[Judy Patsch]

A cranky old back delayed my southern sojourn a couple of weeks, but I arrived in NOLA this afternoon and promptly headed to the roof of the NATCHEZ during the dinner cruise. Some good steamboating news, folks: the NATCHEZ crowds have been way up for several weeks. It looks like preKatrina counts, at least during these spring break weeks. I didn't get down to the Engine Room yet as I did the brief evening narration on the roof and then spent the rest of the trip in the pilothouse catching up on 4 months of absence, while listening to the Dukes of Dixieland energizing the crowd down on the Texas Deck bow. One thing is certain: no sandbar pix this visit - the river stage is 12.7 and that sandbar is well underwater. The NATCHEZ is running her old schedule: 3 trips a day every day, so there is plenty of opportunity for some visits from steamboaters who happen into the Crescent City! Tomorow's agenda includes a trip over to the Harvey Canal to check on the state of the MQ....