Belle Chasse, LA | January 2008

I shot this sunrise over the Mississippi River in Belle Chasse, LA in Mid-January 2008.

My Louisiana Adventure - Day 4 | Part 1

My Louisiana Adventure - Day 4 | Part 2

My Louisiana Adventure - Day 3 | Part 2

Later on that day, we decided to take a trip to St. Bernard Parish, LA. We took the ferry from Belle Chasse, and crossed the Mississippi River. Within ten minutes we saw homes and apartment buildings that looked like they were hit by the hurricane the day before.

We found a newspaper inside one apartment, lying on a table. It was dated August 27, 2005 - one day before Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. The storm had already plowed through Florida and killed six people.

My Louisiana Adventure - Day 3 | Part 1

Monday marked our first official day in Belle Chasse, Louisiana. As the sun rose over the Mississippi River, volunteers started to gear up for a day of hard work. Once they finished breakfast, they piled into the vans parked outside the First Christ Church. They drove a mile up the road to a work site. For the next three weeks, they would build a home from the ground up.

My Louisiana Adventure - Day 2

The sunrise over the Tennessee hills painted a beautiful picture. I knew it was going to be a good day. It took us a while to get through the volunteer state (Tennessee). A few hours later, we reached Alabama. For the most part, the state was dull. Although, we did pass by a few Piggly Wiggly tractor trailers.
By the time we reached Birmingham, I felt energized. I had passed through the city once before. Despite its awkward size, I still marveled over it. There's something about southern cities that I liked.
The rest of the drive was quiet - until we reached Mississippi. I absolutely love Mississippi.
Once we entered the state, we pulled into a welcome center. It was by far the nicest welcome center I've ever visited. The woman behind the desk, inside the building, offered us free coffee and soda. She asked us where we were from. "Syracuse, New York," I said. She asked me if I would sign that down in the welcome center's log book.
We stayed there for about a half hour. The temperature hovered around the mid 50's. It was nice. Far different from the weather back home.
After we left the welcome center, we headed down the Dixie Highway until we reached New Orleans. From the moment we entered the city, we could tell it was still in shambles. Repair work was still being done on the bridge that connected Mississippi and Louisiana.
Albeit noticeable, the city's damage was overshadowed by its beauty. This was noticeable as we circled across I-10.
Belle Chasse, the area where we were headed, was only about 20 minutes outside the city of New Orleans. It took us a while to find the church we were staying at.
It was a small church, but it had character. We went to bed around ten o'clock that night. I rolled up in my sleeping bag, on top of a cot - and drifted into dreamland.