CAJUN COUNTRY

 After nearly three months in Florida, we began our travels west. Traveling through Alabama and Louisiana we decided to escape I-10 and head south through St. Martinville, the birthplace of Cajun, and over to Abbeville to the Creole Nature Trail Scenic Bi-way (Hwy 82) along the coast. Traveling through Cajunland was very interesting. We passed through flooded rice fields with row after row of crawfish traps. We’ve read that in April in coastal Louisiana it rains day and night. That explains why everything was built on stilts and all the cemetaries above ground.

Crawfish traps in flooded fields

We wanted to try some local Cajun cooking but the restaurants along the route didn’t look too appetizing. So I looked up some recipes on line, stopped to buy the ingredients, including Zatarains BIG & Zesty Creole Seasoning (which Dick won’t touch), and cooked and pigged out on a yummy meal of shrimp fettuccine alfredo, dirty rice and shrimp gumbo. The roots of Cajun cooking come from Brittany. No one knows for sure the source of the word gumbo. Some say it comes from an African word for okra, chinggombo, while some say it is a corruption of a Choctaw word for okra, kombo, the main seasoning.

The weather forecast wasn’t good. A storm front was heading our way and would hit eastern Texas and Louisiana soon. Dick wanted to out run the storm if possible which meant we would have a couple long days of traveling to make time. Did we leave Florida too soon? We continued hugging the Gulf of Mexico through Galveston and Freeport, taking a couple of ferries across Texas bays, then headed inland to San Antonio, watching the black clouds in the rearview mirror, but then we were dealing with high winds and heading for very cold temps in New Mexico and Arizona. 

Remember the woman from BC Canada we met in mid-December who is traveling around the US? We met again for a couple days at Gulf Islands National Seashore just before leaving Florida. She emailed to say she was several days ahead of us, hunkered down in Alpine, Texas, dealing with the cold, windy weather. We recommended she head south 150 miles to a campground along the Rio Grande River in Big Bend Nat’l Park where it might be somewhat better and wait until things warmed up on her route west. We really didn’t think she would do it but she did, pulling her little travel trailer south, battling the high winds all the way. Knowing she was there, and also wanting to get where it might be warmer, we went too. It hasn’t always been ideal weather but much better than what we’ve heard is happening further west - like snow in Tucson? Really?

Janice Henshaw and her traveling partner Baloo

 NOTE: While passing through Mobile, AL we saw the crippled Carnival Cruise ship that was recently towed into port.

Dick's Pics:  
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A MEMORABLE PLACE

We left Kissimmee Prairie and drove north to camp a couple days at Alexander Springs State Park in the Ocala National Forest and then on to Silver Springs. When we were 27 years old we sold everything, bought an RV and worked our way around the US. We had only planned to do this for a year but it turned into almost eight years. We were just a couple of gypsies at heart. We left Michigan during a break in the famous blizzard of 1978 and headed for the southern most point in Florida. While snorkeling in the Keys we met a couple who told us about a secluded campground they had stayed in on the banks of the Ocklawaha River just on the edge of the Ocala National Forest. It was a big green area on the Florida map and it looked good to us. We drove the long dirt road down to the campground wondering what we had gotten ourselves into. It ended up being the best campground we've ever stayed in. We were instantly adopted by the family who owned the property along the river. We loved our new home and spent many days exploring both the Ocklawaha and the Silver Rivers. When we left Michigan we had $1,000 and thought we were rich but the money went fast. We tried a couple of jobs we hated and then found work at the Ocala Breeders Sales Company (OBS) a thoroughbred horse auction. The sales manager had seven kids of his own but he and his wife made us feel part of their family and included us in everything. We returned to this campground and worked at OBS for many winters after that. Sad for us, the family that had the campground had to sell their beautiful property a few years back but fortunately there is now a state park along the Silver River. So that's where we were for the past week. We canoed the river, walked and biked the trails and visited all of our friends. We are now back in the Florida Panhandle and slowly heading west to Cajun country.    Click here for a few pics Dick took along the Silver River

Our camping spot on the river bank during 70's & 80's

One of our many boat trips up the Ocklawaha and Silver Rivers  (80's)

Established in 1908, the Ocala National Forest is located north of Orlando between the Ocklawaha and St. Johns Rivers, encompassing approximately 383,000 acres. Although it is centered on high, dry, central scrub ridges, the Ocala National Forest is rich in water resources with more than 600 lakes, rivers, and springs, including three first-magnitude springs. Each an oasis surrounded by subtropical growth. The springs are some of the finest and clearest in the United States.

