The darned Water Hyacinth

by Mike Maher

A lotta folks’ll ask me what other swamps they should check out in the New Orleans area. An easy choice is Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve. They got a lotta nice walking trails, through a Cypress-Tupelo swamp, a palmetto forest, along a bayou, etc. I been going there for years, ya know, I enjoy the place. It’s very pleasant. Figured I’d go out to Jean Lafitte the other day and do a little canoeing. So ya know, I go out there, have myself a lil daiquiri and get on the water. And ya know it’s the darndest thing, the dang water hyacinth was all over the place! Had about half a mile of open water between the Intracoastal Waterway and just a dense carpet of weeds that woulda been no fun at all to get through. So I took the boat outta the water, popped it back up on the car and headed to one of the other canals they got down there. Paddle a good mile or so and ya know what? I’m back in the weeds! Saw a couple a gators, a snapping turtle, couple a snakes, some vultures, ya know, that sorta thing. So, I figured I’d turn around, get back home, walk the dog and drink an ice cold busch.