WILDLIFE & THE ACADIAN WAY OF LIFE - LOUISIANA

swamp flower

Black Necked Stint

 

Roseate Spoonbill

Egret & Roseate Spoonbill

Roseate Spoonbills

Egret & Roseate Spoonbills

Egret

Blue Heron

Old Intracoastal Canal

Yesterday we re-visited the Creole Nature Trail and explored more. It's been a great way to get the feel of south Louisiana, swamps, bayous and marshes.

We saw some beautiful birds on the Pintail Wildlife Drive - Roseate Spoonbills - pretty pink birds, Blue Herons, Egrets, Black Necked Stints and endless alligators. We have stopped counting them!

Today we spent the morning in Lafayette at the Arcadian Cultural Center, where we learned we were the bad guys when we banished the Arcadians from Nova Scotia to the swamps of Louisiana. the videos the National Parks produce are wonderful at getting history across to us oldies.

We then visited Vermilion Ville - a Cajun/Creole Heritage and Folklife Park - real interesting, talking with Cajun folk.

Acadian Cultural Center - a queens costume

Vermilion Ville

L'Ecole and musician

Vermilion Ville

Room for Three

Roy jazzing about and blurring photo - singing "Pick a bale o' cotton"

Roy after knocking this over!

A lovely poem

CREOLE NATURE TRAIL, ALL-AMERICAN ROAD - LOUISIANA

this lazy boy was sat on the path about 6 ft away

  

We spent today exploring the Creole Nature Trail, All - American Road.The trail is one of the oldest scenic byways in America. 

 Known as Louisiana's Outback it winds through more than 180 miles of bayous, marshland and shores along the Gulf of Mexico.

We had a shortened version as we were too big to go on the ferry to cross the Calcasieu Ship Channel so had to retrace our steps. We will do some more tomorrow from a different road.

We were rewarded with our first view of the American Alligator, spotted by Anne, then promptly saw four more. One just sat sunbathing on the path about 6 feet from us, we didn't disturb him!

Roy was in his element with the birds, we saw blue herons, egrets, cormorants, anhinga darter, roseate spoonbills, brown pelicans, American white pelicans, Harris hawk and alligators. A great day!

can you spot him on the other side of the water?

quite close!

The Wetland Walkway

baby alligator

Holly Beach on the Gulf of Mexico

Shrimp boats are a coming!

LOU!S!ANA BAGGED!

Drove through the centre of Dallas, took 50 minutes at 60 m.p.h. Did not get lost!
Our journey through south east Texas took us into small towns where we have never seen so many churches in our lives - spoilt for choice!

Today we bagged a new state - Louisiana,the pelican state.Had a slight detour round Port Arthur while trying to leave Texas - full of gas terminals and decidedly dodgy but gave us our first view of the Gulf of Mexico. Weather is cool today, 14oC - no shorts in evidence on Roy.

We are now in Cajun Country and also Eastern USA ( using birthday present book), looking forward to exploring. 

DISC GOLFING IN TEXAS

 

We were leaving today but the sun was shining its hot so we stayed. Had a go on the disc golf course, Roy of course was a natural except the disc he threw tended to have an affinity for the trees!

I struggled even with the advice from a young lad who was playing when he said "excuse me but we say skim your nipples as you throw" Didn't help! But good exercise.

think this is called "in the rough"

Success!

TEXAN HOSPITALITY

We met up with Gaynor today, she is my sister-in-law's niece. She lives near Fort Worth and it was due to her that we were given our visa back in 2008, which allows us to visit for 6 months each year.

She showed us round her beautiful home,drove us round the area, we were taken out for a great Mexican lunch and spent the rest of the day talking. Met her son Sam then Gaynor visited our rig before leaving us with a picnic lunch!
Sun shone all day and temperature reached 27oC!

We will return to this part of Texas in November as we fly out from here, so hopefully we will get to meet her husband and daughter then.

CONCRETE JUNGLE OF FORT WORTH - TEXAS

Lewisville Lake State Park campground - view from trailer

Sunshine and 21oC that's more like it - drove 158 miles south to the concrete jungle they call Fort Worth/Dallas/Denton etc.

I hate cities, so true to form we got lost,got on Interstate-35W going south we should have been on Interstate 35E going north but hey we found the beautiful state park at the side of Lewisville Lake and not a shop or building in sight. We have a lovely site at the side of the lake, water, electric and wifi for $8 a night (reduction as classed as a senior) - who says its a pain getting old!

While have a stroll round the lake/park we saw grown men throwing frisbees, lots of grown men! I am now updated of the game of disc golf! Neither Roy nor myself have ever heard or seen it before so Tom, who designs discs, explained all about it. Fascinating and sounds much more fun than golf. Tom gave us a disc for free so I'm away now to practice!

Roy busy replacing our broken vent covers

Well I think that's what he's doing! Bathroom peeper?

DUST STORMS OF TEXAS

 

photos have gone downhill !

Headed south east through the rolling plains down through the panhandle of Texas. Winds of about 50mph caused huge dust storms, in some parts it was difficult to see where we were going but Roy battled through as always!

 Had a pit stop an Walmart to stock up, have lunch and do running repairs again on the sky lights - or lack of them. We lost the front one over the bed and had a bit of a sandpit on the top of the bed. More Duck tape to the rescue with the help of a rubber car mat.

Just 249 miles today to Wichita Falls, Texas must have oil coming out of their ears the number of nodding donkeys we passed.

where is the road?

THIS IS THE WAY TO AMARILLO - TEXAS

Eastwards, 280 miles, still on I - 40 to a very windy Amarillo in Texas and we've lost another hour. They are on central time. Had minor problem with the sky lights on trailer, they were already cracked and taped up but with this wind one of them had broken totally so in the process of Roy getting up on the roof to fix it , he put his hand on one of the others! Two to mend with plastic bags and duct tape.

FLAGSTAFF TO ALBUQUERQUE - ARIZONA/NEW MEXICO

We left Kanab and headed south calling in at Flagstaff to have a great meal with friends Peter, Bobby and Jim who we met at the wedding last year.
We dined at the Horsemen Lodge - gorgeous food and wonderful company!
Woke up to frozen water pipe!

Saturday, we started our journey east, driving the I - 40 to Albuquerque, 322 miles in 6 hours with lunch and loo breaks, constant 65 mph and no queues - could you imagine doing that in UK!

WE'VE HIKED THE WAVE! UTAH

I just love this photo!

   

Coyote Buttes North is located in the Paria Canyon - Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness on the Arizoan and Utah border. Here they say you will see some of the most unique rock formations in the world. Judge for yourself!

We drove out at 7am from our campsite, about 35 miles then 9 miles on the rough dirt  of House Valley Rock Road. We set off with our map to find the Wave, a 3 mile hike over sand and slick rock, sun was shining although at first it was -2oC it reached a blistering 9oC. Map proved easy to follow and we found the Wave, smaller than we had thought but no less beautiful. Only 20 people are allowed each day - we met up with the young couple from Los Angeles, a couple of men from Germany and pair from Phoenix. The Japanese arrived after we left so we really had the place more or less to ourselves. Endless photos were taken from every angle and still the sun shone! How lucky can you get - middle of February and clear blue skies!

Some of the many photos:

 

start of hike to look for Wave - Roy is still asleep I think!

view of the way

its there in the distance

Found it!

 

Roy in the spotlight

Nature's paintbrush

more amazing colours of nature

Spot the entrance to the Wave - hidden at the right side of the darck crack in the middle of photo

At the end of the trail