Daily Adventures Archives • Page 14 of 20 • Into the Light Adventures %

Big Bend National Park, getting back to our travels through Texas. Now I had never even heard of Big Bend National park until this past winter when someone mentioned we should visit there as we drove along the southern border of Texas.

So we looked it up and made reservations for the first of March this past winter. One has to reserve early because this park is full all the time. We were able to book 11 days at their largest campground and I have to say the terrain of this part of Texas is just breathtaking.

Here is the link to my video if you want to see all the campgrounds that are available to use in this park and some of the wildlife and landscapes; Big Bend National Park

The largest campground is Rio Grande Village campground sitting at 1800 ft. elevation. So it get pretty warm down there even in March. We had a couple days in the 100 degrees and where we were at you can not use generators for your air conditioning. We had to go for a drive in the Jeep just to stay cool, but only a couple of days.

Then the highest elevation is Chisos Basin, a world onto itself. Completely different with lots of trees and green grass and much cooler temperatures sitting at 5400 ft. elevation.

Big Bend spans over 800,000 acres. I will be showing more of the beautiful landscapes in the next few post.

Wildlife at the campground consist of Javelinas, shown below. They would just wonder by all the campers munching on the grass.

One morning we woke to the sound of cows mooing, as a small heard was enjoying the green grass as well as they passed through the campground.

You can also find this little beauty of a bird here, the Vermillion Flycatcher, there were quite a few of them as the park would flood the center of the park, using water from the Rio Grande River. It kept the trees green and the grass, hence the wild life and birds enjoying this park as well.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Big Bend National Park

Sandra J

My Dear Those Ears Deer

By Sandra | June 27, 2022

My Dear Those Ears Deer, Better to hear me with those big ears as I point the camera towards them to get their attention.

Michigan Deer

Montana Deer

New Mexico Deer

Iowa Deer

Baby Deer

My Dear Those Ears Deer

Sandra J

We Made it Home

By Sandra | June 24, 2022

We Made it Home, what a journey it has been for us and so many others this past year. I still have plenty of photos to share of all the beautiful states we travelled in.

The thing I remember the most from the past 10 months is all the wonderful people we met along the way. Folks who would just stop by and say hello, who would share their travels and give advice on places to see. For the most part, I remember all the smiles from others, even though so much is going on in the world around us, it never stopped folks from just living.

The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps

We Made it Home

Have a Wonderful Weekend

Sandra J

The Enchanted Highway

By Sandra | June 23, 2022

The Enchanted Highway, we travelled along Interstate 94 into the Dakotas, which by the way the blue sky’s and lush green prairie grass fields are picturesque all on their own.

But, all of a sudden large pieces of art work started to appear on the sides of the road.

Thirty-two miles south of the nearest major highway is the town of Regent, North Dakota. It was dying, and Gary Greff decided that someone had to do something about it.

Gary Greff and Geese In Flight (2003).

Inspired, he later said, by the 1989 movie Field of Dreams, and its misremembered catchphrase “Build it, and they will come,” Gary began building giant artworks to entice travelers off of the interstate and into town.

A metal sculptor and retired Regent schoolteacher, Gary’s plan was to create ten huge sculptures, paired with pullouts and picnic areas, every few miles along Regency-Gladstone Road — which he christened The Enchanted Highway. All of the sculptures would face north, toward the oncoming traffic from Interstate 94.

I took these photos from inside the RV, looking out a windshield that was covered with bugs. I had to photoshop the bugs out of the photos. 🙂 I think it is pretty impressive when someone can create art of any type but to make sculptures as big as these is pretty cool.

The Enchanted Highway

Sandra J

A Bridge Between People

By Sandra | June 17, 2022

A Bridge Between People enables the passage of ideas,

Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you.

A Bridge Between People

Sandra J

The Yaak River in Montana

By Sandra | June 15, 2022

The Yaak River in Montana, we are eastward bound, leaving the great state of Montana. We will be traveling on Interstate 90 and today we are under a winter storm watch here in Montana. They have been getting a lot of rain and snow this year.

