Louisian Man: Chicot State Park, LA 6/1/08

I skipped the complimentary waffles this morning for my usual cup of yogurt. I figure Cajun’ country is just around the corner and I’m holding out for boudin, bignets, crawfish and other savory delectables. We did one last spin thru Galveston and I have to admit I really enjoyed this populated beach town. (Things I learned: Galveston is the oldest Texas city and the average water temp of the Gulf is 87 deg.) We took the ferry from Galveston to Point Bolivar. It was great to feel the warm breeze, see all the shrimp boats surrounded with birds and watch the hubbub of the port. We drove along the spit and for miles and miles saw sherbet colored houses on stilts and enjoyed the wildlife. At one point, Ned spotted a flying pink flamingo! We stopped at a beautifully arranged fruit stand, selling everything from tropical fruits to hot peppers and green tomatoes. We were blown away by the sweet aroma of the strawberries and peaches. Yep, we had to buy some to add to our papaya, apricot and apples previously purchased. Ironically, we came upon the town of Winnie and had to stop for several photo shoots of the beloved Winniemobile posing near her namesake. We finally crossed into Louisiana and Ned broke out in song, “Louisiana Man.” That boy had been holding out on me!! Who knew he had a Cajun-zydeco song (and several stanzas too) in his repertoire? We spent the next several hours exploring some of the back roads and finally stopped to eat at a local restaurant, Fauste. Ned settled on a crawfish po’boy and I had some tasty chicken-sausage gumbo. It was a wonderfully spicy smoky soup. We took another back road, called the Old Spanish Trail, to our night’s destination of Chicot State Park, in Ville Platte. For most of the time we drove thru flat lands of rice fields and what we guess were crawfish farms (flooded fields with traps). The unexpected beauty of this state park is that the terrain suddenly changes from open fields and flatlands to “pineywoods” (what the locals call it) and hardwood forests. This heavily wooded state park is 6,400 acres situated around a multi-fingered lake. We threw on our bathing suits, hopped on our bikes and headed toward the closest water – the Olympic size pool. It was fairly empty (in fact, this whole park is almost completely empty. There is only one other camper in our section of the campground!). I asked the teenage lifeguard if “the lake was a boating lake or a swimmin’ lake.” He chuckled and said, “You definitely don’t want to swim in that lake. ¬I wouldn’t swim there. There’s gators and stuff in there.” We also were asked not to swim in the deep end of the pool on account it was too cloudy and there wasn’t a clear view of the bottom (ha-ha). After cooling off, we just had to check out the lake. It’s truly something out of a movie-set. The water is deep green, big cypress trees are populated through-out the lake, more of a bayou, the insects periodically make a deafening sound and then are eerily quiet, a bullfrog is bellowing, and the birds make it sound like a tropical paradise. I think we are more aware of nature here because there are so few humans! Everything in Ville Platte is closed, on account of it being Sunday and all, so Ned and I will conjure up a meal of fruit salad, peanut butter and crackers, a glass of viognier, (beer for Ned) and read out loud Jimmy Carter’s ‘An Hour Before Dawn.’ Tomorrow we will begin exploring deep Cajun country, including the capital of the confederacy during the civil war. We ain’t in Kansas anymore.

