This is the day that we have been waiting for . We found it hard to believe that we would be traveling south, out the Mississippi and into the Gulf of Mexico aboard a U.S. Navy ship doing oceanographic surveying. Even though the mouth of the Mississippi is south of New Orleans, we had to first sail north for about a mile in order to move south. In fact, while docked, the west side of the river was part of the east bank due to the unusual bend the Mississippi took before heading south. Although the sea was not expected to be rough during this first day, we experienced absolutely no queasiness, even upon laying down at night.
Pharmaceuticals are well worth the price they cost.
The banks of the river changed character several times along the way. Near New Orleans, it was industrial, with warehouses, docks and piers, oil refineries and general ugliness. Further downstream, the banks became rural and eventually the levees dropped away to reveal some of Louisiana's last remaining stretches of wetland. They were beautiful to behold. The pilot stayed with us until we reached the mouth of the Mississippi.