The interstate runs all along the Yellowstone river and if you have not heard, the Yellowstone river is flooding. They actually had to close Yellowstone National Park because the river has washed out the roads in the park. So I hope the road we are traveling on won’t be washed out either.

Montana – Big sky country.

The Yaak River in Montana

Sandra J

Pecos River New Mexico & Texas

By Sandra | June 9, 2022

Pecos River New Mexico & Texas The Pecos River, one of the major tributaries of the Rio Grande, runs through New Mexico and Texas before it empties into the Rio Grande near Del Rio Texas. The river flows out of the Pecos Wilderness, through rugged granite canyons and waterfalls, and passes small, high-mountain meadows along its 926-mile journey

The Pecos has figured in many tall tales over the years. Fans of frontier lore have heard the phrase “West of the Pecos,” is the region where the Wild West is said to have begun.

Bike Ride to the Rio Grande Video Here; Rio Grande River

These two photos below are not mine, I found them on the internet to show how high the water used to be here on the Pecos river. This area was very popular with boating a few years back, big boats used to travel down this river.

But today, you might only be able to get a canoe down parts of the river, I will show you what it looks like and who occupies the canyon floor now in the animal kingdom world tomorrow.

Pecos River New Mexico & Texas

Sandra J

Leaving Seminole Canyon Texas

By Sandra | June 8, 2022

Leaving Seminole Canyon Texas, this area of Texas is our first look at the vastness of the south west. A terrain that is so different than anything I have ever seen.

Here is a video of the Pecos river and all the goats; Sometimes my videos go on after I make the post but I will add the link the next day. Wild Goats on the Pecos River

It is a place that has changed over the years, where people used to live and provide for themselves and others. When water was flowing high in the Pecos River.

As we were standing at the bottom of the canyon, I looked up and squinted as I tried to see what these 4 rock type things are. So I zoomed in on them with my camera and it appears to be cement braces trying to hold up the two giant rocks on the side of this cliff.

My main thought is, how did they get those up there. Hmmmm, 🙂

Leaving Seminole Canyon Texas

Sandra J

Goats Lots of Goats

By Sandra | June 7, 2022

Goats Lots of Goats, we discovered this canyon on a drive we took one day. We parked the jeep at the top of the canyon and as we walked closer to the edge to see the view, we could hear faint noises coming up from the canyon floor. At first, I did not recognize what the noise was.

Then we looked over the edge and here we saw dozens of goats all along the canyon. Not just on the bottom, they were all over the sides of the canyon as well. In yesterday’s post, I showed you a photo of this canyon half full of water. Now the goats run all over this area, I am not sure what they are eating, there sure wasn’t much for vegetation.

We drove down to the bottom of the canyon over on the right side of this photo below. The goats were all over on the left side of the river. So, some of my photos were a little blurry. The goats were very far away from my 400 mm lens.

They did look healthy and pregnant for some of them. So, they learned to adapt to this environment and find food. It was fun to hear all the baby goats singing away, as their voices echoed in the canyon.

Goats Lots of Goats

Sandra J

2022 A Year to Remember

By Sandra | June 6, 2022

2022 A Year to Remember for us, We started this journey back in September of 2021 and what a trip it has been. Even during these trying times for everyone, we are so thankful to have traveled around the states to see what beauty awaits all of us when we step away from the noise of the world around us. Creation has a way of keeping things in balance, it is alive and thrives no matter what.

We have made it to Washington and will be heading east again soon. We have travelled over 8000 miles in 11 months. Seeing things beyond my wildest dreams, a place that is a true gift to our eyes when we slow down and really see what is around us.

This journey was also a trip to try and avoid snow for the first time in my life. It was so nice not having to shovel snow this past winter. We were able to stay in some mild temperatures most of the way, a few 90 degree F days, but overall not to bad. This map shows the route we took, it wasn’t a planned route, we just knew to go west and then north.