Exploring the Coast: Jamaica Beach RV Park, 5/31/08

We left the campground this morning and headed for Corpus Christi. We got there about noonish, unloaded the bikes and rode along the Shoreline for a nice 14 mile ride. Corpus Christi was very different from what I expected. It was actually a lot nicer than I thought! The bike ride was fun – a lot like biking in Tahoe, except that it was hotter, more humid, no pine trees and did I mention hotter and more humid?! (About 92 degrees). Okay, so nothing like Tahoe except for the fancy homes – all circa 1955. We were total wet noodles and boy did I love the air conditioning when we returned to the Winniemobile. We had a great time driving along the coast and stopped at a very local roadside diner, called “The Diner.” The waitress, Rose, was very welcoming, the patrons all “locals” in their denim overalls and fishing caps. Ned and I feasted on gallons of ice tea (I now understand why this is the drink of the south), had the best blackened fish ever, with red beans & rice, spinach and corn bread. Our destination this evening was Galveston, but I decided, once again, that it would be more fun to get there by taking back roads. The majority of the way we took Road 521, “The Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail.” It was absolutely gorgeous, meandering along the coast, and I was completely surprised by how much agriculture is in this area. Ned was pointing out all the crops, such as sorghum, cotton, soybeans, corn and rice. At one point, I couldn’t stand it anymore and had to find an internet connection – for two reasons: 1) I wanted to see if the Nedster really knew his crops and 2) What had the DNC decided regarding the Florida and Michigan votes. (Okay – I know I’m on vacation, but this political junkie needed her fix). When we went thru Port Lavaca, and spotted a Best Western (always free internet there), I pulled up wikipedia and you know what? – that Iowa Farm boy knows his crops! He got every one right. (Alas, there were no decisions yet on the political front). As far as the scenery goes, I must admit that I am very much taken with this area. I expected hideous refineries and oil rigs everywhere, but the industrial part was concentrated in pockets and the natural scenery was beautiful. The refineries are not like in the Bay Area located near residential area, but really far away from towns. Another interesting thing is that all the homes near the shoreline are built on stilts to protect them from hurricanes. It doesn’t matter if the home is a shack or a 5000 sq. ft. mansion, they are all at least 12 ft. off the ground. We finally pulled into Galveston State Park around 6 and the park was totally booked. We tried several incredibly disgusting local RV parks – some were full and others I refused to stay at – given I didn’t think I would live thru the night – and finally came up this little gem. Not only is it clean, has a pool & laundry facilities, free wi-fi (!), but also has a complimentary waffle breakfast tomorrow on account it is Sunday. Right now, there is a large screen set up in the grass field and the owners are showing the movie “Tranformers”. Very sweet. We are heading to the pool. Tomorrow is the day I’ve really been waiting for and what started this whole trip – Louisiana!

Water Wonderland: Lake Corpus Christi, 5/30/08

Ned here, filling in for Debi today. This was a delightfully leisurely day, a welcome relief after a few days of fairly long, hot drives across New Mexico and Texas. Last night was our first really hot and muggy night for sleeping. This was made more tolerable by the $12 twelve-volt oscillating fan that I had purchased at Kragen before we left for our trip. Unfortunately, the heat was apparently too much for the made-in-China fan because it gave out some time during the night. However, we slept well with just a sheet over us. Debi lounged about our campsite this morning, making good use of our hammock, and a few of the Entertainment Weekly magazines, which Megan had so kindly given her before our departure. Later on, we packed up the Winniemobile and headed down to the Guadalupe River to try out the swimming. Much to our horror, three bus loads of kids were there when we arrived at the river’s edge. We were pleasantly surprised to find that with only a tiny hike upstream we had a huge chunk of the river totally to ourselves. The water was a perfect temperature, and the setting, with huge cypress trees along the bank made for a truly restful and fun river swimming experience. (The above photo of the sea-otter-like Debi describes how much she enjoyed our time there.) After luxuriating at the river for an hour or so, we headed south in search of either Choke Canyon or Lake Corpus Christi State Park. The ranger at Guadalupe lead us to believe that both of those campgrounds might be heavily booked on a Friday night, so we readjusted our expectations for possibly getting bumped from either campground. On our 3 hour drive south we saw beautiful rolling tree-covered land, accompanied by a blue sky dotted with grade-school-art-project-looking clouds. As we drove closer, we decided we should call both the state parks to find out if they were already booked. Choke Canyon never answered their phone, filling our heads with images of their check-in office swarming with a mob of registering campers as the phone rang off the hook. When Debi called Lake Corpus Christi, though, the woman assured her that every type of campsite was available. Arriving at the campground, we were pleased to get our pick of multiple sites. We had stopped at a nearby town, buying supplies for dinner and Debi just had to have two new water toys. Returning to camp, Debi managed to get one of them inflated, and had it around her middle as we drove thru the check-in gate. The serious check-in employee had to crack up as Debi gave her “8 year old thumbs up sign.” Soon we were cooling off in our second body of water for the day. We spent about an hour paddling around in our new “sun&surf” tubes. After dinner we took a 9.5 mile bike ride around the Lake Corpus Christi area and were amazed by the number of sites. Much to our surprise, less than a quarter were filled! The Gulf awaits tomorrow.

