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Kudzu kills plants and trees by smothering their source of light and nutrients. It also breaks branches and uproots trees just by its weight. It can grow as fast as one foot per day! The massive tap root is 7 or more inches in diameter, 6 or more feet long, and can weigh 400 pounds.
26973-bridge * Mission: Drive from the south end of the Capline crude oil pipeline, in St. James, Louisiana, to the north end in Patoka, Illinois, visiting pipeline stations along the way. We started by flying to New Orleans, picking up our rental car and driving to the first station in St. James, where Patti conducted a crude oil quality training session and Randy did some barcode software/printer troubleshooting. Then we were off to McComb, Mississippi, where we stayed overnight. A visit to nearby Liberty Station started our Tuesday, then we drove up through Mississippi to Olive Branch for the night. Wednesday we made the short drive to Collierville Station, in the southwest corner of Tennessee. After the training session there, we veered off the pipeline route for a trip to Mammoth Cave National Park, in the middle of Kentucky, where we went on a couple of cave tours and managed to take a few short walks between rain storms. Early Friday morning (way-before-dawn early) we headed to Patoka, Illinois, getting lost for a while on the dark back roads of rural Kentucky with an almost empty gas tank (that was scary). We visited the last station later that day, then stayed overnight in a hotel on picturesque Carlyle Lake, about 30 minutes from the station. On Saturday we drove to St. Louis and got an early flight home. This bridge spans the Mississippi River at Vicksburg, Mississippi, site of a major Civil War battle. Vicksburg is a great little historic town - wish we could have had more time here. * 700 x 467 * (95KB)

26999-kudzu * Killer Kudzu, native to Asia. This vine was brought into the U.S. in 1876 and promoted as a forage crop. About 77 years later, in 1953, it was recognized as a pest weed and has now been removed from the U.S. Department of Agrigulture's list of permissible cover plants. We saw it throughout Mississippi and into Kentucky and Tennessee. It looks like Mississippi is about to be completely covered over with this. * 800 x 533 * (101KB)
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07-11-2006
27048-Bring light back * Richard, our Mammoth Cave Park Ranger tour guide, is kindly returning our lanterns after hiding out with them to illustrate total darkness. * 600 x 400 * (81KB)

27049-Cave formation * 366 x 550 * (93KB)

27107-Thanksgiving Room * This large underground room is called the Thanksgiving Room after the Turkey was spotted hanging on the wall. * 360 x 540 * (88KB)
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