We did want to see the Red Wood forest, but California seems to have to much going on, like higher gas prices then what was in our budget. But, we did come across some amazing pine trees in the mountains of Nevada that towered over anything I have ever seen. So that was good for me.

Washington this time of year is just gorgeous, I have never seen so much green, the Norway spruce trees are amazing. The smell of flowers is everywhere and so many new birds I have seen here as well. I will definitely come back to this state for sure.

Overall, what might be my favorite place? Well, Nevada was at the top of my list until I saw Oregon and Washington. I grew up in the north country and I have a love for forest over desert. But, Montana is next and I am thinking I will love that as well.

Folks have asked us many times on this trip if we miss our home.

Over my 60 years of living on this planet, I have discovered that home is not just a place for me. Home is a place in my heart where I know I am going. But, life is to be lived no matter where you are, this beauty around us was made for us to enjoy and marvel at the craftmanship of our creator.

Our time here is very short and when you see the vastness of this earth and the heavens above, it makes me not want to miss a moment of this precious thing called life. To love, laugh and smile and help others do the same.

Thank you for coming along on this journey with us. We still have more to come. I love sharing what I see through the lens of my camera and taking photographs of this beautiful place, creating a moment in time that can not be duplicated. A photograph becomes history the moment you snap the picture.

What lies ahead is just as exciting, faith, love and trust in our Father, that is what I believe in. 🙂

Thank you

2022 A Year to Remember

Sandra J

Seminole Canyon Big Bend Country

By Sandra | June 3, 2022

Seminole Canyon Big Bend Country About ten miles northwest of Comstock is Seminole Canyon State Park. Sitting on more than 2,000 acres, the historic site displays jagged canyons cut through the Chihuahuan Desert, where the Pecos River flows into the Rio Grande.

Seminole Canyon Campground Video here; Seminole Campground

We were here back at the end of February; we had made reservations to Big Bend National Park for the first of March. So, we camped here for a week as we continued our journey into Texas

The extreme dry climate has set in here in southern Texas, very low humidity and 90 degrees F for this part of our trip. This is the dry heat people are always talking about in the south, as long as there is a breeze, I did not mind it.

This is our first-time camping with no electrical hookups. We had to rely on a portable solar panel that we have to keep the batteries charged. We overestimated how much power we use after a couple of days. We woke up one morning and the refrigerator light was blinking, the batteries were dead.

So, we made sure everything was un plugged the next night, like the DVD player, that blinks a red light all night long, We learned to stop using battery power by midafternoon so that the batteries had enough juice in them to keep the food cold at night. It was a learning curve, but we figured it out right away.

There is a lot of history in this rugged part of the world, where people who lived here back in the day, lived in the carved-out caves along the canyon walls. There is a big difference in our house on wheels and the home below in the canyon wall.

But, amazing how we figure out how to use what is provided to us in nature/creation. The sun is a very powerful tool that provides energy, warmth and the ability for everything to grow.

Below is a photo of the Pecos River, we had not even heard of this river until we went out for a drive and came across this beautiful canyon just a few miles west of Seminole canyon.

Driving up U.S. Highway 90 from Del Rio, who would imagine the sight of the Pecos River and the Pecos High Bridge appearing suddenly in view? Soaring 322 feet above the water, the High Bridge is the tallest railroad bridge in Texas.

It flows into the Rio Grande River, to view the Rio Grande from Seminole canyon park, it is a short 7-mile hike or bike ride across the rocky terrain to the north canyon rim. These photos are being shared because husband rode his bike down there to take a photo for you and for me. 🙂

I like to ride my bike-on-bike paths, payment sort of terrain. He loves to go off roading with his. 7 miles was a bit to far for me, I did go about 2 miles on the path, it was so bumpy and lots of rocks. So, I went back.

The Rio Grande water is very low, like a lot of places all along Texas. I will be showing more of these photos of the river as we make our way west.

