I am amazed by how the oil industry dominates the coast of Louisiana. We have traveled miles over swamps and wetlands to the inter coastal waterway and its intersecting canals as well as the Gulf of Mexico. The drilling rigs, supply boats and endless offshore service industries go forever. Helicopters are used frequently to ferry people to and from the offshore rigs.
The intercoastal is pretty interesting. A 3000 mile shipping canal, comprised of natural and manmade waterways, it facilitates marine traffic on the gulf and atlantic coasts.
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| Gulf Coast Inter-coastal Route |
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| A jack-up boat used to support drilling rigs |
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| A huge derrick barge and numerous tugs |
These scenes are repeated over and over. It seems the unemployment for skilled labor should be low in Southern Louisiana.
We arrived at the Grand Isle State park last night, after a long trip over swamp and the inter coastal. This is truly at the end of the road, but close to Port Fourchon, which serves the offshore industry. Grand Isle has had its share of challenges. Hurricane Katrina devastated the island, Hurricane Isaac swamped it and the BP oil spill contaminated it. Most of it is back in operation and it is quiet and peaceful this time of year.
I can hardly bear to look at the devastation from the oil spill. Easier to handle the ravages of nature.
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