Riverwalk: Guadalupe River State Park, 5/29/08

We left Balmorhea at about 9:30 this morning knowing that we had a long, hot drive ahead of us. We were only about half-way thru western Texas and figured it would take 6 or so hours to reach our destination. Once again, we passed the time listening to “This American Life” and local country stations. We finally hit the hill country and were rewarded with lots of trees, some wildflowers and much prettier landscape. We decided to get off I-10 and explore some of the back roads. We took a spin thru Fredericksburg, a German touristy town. We were really close to LBJ’s boyhood home, but decided to take a turn right instead and meander to our night’s destination, Guadalupe River State Park. These country roads and small towns were small and really quite sweet. Some of the homes in this area are beautiful, built out of limestone and set far off the road. I really liked the towns of Sisterdale and Boerne. We pulled into the State Park at about 4ish and you guessed it, hopped on our bikes and went exploring. At the beach and picnic area, the river runs thru a small gorge and the water is quite warm. We couldn’t decide whether to swim tonight and head into San Antonio tomorrow or vice versa. The temp is pretty consistently in the mid-90’s and it’s very humid. We finally decided to head into San Antonio tonight (about a 30-45 min drive), take a stroll along the Riverwalk and eat at a restaurant in the cool of the evening. The mojitos and fajitas were a great way to relax as we did some serious people watching. (Photo is along the Riverwalk.) We also walked over to the Alamo and explored some of the Missions. I was all set to do the Mission Trail bike ride tomorrow, but Ned wanted to check it out tonight to see what we were getting into. Once again, I’m sticking with him. Turns out the “bike trail” was really city streets, not thru the greatest part of town. Instead, we drove to a couple of the missions and decided that was good enough. (I don’t think I could’ve done the ride in this humidity and heat, but don’t tell Ned.) We’ve been fortunate with the evenings cooling off to about 65 degrees, which makes it pleasant for sleeping. However, as soon as the sun comes up it immediately starts heating up. I think the plan tomorrow is to get in as much swimming as possible in the river. We are currently filling up the tank and as luck would have it, I’m able to pirate on another net connection. Sweet! (For the curious, we’ve been averaging a little over 20 mpg. The highest gas was in the middle of nowhere Texas at $4.19 and the cheapest has been $3.81 in San Antonio.)