Seminole Canyon Big Bend Country

Sandra J

Have Jeep Must Travel

By Sandra | June 2, 2022

Have Jeep Must Travel, this old jeep has taken us down a lot of dirt roads this year. What a fun way to see the roads less travelled. It sure needs a good wash and wax though. 🙂

Have Jeep Must Travel

Sandra J

In Memory Of

By Sandra | May 30, 2022

In Memory Of those who have served.

In Memory Of

Sandra J

Hot Air Balloons Means Spring

By Sandra | May 25, 2022

Hot Air Balloons Means Spring is here and no wind finally. It is a nice calm morning as I step outside of our camper to enjoy the early morning fresh air and I could hear a strange sound off in the distance. I walked to the front of our camper and here flying across the sky are the most colorful hot air balloons, coming right at us and one floating right over us.

See the Video Here; Hot Air Balloons

They landed just on the other side of our camper. As the company that gives the rides pulled up next to the balloons to deflate them and give the customers a ride back to the starting point.

The photo below is a composite where I added all the balloons onto one photo to see all the bright colors together.

Hot Air Balloons Means Spring

by Sandra J

Just Doing Some Birding Today

By Sandra | May 20, 2022

Just Doing Some Birding Today, these birds give me goose bumps when they fly this close. We are camped near an air force base. My favorite kind of camping as the air force is doing practice runs everyday.

Best seats in town, I just pull up my chair grab the camera and watch them do their maneuvers. Amazing technology.

Are you wondering how I got this first shot, being it looks like I am in a plane right next to them. 🙂

They were flying pretty close and banking right around us on my right side, so with a telephoto lens and cropping the photo a bit, it looks like we are right there with them. 🙂 Have a great weekend.

Just Doing Some Birding Today

Sandra J

All Creatures Great and Small

By Sandra | May 17, 2022

Armadillos (meaning “little armored ones” in Spanish),

Armadillos are prolific diggers. They dig many burrows, as well as dig for food. The animal will not survive in areas where the soil is too hard to dig. Many other wildlife species use and benefit from abandoned armadillo burrows.

Video of Armadillos on our Journey Here; Armadillos

All Creatures Great and Small

by Sandra J

Cows in the Desert

By Sandra | May 16, 2022

Cows in the Desert, the desert is an amazing place I have found out. I see cattle here and there grazing the dried up desert landscapes. Wondering how do they get any nutrition from all this dry grass. We have not seen rain in months down south as we are traveling, yet there are a few flowers here and there and some plants stay green also.

We were driving some back roads and came across this small heard of cattle. This black one here was standing so perfectly still even as I walked up to the fence to take its photo. He posed very well with the mountains in the background. You can see the video of these beautiful cows Here; Long Horn Cattle

Spring is the time for calving no matter where you live.

Cows in the Desert

by Sandra J

Nevada Northern Railway

By Sandra | May 13, 2022

Nevada Northern Railway, one of my favorite things next to photographing nature and birds, is photographing trains. Especially steam locomotives. This is my first one I have taken a photo of and the beautiful depot that they have maintained for folks to visit here in Ely NV.

Even their railroad crossing signs are unique.

Have a Great Weekend

Thank you David for asking about photographing something architectural, I just happen to have taken these photos a couple of weeks ago. 🙂

Nevada Northern Railway

Sandra J

From the Mountains of No Names

By Sandra | May 12, 2022

From the Mountains of No Names comes faith as small as a mustard seed, where nothing is impossible.

I have lived in the mid west my entire life and never ventured west until this year. I have always wanted to see the mountains and it is truly a sight to behold. To be able to climb to the highest peak that I can climb to and then look out over this vast landscape for miles and miles.

Not only is it breathtaking but it makes me see how small we really are, like standing next to the ocean. Areas that are bigger than my imagination and more beautiful then I could ever dream of. Creation is truly a gift.

The mountains started in southern Texas, below we climbed to the top of Franklyn Mountains in El Paso Texas.

This photo below is Seminole Canyon in Texas, taken with the drone looking at the Rio Grande river which is very low water levels. We have noticed the lack of water all through out the south.

