for the last few days:
Sunday, April 12: 60-minute paddle, Mississippi and Yazoo Rivers on the Vicksburg riverfront. I was quite tired and sore from Saturday's race, so I kept the intensity low and enjoyed this lovely section of the Big River.
Monday, April 13: 80-minute paddle, Mississippi River at Natchez. I was still sore in my midsection but managed a stronger distance session with a few good surges. It was raining steadily when I put in but the rain had stopped by the time I was finished.
Tuesday, April 14: 70-minute paddle, Indian Creek Reservoir near Woodworth, Louisiana. I wanted to get in at least one good workout this week, and this seemed like the best day. After warming up and doing three 8-stroke sprints, I did a "pyramid" workout: pieces of one minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 4 minutes, 5 minutes, 4 minutes, 3 minutes, 2 minutes, one minute with two minutes recovery in between. I was feeling it pretty good by the five-minute piece and concentrated on keeping solid stroke form through the second half of the workout. That last two-minute piece was mentally the hardest, I think.
Wednesday, April 15: 80-minute paddle, Big Alabama Bayou in the Atchafalaya Basin near Krotz Springs, Louisiana. I'm not big on having a "bucket list"--I'd much rather create a life that's satisfying in its every-day routine than always be thinking "I've gotta do this" and "I've gotta do that" for my life to have meaning. But paddling in the Atchafalaya Basin was something I felt I needed to be able to say I've done, and now I can. These days bayous like Big Alabama are cut off from the main channel of the Atchafalaya by the levee system, but paddling there was very interesting and it certainly had a remote wilderness feel. I saw one alligator from a distance, hanging out on a log before sliding into the water upon my approach. Racing kayaks are rather tippy craft, and mine never feels more so than when there are gators about.
Big Alabama Bayou.
That brings us up to today, and Anne plans to show me some of the tourist sights. I also owe her a bit of paddling instruction for her hospitality, and we'll get to that in the next couple of days before it's time to race on Saturday.
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