Desert Oasis: Balmorhea State Park, TX 5/28/08

We headed toward Las Cruces, NM and we’re pleasantly surprised by how green and beautiful the area was. We were so used to seeing brown dirt and cacti everywhere, it was a bit of a shock. As we came down from the mesa, at first we couldn’t figure out why this region was so green – then we crossed over the Rio Grande and it was obviously apparent. We decided to get off 1-10 and take the Juan de Onate trail to El Paso. What a great decision. We went through the town of Mesilla, which had adobe buildings with little stores surrounding the quaint town square. This is the place where Billy the Kidd was tried and hanged, and where Pancho Villa & Kit Carson also hung out. The Juan de Onate drive meanders thru bucolic farmland where chile peppers, garlic, onions, alfalfa and corn is grown. The most beautiful part of the drive was all the pecan orchards. At times, the pecan trees made an arbor overhanging the roadway. There were even a few vineyards and wineries. Our destination for lunch was the Lourdes Pearson’s Little Diner & Tortilla Factory in Canutilla, Tx – on the outskirts of El Paso. We drove around the back roads awhile before finally finding it. By this time we had read the descriptions of the mouth savoring gorditas several times and couldn’t wait to try it. Doh – it’s closed on Wednesdays!!! Plan B again - we decided to drive into El Paso and try our luck there. What can I say about El Paso…if anyone reading this is from El Paso, I apologize for the bluntness, but El Paso sucks. It’s smoggy, dirty, built helter-skelter on bare brown hills, has factories spewing crap into the air (thank you Texas) and is really just the armpit of the US. (So, how do I really feel about it?!) I was so shocked as I imagined colorful plazas and charming architecture surrounding the Rio Grande. Ned just kept laughing at me saying I shouldn’t believe everything I read off the internet. After a lunch at a roadside café outside of El Paso, we spent the next several hundred miles driving thru vast open land, with occasional rolling hills. We passed the time by listening to podcasts of “This American Life” with Ira Glass. The terrain was different from Arizona and New Mexico. Not cactus and desert, but more grassland and scrub brush. We finally arrived at Balmorhea State Park, at about 5ish – including the hour time change, amongst a thunderous shower storm. It was actually quite exciting and exhilarating with the winds blowing and the sky ominous with crackles and an occasional ka-boom. The temperature had dropped from 99 to about 80 degrees. By the time we got checked in and at our campsite, the weather was balmy, but not raining. We couldn’t wait to check out the pool area. We hopped on our bikes and headed to it. For those of you who don’t know about Balmorhea check out this link. It’s a neat video on what’s it all about. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/newsmedia/videos/state_park/big_bend_country/balmorhea.phtml We nearly had the pool/springs to ourselves. It felt great to be swimming, especially after so many hours in the car. It’s pretty strange to see a pool being fed clear water from an Artesian spring, as well as various fish swimming around. I particularly liked when Ned swam like hell to get away from the giant turtle! The photo is taken at dusk at this very unlikely desert oasis.

Exploring Old West Arizona: Rockhound State Park, NM 5/27/08

We left Tucson and I-10 for the side trip on old Highway 80. This took us 160 miles on the Tombstone, Bisbee, Douglas route before reconnecting with I-10. It was a round-about way to get to New Mexico and well worth it. The first town we stopped at was Tombstone, famous for Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and the OK corral. We visited Boothill Graveyard and read the rather poetic and pathetic wooden headstones. Supposedly, they are authentic, but kitschy nonetheless. An example of one is: “Here Lies George Johnson. Hanged by mistake 1882. He was right we was wrong. But we strung him up and now he’s gone.” (The above photo was taken at the Graveyard and in front of the Indian Trading Post). Once we entered Tombstone proper, we took our bikes out and did a little ride around town. It is really more like a Hollywood set than a real town. Imagine a stagecoach that rides thru town, cowboys dressed up and, periodically gunshots heard from around town, as various re-enactments of the famous gun battle ensue. Our big meal of the day was a Buffalo Burger at the OK Café, located next to the OK Corral. The décor was apropos with a huge relief map of the US, adorned with twinkling lights and a gigantic buffalo head mounted around Montana. The best part of the day was visiting the Tombstone Courthouse Museum. We spent well over an hour reading about the real Wyatt Earp, the mining history of the town and viewing the artifacts of that time period. Further on down the road was the town of Bisbee, Queen of the Copper Camps. Much to my surprise it was really cool! It was much bigger than I imagined, built in a small canyon and constructed mainly of brick and Victorian buildings. It’s a true thriving area, unlike the fabricated Tombstone. It’s an artist community with a lot of interesting looking buildings, eclectic shops and character. As we drove out of town, we visited the Lavender Open Pit, named after Harry Lavender. It’s a huge 1000 ft. deep pit, cut into the side of the mountain that provided 8 BILLION pounds of copper. It wasn’t shut down until 1974. On the one hand I was completely repulsed by this huge gaping hole in the ground, and on the other hand I was completely fascinated with how methodically it was mined. We then drove to the town of Douglas, right on the Mexican border. Really, this place was just pathetic. I wanted to visit a historical hotel that was known for its Tiffany mural and gold-leaf lobby. It was beautiful, but, completely out of place in this town. Back in the winniemobile, we wandered for awhile in search of the highway and instead hit a dead end road. Suddenly it occurred to us that the large wall and fence in front of us was the Mexican border. The Mexican side of town contains the “maquiladora” plants and the US side is a sprawl of dust covered well-worn residences. (I’m trying to be politically correct). The temp reading was 99 degrees. We then traveled for about 1 ½ hours on a road where we saw only half a dozen cars, before joining up again with I-10 in New Mexico. The highlight of this strip of road was stopping at the historic marker where Geronimo surrendered. (The Federal Gov’t was obsessed with capturing him. It took 10 years! When he finally surrendered this marked the end of the Indian Wars.) We are currently camped outside of Deming, NM at Rockhound State Park. It has about 20 or so campsites situated in the middle of the desert on a mountain slope. Campers are encouraged to pick-up/collect as much as 15 lbs. of semi-precious stones. Our campsite has a great view of the entire valley with the lights of Deming twinkling in the distance. We saw a great sunset from our site.