Below is the wide open spaces of Arizona, BLM land, that is our camper in the photo. BLM land is free to camp on. You just find an empty spot and stay there up to 14 days. The dust was blowing here all the time.

Utah is amazing, the red rocks and canyons are amazing to see. This photo below is Zion National Park, it was taken with the drone outside of the park. Looking west. It is quite something how on top of the mountains it looks flat almost everywhere.

This mountains range below and valley is quite the place. Its location speaks of much history on how folks lived back in the day. It is called Spring Valley in eastern Nevada, it is full of natural springs all along the valley. The water is flowing even now as we visited this place.

The green valley floods with the monsoon rains in the spring and summer and many many years ago, people lived along the valley and all this water would freeze in the winter. Cutting ice out of the frozen water was a way to make a living here. I will have more information on these places as I get to them individually.

Another mountain in Nevada below, we drove to the top of this one which was nearly 10,000 ft elevation. It is quite the road to get to the top. There is snow up there and you definitely want 4 wheel drive going up this back country road. But what a view from the top.

We continue our travels north, thank you so much for following along. I appreciate all your wonderful comments you leave on these post and enjoy being able to talk to each and everyone of you when I can. The internet is not always the best in some of these places we have been to. But thank you very much, I appreciate it. Have a wonderful day.

From the Mountains of No Names

Sandra J

Starting to See Cactus Now

By Sandra | May 10, 2022

Starting to See Cactus Now, I always love seeing cactus when in the south. So many different kinds, but we are traveling through this area in February and March, so a lot of the cactus do not look so good this time of year, as it is colder temperatures even in Texas.

We did find this bridge on the map and drove over to see it, I find the construction of older bridges fascinating as well. This is actually a historic bridge named Buchanan Dam Bridge, built in 1937. It was a perfect location at the time below the dam on the Colorado River.

It is a pedestrian bridge now. You can walk across it and when you do there is a constant humming sound, like music almost. From the wind or the traffic going across the newer bridge up river.

Starting to See Cactus Now

by Sandra J

Inks Lake State Park Texas

By Sandra | May 9, 2022

Inks Lake State Park Texas, after our stay at the last park I found this state park that was only an hours drive away. We really like not driving more than a couple of hours between parks when possible and we are only staying at this park for 2 nights.

The Colorado river runs through this area and it is the largest river within the state of Texas. It travels 862 miles, almost 600 billion gallons of water flow in a typical year.

Back in the day the river was as much a danger as a blessing for the residents around this area. So they decided to build a dam, a series of six dams to try and control the Colorado river and Inks Lake Dam was the second one built in the series.

In 1940 the state acquired about 1200 acres to make this park here. It has colorful rocks all around the lake, lots of hiking and really good fishing they say.

I love to learn the history of all these places we are visiting. It isn’t about just camping, I find this trip we are on is a walk down the real history of this country. How did all of these places come about? We have been finding a lot of these parks have great museums near by as well and we try to stop at all of them.

So much better than reading it in a book, to get out there and see how everything has changed over the years is quite remarkable to me.

Inks Lake State Park Texas

by Sandra J

What I Have Learned

By Sandra | May 6, 2022

What I Have Learned, This trip we are on has shown me a world I knew existed but was afraid to walk into. Traveling away from the physical world that I grew up in, has made me realize that my safety net is not where I am but knowing I am in His world where ever I am.

Natures Symphony Video

What I Have Learned

by Sandra J

Next Stop Granger Texas

By Sandra | May 5, 2022

Next Stop Granger Texas, our next stop in eastern Texas is at Willis Creek Campground, a Corp of Engineer Lake. If you love camping in national parks and Corp of Engineer parks, I highly recommend getting the America the Beautiful pass, it cost $80 dollars for the year and gets you 50% off your campground fee.

So this campground cost us 11 dollars a night with water and electricity included. This pass has saved us a lot of money on this trip.

We entered the park and there are deer every where. I am not sure if this one works here and wants us to pay her or she is just adding to the scenic view of the park.

