February - Following The Sun....

Feb 9 - Feb 14, 2015

Cypress

Snowy Egret?

    Moving on from Long Beach, MS., we hit I-10 again for just a bit, stopping at the visitors center for the Atchafalaya Swamp. Had the weather been nicer, it would have been fun to walk some of the trails or take a Swamp tour, but it was not to be this time around. I didn't realize that the Atchafalaya Swamp is the largest in the US and represents the largest remaining contiguous tract of coastal cypress. I never got into the TV show 'Swamp People', but if I had, I suppose I would have been more aware of the geography and history of the area, or....not. Anyway, I wasn't a great History student in school, but have since loved learning by visiting and reading about places. I didn't realize that early 'swamp people' who came after the Native Americans were actually French colonists from Acadie, which was part of current day Nova Scotia. They took refuge here in the swamps after being expelled from Acadie for refusing to swear allegiance to the British crown and church. We surely are a country of refugees who came here looking for a better life. I was aware of Cajun cooking (who isn't), and it's French influences, but just never digested it's actual roots as being French Canadian. Never too old to learn I guess.

The Fishless Lake at
 Catfish Heaven RV Park

    Stopping for the night at the Catfish Heaven RV Park, I thought it would be a good time to try out my new fishing rod. Seemed like a good idea, anyway. Once settled at our camp site, the camp host stopped and informed us that there were no fish in the lake.

Try Me!   Really?

Really? They don't stock it until April  he said, and it wouldn't be open to fishing until then. Hmmm...wonder what happens to all the fish that weren't caught last year? After seeing the signs posted around the lake, it was probably best that I didn't get to fish, cause I planned to catch and release....and they fine you for that!

  Well, our reason for staying at the fishless RV Park was to be close to our destination of Avery Island, home of the Tabasco Pepper Sauce Factory. Leaving the RV Park before the crack of noon, we manage the 22 mile trip on poor roads to arrive at the island in plenty of time to make the afternoon factory tour. It's a dollar fee to drive onto the island owned by the  Mcllhenny family, but after that the tour is free. As soon as you roll onto the island you can smell the peppers. You can almost taste the Tabasco flavor in the air. The factory tour focuses primarily on the bottling operation which is automated and requires very little human intervention. Most of the employees of the company probably work more in the harvesting, sorting and preparation of the peppers to be made into sauce. Of course, my favorite part was the Tabasco Country Store, where we got to sample all of their varieties of pepper sauce, as well as their two flavors of Tabasco Ice Cream! The ice cream was wonderful....and I didn't really expect to like it! Red even liked it, and one of the flavors was GREEN! Since

our primary wardrobe these days consist of t-shirts and jeans, we felt justified to add to our t-shirt collection while here...Tabasco themed of course!

A 2-year old!

A Baby!

       

Gator Bowl!     

First Oil Derrick 

    Back on course headed West once more, we are soon sucked in by a billboard promising to let us hold a baby alligator....so ok, we have more time than money, so why not? Glad we did! At The Louisiana Oil and Gas Park at Exit 64 on I-10 we find a small building with a collection of alligators sunning themselves around a small fenced in pool. Going inside we meet a volunteer (former teacher) anxious to answer questions and provide info about the gators. Behind the counter she has a large aquarium holding several baby gators and asked if we would like to hold one. They don't have hardened teeth until they are a few years old, and are not aggressive until then. The alligators around the pool are from 2 - 9 years old and have been at the center since birth. Each year the oldest of them are taken to a nature reserve to live the rest of their 80 + years in a natural but protected environment. This was a fun stop...and no admission! While here we also see Louisiana's very first oil derrick, located here in Jennings, La, the 'Cradle of Louisiana Oil'.

Red : 'See ya later, alligator'
 Mom: 'In a while, crocodile!'

      Destination tonight is Crystal Beach, TX. on Bolivar Peninsula. Nice drive along Hwy 87 by the beach; evidence of Hurricane Ike in 2008 is only noticeable by the fact that there are few older buildings in the area and lots of new and foreclosed homes built by real estate firms. A realtor's dream and an uneducated buyer's nightmare! Beautiful homes built right on the beach on stilts, and blocking the views of homes built just before them. And the next hurricane Ike will wipe the slate clean once more! Hope it's just not for a long time.

     Our campsite at Bolivar Peninsula RV Park has a great view overlooking a lake, and a beautiful sunset right outside our front windshield! Watching the ducks on the lake and the various species of birds is entertaining this evening as we make plans for our next leg of our journey.

Sunset on Bolivar Peninsula

Bolivar Lighthouse

Preparing to board the Ferry

Heading on west on Bolivar Peninsula we see more and more homes being built along the beach, most of which  appear to be unoccupied and perhaps meant to be rentals. In less populated sections more extravagant homes with garages underneath and elevators. Just seems too risky to me....  I'm sure however, the land is much cheaper than it is just a few miles west on Galveston Island where we are headed now by way of the Galveston Island Ferry. The free ferry service provided by TxDOT is the only way motorists can cross the waterway between Bolivar Peninsula and Galveston Island. It's about a 20 minute ride to cross the 3 mile bay. Each Ferry can carry up to 70 vehicles, or 8 18-wheelers at 80,000lb each. Plenty of room for us on the boat, and a relaxing ride to Galveston Island where we drive further down the coast before parking on the beach to enjoy a leisurely walk. Life is good.

On Board

Galveston Ferry Arriving

So relaxing on this beautiful sunny day!

Surfside Beach on Galveston Island

    I find it amazing and annoying how much litter people leave on the beach as well as how much washes in. All that plastic is deadly for marine life! And it's ugly, too! The white sand beaches are still beautiful, but walking barefoot on the beach is not a good idea....and not just because of the usual jellyfish. We began picking up trash on our walk, but found there would be no walk if we continued to pick up trash....it was just overwhelming. I think they should start 'adopt a beach' programs like they have for our interstates to keep the litter picked up. If these programs already exists, then this beach got left out....Our seashores and beaches are beautiful, but for how long?  

    Well that will be our final view of the beach for awhile as we head North from Galveston and then West to the Rio Grande Valley. 

Stay tuned for our visit to the border town of Mission, TX.

Stay Warm!

   The Bee-Gals,

      

       Kathy & Kathy

Look Who's Driving Now!