Hanging a Left: Catalina State Park, AZ 5/26/08

After graduation our plans were always to “hang a left” and head East. Well, the day finally arrived. We pulled out of the Lake Jennings County Park at 10ish and headed on I-8 toward Arizona. We drove thru long stretches of desert, sand dunes and over a couple of mountain passes. Ned and I love to get off the beaten path whenever possible and if we encounter some cheesy tourist attraction all the better. Well lo and behold the town of Felicity, CA. Population 4. It claims the title of “Center of the World.” From our road book: “Local resident Jacques-Andes Istel, author of a children’s fairy tale…convinced France, China and Imperial County that Felicity is, legally and officially, the center of the world. A 25 ft. high pink terrazzo pyramid stands above the exact spot.” The above photo is the mighty Ned literally being not only the center of my world, but the center of THE world. We finally arrived in Arizona, which had miles and miles of Saguaro cacti. Plan A was to camp at Picacho Peak State Park near the Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Farm. It was about 4:00 when we pulled in. We took a quick spin around the campground (we were the only ones there) and decided to stay, if and only if, we could get an Ostrich Burger. There were ostrich feather dusters, ostrich eggs, ostrich beasts and other ostrich by-products but no ostrich to eat. There was a huge monster tractor truck in the parking lot giving tours of Picacho Peak. Needless to say, we opted for Plan B, which was Catalina State Park about 15 miles north of Tucson. Good choice, as we were not disappointed. It’s a beautiful desert campground at the base of the Santa Catalina Mountains with roadrunners scurrying all around (beep-beep). The campground is nearly empty, we have water & elec hook-up and the showers are brand new! (Yes!!) Nancy gave us the book “Road Food” (It’s our 2nd Bible, next to “Road Trip USA, Cross-country Adventures on America’s Two-Lane Highways”). We looked for diners, shacks or dive joints in Tucson. Of the 700 restaurants reviewed by the book, we found their favorite Mexican restaurant in the whole USof A – Pico de Gallo. It was about a 30 or 40 minute drive from the campsite, but hey – we traveled this far how do you not try this place out?! It’s a very colorful tacqueria in South Tucscon. The sweet girl behind the counter didn’t speak any English, and I couldn’t really recognize the food, so I ordered by pointing at a photo. I had a bowl of beef soup, Ned had carna asada tacos washed down with horchata, and we split a Pico de Gallo. This is spears of fresh fruit (coconut, pineapple, mango, watermelon & jicama) served in a large red plastic cup sprinkled with a salty chile powder mix & lemon juice. I’ve never eaten anything like it – both the fruit spears and the soup. We walked next door to a Mexican ice cream shop, but we couldn’t understand any of the selections so once again pointed - to a chocolate ice cream bar. It was more like a frozen custard/popsicle dipped in chocolate. Very different. After dinner we drove around Tucson. The University of Arizona is really beautiful and the area around it appeared similar to a typical college town. The adobe homes in this area are stunning and blend in nicely with the landscape. Time to get some shut-eye, tomorrow we are exploring the old west in Arizona.