See the Video Here; Granger Texas Campground

Mornings are so colorful here at the lake. Sunrise is my favorite time of day.

Next Stop Granger Texas

by Sandra J

Davy Crockett National Park

By Sandra | May 3, 2022

Davy Crockett National Park, this park in Texas has the most beautiful pine trees called Loblolly Trees. They grow up to 100 ft. tall. Amazing to stand there and look up and watch them sway in the wind.

I just posted a video of this beautiful park on my You Tube channel, Click Here to Visit; Davy Crockett National Forest. It is a longer video so I will leave it over on You Tube instead of posting it here.

Davy Crockett National Park

by Sandra J

May Brings a Variety of Photos

By Sandra | May 2, 2022

May Brings a Variety of Photos, starting the month off with a variety of photos from a Cardinal sitting in the spot light.

To a White Winged dove photo in a frame I created in photoshop. I love trying to create new looks to my photos via technology.

This photo below is a shot from the Drone camera, how high did it really go to get this shot? Using the Asteroid effect, the camera goes straight up above the controller 131 feet . The little spot at the end of the road off to the left of center is us standing by some mountains in Texas.

I took this photo last night of the Milky Way at our campground, there was some light pollution in the area but it still turned out ok.

May Brings a Variety of Photos

by Sandra J

From the Land of Texas

By Sandra | April 29, 2022

From the Land of Texas, I am back to posting our journey from the state of Texas during February and March. Lots of new birds yet to come and landscapes of places I have never been to before.

Texas is a very big state and our first stop is Davy Crockett National Forest in Eastern Texas. It is nice to see pine trees again after the long stay along the gulf coast. During our stay here in February the day time temperatures are not to bad, but it did get down below freezing a few times at night.

This map below shows the journey we took across the state of Texas. From Al to Western Texas we traveled 3210 miles. We were in Texas for 2 months during February and March. Our initial plan was to slowly drop down to Big Bend National park, Texas is a long state, so each red dot is a park we stayed at along the way.

I have to say Texas has some beautiful parks and if you get the America the Beautiful National park pass, it gives you 50% off all national parks and Core of Engineer parks. So this park we are at today only cost 10 dollars a night and that includes electricity and water.

From the Land of Texas

by Sandra J

Animal Kingdom

By Sandra | April 27, 2022

Animal Kingdom, faces we all can love. From the cute little baby goat, to the beautiful Long Horn Texas Steer. Big and small, they each have a place in this world. Video below or click Link Here; Baby Goat

Javelina, Javelina also known as collared peccary, are medium-sized animals that look similar to a wild boar. They have mainly short coarse salt and pepper colored hair, short legs, and a pig-like nose.

Cute as a Button Baby Goat #shorts Cuteness Overload with Farm Animals

Animal Kingdom

by Sandra J

Had to Evacuate Tunnel Fire AZ

By Sandra | April 24, 2022

Had to Evacuate Tunnel Fire AZ, I am jumping ahead on my blog post to what happened last week. Let me tell you, my nerves were on high alert as we were camping in the Coconino Mountains when all of a sudden smoke is gaining ground just south of us.

Let me start at the beginning. We have been on the road for 8 months now and I have a lot of photos still to go through from back in February. But I am jumping ahead to just last week on April 19th, we decided to head to some BLM land, (Bureau of Land Management), which is free camping just north of Flagstaff AZ, we were camping south of Flagstaff the week before.

Arizona and Texas are very dry, we have not seen rain for almost 3 months on this journey. The dust is so bad everywhere in the south when the wind blows and we decided to head north to get away from it. Even though the weather warned of high winds on this particular day. But the BLM land was only 1 1/2 hour drive north, so we figured we could get there before the winds picked up to bad.

This photo below is our drive right before the Coconino Mountains, we will be stopping just on the other side. As we pass the mountains on the left, we noticed some smoke near the mountain. I thought that can’t be good to have any kind of smoke on such a windy day.

