Riding on the Amtrak into New Orleans from Jackson, currently 2pm on Feb 22. We're riding right alongside I-55 skirting along the western edge of lake Ponchitrain and the interstate has been up on stilts above the swamp for AT LEAST the last 30 miles. The idea of maintaining that highway is mind-boggling to me, the costs to re-pave it must be astronomical. At this point we're almost completely surrounded by water with miles and miles of swamp land to the west and miles and miles of lake to the east. I can't see the opposite shore. I keep thinking of a Cormac McCarthy novel I read once that took place primarily in Georgia and the Florida Everglades, I'll have to find that book in a 2nd hand store in NOLA this week.

A few miles back I saw a flock of at least 200 white water birds jump up out of a swampy inlet alongside Lake Ponchitrain. They seemed to have shorter necks than egrets I'm used to seeing, but longer necks than seagulls. Standing in the shallows or perched up in the mossy covered trees. Is that mossy stuff all dead kudzu?

We're stopping near an airport of some sort, a small American Eagle twin prop just landed near us. Hmm, looks like the City of New Orleans coming north to Chicago is passing us right now. I don't think this is a real stop, must be traffic on the rails, a temporary pull over to let other trains pass. There's another rail curving off to the northwest here, we must be at a freight junction. Would be very cool if this was a real stop right at the airport.

I booked a gig in St John VI for next Thursday at the Beach Bar in Cruz Bay. My friends Allan and Cat own the bar and invited me down for some fun. Allan told me to book the flight before I started over thinking it too much, so I booked it this morning and here we go. I booked a gig in Stillwater MN (near Mpls/St Paul) for Sunday April 18th too.