As part of the Chapter 10 RV Rally last weekend, we went on a swamp tour in Henderson, Louisiana. We got to explore a little bit of the 1.2 million acre Atchafalaya basin and go under the I-10 bridge. We did not see a lot of wildlife because there were a lot of fisherpeople and boaters out. I'd recommend you go first thing in the morning on a weekday. I have to redo the video. 4 minutes is too long for the blog. But good chance to practice again.

Creole Nature Trail

 Creole Nature Trail

We spent a weekend in Sulfur, Louisiana at a RV rally. On the way out of town, we spent an hour exploring a little bit of the Creole Nature trail. The greeters at the Adventure Point Welcome Center did an excellent job telling us about the trail and the best points to stop on it, so we really wanted to drive at least part of it. We had the camper, so stopped at a trail head with plenty of parking and I took the dogs on a mile and a half stroll down the wetlands boardwalk and sidewalk. (Mostly sidewalk) It would be a great drive to spend the day on if you are already in the area. There are places to pull over and fish and catch crabs and a couple nice places to walk and picnic. We turned around before we got to the beach or the ferry. I would not want to explore this area in the heat of the summer, but early spring or late fall when the migrating birds are going through would be amazing. It seems like you would also find good sunrises and sunsets. As we walked the trail and enjoyed the sun and the wind and appreciated the concrete and boardwalk, I tried to imagine trekking across the swamp to earn a living before roads. People used to be a lot tougher and braver than we need to be now.

Tiny Chainsaw

We needed a chain saw to cut some high branches at my sister's house. They are hard to get to but overhang her roof. I thought I would try one of those camping chain saws. I figured it would be useful on our travels and my wrists aren't strong enough to safely handle a regular chain saw. I ordered and bought one, and to our surprise, it worked. I sprayed a little bit of WD-40 on it and it cut a small and large pecan branch. We tied ropes to it to cut the large one which was high up. When it is less windy we will cut the ones over her roof. 

 https://amzn.to/3fWEbQt  

When you click on the link, it will take you to the chain saw on amazon. You can put it in your cart and whenever you buy it, I will get a small commission (3 to 10%) Whatever else you buy on amazon within the following 24 hours could also give me a small commission. It will also work if you use amazon smile (which I hope you do and have Rescue Riders as your charity of choice). Put the item in your cart by following the link then go to amazon smile to check out. 

Atlantic Sunrise

Atlantic sunrise

One of our goals while in Florida was to see the sunrise on the Atlantic ocean. We stayed at Wickham park and the closest beach parking was Canova Beach, the only dog friendly beach in the county. So at 6am on Sunday morning, we loaded the dogs and headed to the beach. I fully expected to be one of very few there, and when we got there, we were one of 2 cars in the parking lot. My guys were forced to meet an off leash dog while we were going down the steps and we stepped out on to the empty beach about 20 minutes before sunrise. I was glad Roudy was staying with his best friend. We were just the first to arrive. By the time the sun rose around 7:15 am there were around 40 people with their 30 dogs. Who knew? Sunrise on the beach with your dog is a big deal. It was nice. There were a few big dogs who were off leash (against the rules) but I was able to keep my dogs right at my feet and fend the loose guys off. Tippy did have to snap at one. I let him because the owner failed to retrieve their dog. None of my dogs like the ocean but they all enjoy the beach and they were fascinated by the dogs playing fetch in the water.

So in September we saw sunset on the pacific and in February we saw sunrise on the Atlantic! 6 months apart.

Mom and I did go back to the non dog side of the beach a couple days later. There weren't as many birds as I hoped and the water was cold. I did go knee deep and enjoyed bird and people watching.

Next beach trip, hopefully will be late spring and we will boondock on the beach of the Gulf of Mexico in Texas.