KISSIMMEE PRAIRIE

We don’t like to drive over 150 miles a day and found Kissimee Prairie State Park to be the perfect distance on our route north from the Everglades. From Hwy 441, we followed the brown signs to this 54,000 acre preserve just north of Okeechobee. Then the road turned to dirt. We hate driving the motorhome on gravel or dirt roads, but we couldn’t turn back now. It ended up being around 5 miles of dirt. If we had known it beforehand we would have never planned to stay at this state park. We’re glad we didn’t know because we found it to be a very peaceful campground under one of the darkest skies in Florida. It’s a popular place for stargazers. One of the campers had his telescope set up for anyone who wanted to check out the night sky. We just happened to be there the night Nasa launched a new communications satelite and watched the red glow as it climbed and disappeared in the distance. Other highlights were the comical Crested Caracaras (picture below), listening to the coyotes howling in the night and the beautiful sunrises and sunsets. Life is an adventure and you never know where it may lead.

Crested Caracara - Photo by Dick Mallery

Click here:   DICK'S PICKS - THE FLORIDA PRAIRIE

EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK

In my last blog, I told you about the month long Python Hunt taking place in the Florida Everglades. It's been nearly 3 weeks since that blog and many of you have written asking if we're ok. We are alive and well. We didn't see one python, but I've heard the latest caught is around thirty. Actually, the hunt is in the areas surrounding the National Park. Inside the park is off limits.
We loved exploring this beautiful place - canoeing, biking, hiking, and ranger led hikes including a slough slog. That was exciting, especially after we walked out of the slough and saw a huge alligator at the edge of the water. Even the ranger was shocked. This was the third time she'd led the slog and I had the feeling it was her last.
We especially enjoyed spending time with friends from home who also camped at the park (Kathy Heil, Dave Monstrey, Bill and Laurie Bassett - pictured below).
We walked the Anhinga Trail many times. Dick put together a nice group of pictures taken along this trail:  CLICK HERE TO VIEW PHOTOS OF THE ANHINGA TRAIL

Also, I'm adding a Youtube video Dick put together. He never tells me when he's filming so all my comments are in there too. We are going to have to come up with a signal to let me know when to shut-up!

Barn Owl along the Guy Bradley Trail

Campgound breakfast with our TC friends

Paddling through a Mangrove marsh

Roseate Spoonbill at Eco Pond

West Lake boardwalk

Robert at ROBERT IS HERE Fruit Stand just outside of the park

Painted Bunting in the Flamingo Campground

FLORIDA PYTHON CHALLENGE 2013

Dick has applied online for a volunteer job in the Everglades National Park over the past two years. They offered him a job running the Recycle program and mowing but he turned it down. He said he'd rather do something more exciting like hunt Burmese Pythons. Well, now he has the chance. When we arrived at Big Cypress National Preserve we heard about the "Florida Python Challenge". It began January 12 and runs through February 16. The invasive species has been taking over the Florida Everglades area so this is one way they can cut down on the population (snakes not people). Prizes include $1,000 for the longest python caught, and $1,500 for the most pythons killed. Around 800 amateur and professional hunters have joined the python purge, but Dick's changed his mind about signing up. We listened to a local radio station interviewing Dave Shealy, who has a commercial campground and a wildlife zoo in the Big Cypress Preserve. He was told about a python in the area. Dave doesn’t handle snakes much so he took his zookeeper along to catch the snake. They found a large python lying in a ditch along Hwy. 41 (Tamiami Trail). The zookeeper jumped in the ditch and grabbed the snake. The snake bit him. Dave said the zookeeper actually found that humorous and he came out of the ditch with the snake coiled around him and tiptoeing like Tinkerbell. Dave said he didn't know what to do and knew he'd need help, so he shoved the snake wrapped man into the back of his truck and sped home. Dick said if he did sign up for the Florida Python Challenge, this sounded like the perfect technique for catching snakes. He just couldn’t get me to go along with the plan. He said he was going to locate the snakes with his good eye and I was supposed to jump in the ditch and grab the snake.  NOT!!

DICK'S PICKS - CLICK HERE

FLORIDA'S SUBTROPICAL JUNGLE

After Paynes Prairie we stopped to visit Les and Jane of the Mallery Clan and then continued traveling south to explore Highlands Hammock State Park near Sebring. The hikes on the swamp boardwalks along the Cypress Swamp and Fern Garden Trails were our favorites. We are now in Big Cypress National Preserve in south Florida for a few days, camped on the edge of Monument Lake, and it's only $8.00/night with our Senior Pass. One of the reasons Florida is unappealing to us is the over development. As Dick says, "If someone dies in Michigan they have to send down here for pallbearers". Actually, that's all part of traveling and you have to deal with that anywhere you go. We try to stay away from the madness of over-populated areas with their masses of humanity as much as we can. When we reach these beautiful state and national parks it makes it worthwhile.

PAYNE'S PRAIRIE FLORIDA

Our week at Paynes Prairie was wonderful. Dick said it perfectly in his blog so I'm passing the link on to you. We are both disappointed with the quality of his pictures. For some reason they are a bit blurry when he puts them on YouTube but it's still amazing to see all the wildlife at the Prairie. Enjoy!  CLICK HERE FOR DICK'S BLOG