Every once in a while, people ask whether I take the ferry to or from work. It seems like it would be the fastest way to travel since it's more of a direct shot than using the bridge.
The past few weeks, traffic on LA-1 and the bridge has been absolutely miserable. One day I was sitting in traffic seriously contemplating trying to get a job at BASF since it's on the same side of the river as my house. That's really not a reasonable option so I'm trying to vary the other factors (route, timing) and see how that helps. Yesterday I had to run in to Plaquemine after work, so I figured it was a good time to try the ferry option.
Side note: I've taken the ferry before and my major complaint then was having to drive on River Road (east bank) for what felt like forever. Also throw in the fact that there's a bike training route on that stretch of River Road and people like to drive >60 mph and it makes me very nervous.
I planned to take River Road into St. Gabriel (to shorten my River Road driving) and then Hwy 30 back to Bluebonnet. Here's my timeline:
4:20, leave work and go into Plaquemine to run my errand.
4:38, in line for the ferry, towards the back of the line (about 5 or 6 cars could get in line behind me and not be blocking LA-1)
4:39, Ferry has docked and starts unloading... this is looking promising. I had pretty good timing.
4:43, Our side starts loading.
4:51, Ferry leaves the west bank, I'm #2 in line for the next boat. (D'oh, this isn't working out as well as I hoped)
I pass the time listening to Sirius radio, jamming to horrible summer hits that I love, and blowing bubbles left over from Koubi's wedding.
5:20, Ferry returns and docks on the west bank.
5:27, I'm on the boat.
5:34, Boat is on the river. We're travelling down-river, so this trip is quicker than the east - west one.
5:40, Ferry is docked and offloading.
5:44, I'm off the boat and on my way home.
As I said above, there are bikers and people that want to drive a lot faster than I do. They pass me, I pass the bikers. I missed the first turn option (Bayou Paul Ln.), so I had to go a little further to LA-74.
5:54, I'm on Hwy 30
6:04, I'm at Burbank and Bluebonnet.
Verdict: I like the River Road to St. Gabriel route better, but taking the ferry is still WAY longer than just driving the bridge. I estimate I would have been home (at least) by 5:30 had I gone to the bridge. And that's with running my Plaquemine errand.
I still think taking the Ferry is fun, and wouldn't mind doing it in the middle of the day, or when there's less traffic. I did look for property for sale while driving, but didn't see any. Wouldn't it be awesome to live on River Road right near the Ferry? Then I would take the ferry everyday!
Friday, July 6, 2012
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