A River Runs Through It

Last week I took an interesting drive that I wanted to share.  The drive started west of Oberlin, Louisiana in a town called Mittie.  Mittie boasts the Ouiska Chitto Creek where several canoe outfitters launch canoes and kayaks.  We grew up canoeing on this creek.  The water is as clear as you're going to get in south Louisiana.  The sand is the whitest you'll find in our area, too.

The photo you see below was taken a few weeks prior.  I'll pull in on the side of the bridge from time to time and walk down to the water.  It is peaceful.  The bridge you see is Highway 26 that runs between Oberlin and then intersects with Hwy 171 near DeRidder.  Just beyond the bluff behind the rope swings is the launch point for several of the canoe outfitters.  During summertime and especially on weekends, this area is bustling with activity. 

The pickup point is at Carpenter's Bridge in Kinder, LA and that's roughly 8 miles away.  The canoe trip, depending on current and how often you pull up on a sandbar to picnic or swim, will take you between 4 and 7 hours.  Carpenter's Bridge was an old, rickety wooden bridge, as I remember from my childhood.  It had fallen into disrepair and the local, rural budgets could not support rebuilding.  In fact, the bridge stayed closed for about two years, only reopening in September 2024.  I had never driven over the new bridge and decided to take a little road trip while working in the area.  Here's the new bridge in all its glory!

This view off the bridge shows the canoe pickup point.  That sandbar, in summer, has tired canoers lined up ready to load up in an old school bus for a ride back to where their vehicles are parked.

And here is the other side of the bridge.  The creek flows until it meets up with the Calcasieu River near LeBlanc, Louisiana.

It's a nice spot, for sure.

I drove over the bridge toward Kinder.  It is a long, winding rural two lane road that eventually ends up in Kinder.  I'm passing over the Calcasieu River bridge in Kinder now.

Right alongside the bridge and the river, you'll see a large corrugated tin barn.  There's a big engine in that barn for it houses a large pump used to re-lift water out of the Calcasieu River.

That water is pumped into Kinder Canal Company's canal system that flows for miles and miles.  Rice farmers with land positioned alongside the canal in Allen Parish to Jefferson Davis Parish use the water to irrigate their crops.  What you're seeing in the photo below is 'the pump,' which was a very popular swimming hole for years and years.

It was a nice, relaxing drive that brought back a lot of memories.  I love a good road trip!