Headin’ South West in the US
2014 began with a trip to the southwest region of the USA - our first snowbird experience. Our primary destinations are Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. Our plan was to leave the cold weather behind, but mother nature had her own ideas. We had sub-zero temperatures for the first three days until we reached Louisiana, which wasn’t our intended direction. The heater in PeeWee went full blast during the night time. Louisiana actually broke records of extreme cold at 19 degrees F. Driving conditions on the interstates were very good except for frequent high winds making for white knuckle driving. But how convenient is it to have all (okay, some) comforts available when you pull over somewhere. So far our stays have included the Kentucky Horse Camp, Walmart (free) in Tuscaloosa Ala., Fontainebleu State Park in La, just north of New Orleans, two nights in Palmetto State Park (exceptional) in La., at Walmart just east of San Antonio, Texas and again at a Walmart (price is right) in Fort Stockton, Texas. Following are some photos and information from our first week on the road. We hope to update our blog on a more regular basis once we put the heavy driving behind us. Our only committed date is Jan. 17th, to meet friends in the desert in Quartzite, Arizona. Can’t wait!
January 4-8, 2014
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| Early, cold departure. |
Monday, January 6, 2014
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| Overnight at Walmart/Sam's in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. |
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| Our first state park in Louisiana. |
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| Our site, extreme cold forecast for the night. |
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| Wildlife viewed through windshield. Several deer showed up. |
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| Old sugar mill ruins in the park. |
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| Frozen water puddles - record lows set in Louisiana, down to 19 F. |
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Lake Pontchartrain with the 25 mile causeway leading to New Orleans,
shown in the background. |
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Grace heads out to the end of the pier where the New Orleans skyline
can be seen. |
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
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We decided to spend two days in this beautiful park which is only
three years old. |
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| A natural quiet setting with plenty of bird activity. |
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| Early morning hike to lake. |
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| Yes, that is ice at the bottom of plants. |
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| Grace decides to bushwack around a flooded trail in the park. |
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The Abbywille red iris is endemic to Louisiana. Would have loved to
see the flowers in bloom. |
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
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| The next day we toured the Tabasco factory on Avery Island. |
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| A lifetime supply. |
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| Self portrait. |
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Over 440,000 bottles produced in a day. This garlic flavoured sauce is
being imported to Saudi Arabia. |
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Next was a tour of the Conrad Rice Plant producer of Konriko brands
of rice. |
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| The plant dates back to the 1920's. |
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Not much has changed in the production process because it has been
designated a national historic site. |
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| Original machinery is still kept running. |
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| Sampling the pecan white rice. Free is good. |
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