We found a campsite not to far from the main road, one other camper was on that road as well. A beautiful spot with tall Pondarosa pine trees and lots of dry grass. There is a lot of burnt trees there already I noticed, as if a fire had gone through there not to long ago.

We set up camp and I made some lunch, as we were eating a strange looking bird landed on our jeep, it was really interested in the red brake lights on top and the red can on top of the jeep.

I have no idea what kind of bird this is, if any one does let me know.

Then my husband looked out the door and said, ” Is that dust or smoke?”. I went outside and I said this is smoke. Our phone’s started to alert of danger, I quick got into the jeep and drove down to the other campers to see what they might know of the situation. They said the fire from way over there by the west mountains had spread and it just jumped the road to where we are and they were leaving.

So I quickly went back to the RV and said we need to go now. We got to the main road and the police were already helping people to leave on the west side of the road and were blocking traffic from going south.

The map below shows a red dot, that is where we are camping and the pink and green area is the fire spreading across that area.

The winds are now gusting over 50 miles an hour, which is not safe to drive a high profile vehicle in. So I found a spot about 30 min north of the fire to stop and wait out the wind before going any farther. This is where I took the photos from shown below.

They ended up blocking traffic right where we were parked at and we ended up staying there all night. Exhausted and stressed to say the least, 2 other campers stayed the night there as well.

I looked out the window a lot that night, checking to see that the fire did not start to spread north towards us. By morning the smoke was still heavy across the landscape and the fire as of today has burned over 20,000 acres. I have not heard the source of this fire yet.

This could be a bad year for fires, we all need to take care and be mindful of our environment around us. One gentleman we talked to that lives around here said, ” This place used to be paradise when he was growing up here and now it is a rat race”.

Had to Evacuate Tunnel Fire AZ

by Sandra J

Most Southern Wetlands Have These

By Sandra | April 21, 2022

Most Southern Wetlands Have These and this place in Louisiana has a lot of alligators. Some of them camouflaged very well.

Most Southern Wetlands Have These

by Sandra J

Louisiana Wet Lands

By Sandra | April 18, 2022

Louisiana Wet Lands, we stopped at a beautiful little park in southern Louisiana back in January. This campground only had 8 campsites and no one was there when we arrived. So we had the whole park to ourselves for a couple of days.

Video below of the Flight of the Snow Goose, thousands of geese looking from ground level to above the geese. Link click Here; Flight of the Snow Goose

I always look for Wildlife Refuge locations everywhere we go, because they are usually wet lands and home for a lot of wildlife depending on the time of year. So, we found this one here shown above. We drove clear out to the east side of the park and not one bird we found anywhere.

The green icon is the park we were at and the Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge in dark green below it.

I thought that maybe we were a little early to see birds migrating through in January. The photo below is the farmland around the campground. It is close to Lake Charles Louisiana.

A couple days later some folks came to camp that were from the area and we got to talking about birding and the wet lands. Come to find out, we were on the wrong side of the wet lands. The gentlemen told us where to go to get to the hot spot and we went there the next day.

Below is part of the wet lands to this refuge and we were not disappointed on what we found. So many birds and new birds I had never heard of.

Talking to folks that live in the area is the best way to get to know some wonderful people and to learn all about their state. This area was hit pretty hard by 2 hurricanes over the last couple of years and when we drove into Lake Charles you could still see all the damage.

Folks were still fighting with their insurance company’s on getting their roofs rebuilt. There was a lot of blue tarps on 80% of the homes waiting to get the shingles or metal roofs put on. Plus they just have a shortage of workers to get it done as well. But the folks were in good spirits and so helpful to us as we were asking questions and enjoying their parks.

As we are chasing 70 degree weather this year, the temperatures stayed in the 50’s f. for the most part and 30’s at night. We did have a few campfires as the park also provided the wood at each campsite.

This is the park where I photographed my first sighting of the Ibis and this bird below is called the white faced Ibis, even though it does not have a white face. It is very colorful with the sunlight shinning on it.