Chilly Week in Florida

10 – 18 Dec

Having spent last week on the Gulf Shores sunbathing with temperatures as high as 26C we have spent this week in Florida with weather reminiscent of the UK – rain and just above freezing at night.

We visited Fort Pickens on the end of Santa Rosa Island.  When it was built in 1834 the western end of the island was only 150 yds away; today it is about ¾ of a mile away because of the shifting sands. 


The fort was occupied by the Union soldiers during the American Civil War and the guns were used to fire on the Confederates who occupied the Pensacola Peninsular.
Geronimo and other Apache prisoners were held here from 1886 to 1888. 
It was also used for training during WWII.

We also went down to Navarre Pier and watched the fisherman.  We could see fish, turtles, Rays and jelly fish from where we stood on the Pier.

If you have ever wanted a beach to yourself then this would be the place to come. The view here looks towards the fort, the view the other way is also empty.

5 – 9 Dec Hurricane Alley - Gulf Shores, AL

We are right in the middle of Hurricane Alley but as it was the official end of the hurricane season on 30 Nov we felt quite safe.  The Gulf Islands National Shoreline stretch over 160 miles along Mississippi, Alabama and Florida and are barrier islands which act as a buffer to storm surge.

Pelican landing on Gulf Shores Pier

Fisherman lands a Ray

The Gulf shores State Park provides a number of educational Nature activities and talks.  We met an Eastern Screech Owl who had been given a home here after being hit by a car – she had lost an eye.  We had a guided talk on the Pier and watched fisherman land a Ray.   

A lot of this area has been rebuilt after hurricane Ivan in 2004.  The Pier is now hurricane proof with decking which can be removed when there is a hurricane threat.  The beach has miles of beautiful white sand.  The water gets deep very quickly and from the beach we watched Rays in the water and the Pelicans diving for mullet – there was a massive shoal and a fisherman caught them just by throwing a net.  At Various points of the Islands are old forts which wer used by the US Navy to protect this area during the Civil War in the 1860s.  Fort Pickens was also used to hold Apache prisoners 1886-88 - one of whom was Geronimo.




Sanderling with a small
Portugese Man of War Jellyfish

We had a camp site by the river and Paul caught a Red Fish which we had for breakfast one morning.  We saw and heard a pair of Great Horned Owls one night.  As well as alligators there are bobcats and coyote on the island and also a cougar but we never saw any of the larger mammals only the sea birds.   

Pair of Horned Owls at Sunset

We chatted to a number of park residents who are ‘volunteers’ at the state park in exchange for living there without paying ground rent – a lovely place to spend the winter.

 

 

East to Mississippi and Alabama

2 – 4 Dec – Back over the Mississippi

We travel back along the I10 back over the Mississippi and into the state of Mississippi.  We stayed at Davis Bayou State Park in Ocean Springs again.  We stayed here six weeks ago for a night and liked it enough to come back again for two nights.  The birds that we heard and saw in October are not so numerous – I guess they were migrating their way south and have carried on their journey.

 

We saw the resident alligator one evening – he was at least 8ft and came right up under the observation deck we stood on.  We could see the tracks were he crosses the road between ‘ponds’.  We meet Charles, a retired school teacher, and chat and share a beer for a couple of hours.

 

 

We are now staying at the State Park at Gulf Shores in Alabama.

Atchafalaya, Louisiana

27 Nov – 1 Dec  Into Louisiana Again



Back in Louisiana we stay mid-way between Breaux Bridge and St Martinville at the campsite called Catfish Heaven – Paul did some fishing and we had catfish for dinner one evening.  Around the campsite lake we watched a one-winged cormorant catching fish as well as the vultures eating any left-overs.




We had an interesting visit to Avery Island – the home of Tabasco Sauce.  The factory is still on the original spot from when the sauce was first commercialised in 1868. We had a free tour and had tasters of practically all their products including the Jalapeno flavoured ice-cream and Tabasco Soda drink.  We learnt the peppers are fermented for 3 years in old Jack Daniels barrels – no wonder Paul liked the taste!
Underneath the Island is a column of Rock Salt, which was the first to be mined in the USA in the 1860s. They use the salt to form acrust on the barrels whilst fermenting to stop any bacteria getting in.

 

We drove through Lafayette and visited Abbeville but were too late for their Giant Omelette Festival which was in early November.  We went to Breaux Bridge – the Crawfish Capital of the world! – and we ate some crawfish.  We met another couple, who are travelling too, and arranged to go on a swamp boat tour of the Atchafalaya Swamp.  We were out for 3 hours and saw many birds – Great White Egret, Blue Heron, Cormorants, Grebe, Hawks, ducks, swallows and even a fleeting glimpse of a Kingfisher. 

 

 

 

We saw the sun go down over Lake Martin on Saturday evening and watched Ibis flying in to roost.

23 – 26 Nov Big Thicket Preserve

Big Thicket and Village Creek

 

Many shops were shut on Thanks Giving Day, but a bit like Xmas in UK the day afterwards is the Sales rush which they called Black Friday – Black because it is putting the shops accounts into the black.  However we pack up and move on.

We were doubly glad that we decided to stay on in New Braunfels another couple of days when we heard the news of a fatal accident, on the I10 near Beaumont, on the Thursday which involved 150 cars and trucks. The I10 is the route out of Texas into Louisiana.

However on the Friday we travel up to Big Thicket Preserve staying at Village Creek State Park, just north of Beaumont.  We have some lovely weather and the park is very peaceful.  This area is part of the Texas Paddling Trail and we had thought to rent a canoe and spend an afternoon paddling down the river but Texas has very low water levels and the Village Creek river is really too low and neither of us fancy tackling the logs and sand bars that we can see.  Texas has had two very dry years and an agreement has been signed with Mexico to buy water from them.

Walking around the State Park we saw a little Opossum.  He was busy cleaning himself and quite oblivious to us approaching until we were within about 6 ft.  Then he looked at us, finished cleaning himself  and then ambled off into the bushes with his pink rat-like tail.  



Hornet's Nest

About 500 yds later we walked around a bush and there, within a few feet, was a hawk eating his latest catch – a snake.  He was so busy enjoying his meal that we stood for nearly a minute watching him before he became aware of us and flew off.  Of course all this happens when you don’t have the camera on you …!! 

When we walked back that way 40 minutes later the snake remains had gone so we guessed the hawk came back for the rest of his dinner.

 

However we did have the camera with us when we spotted a hornet's nest up in the trees.

19 – 22 Nov Thanks Giving Celebrations

After such an exciting weekend we took it easy for the next few days.  We went to see the new James Bond film ‘Skyfall’ on the Monday and then Louise flew back to North Carolina on the Tuesday.

We were due to leave New Braunfels on the Wednesday but as Thursday was Thanks Giving Day we decided to stay at this site and join in with their Thanks Giving dinner (for 70 people).  Alison helped with the table lay out and decorations, and Paul helped carve the turkey and hams.  We had a very enjoyable meal with lots of food and friendly chat.  All of Alison’s home-made Lime Cheesecake soon went!

This is the longest we have been at a camp site – two weeks.  Lots of things to see and do and Alison enjoyed the company of the other ladies at aqua aerobics and playing cards.  We may come back but for now we have decided to retrace our steps along the south coast and head to north Florida to get our US Driver’s licences.  We have obtained a Florida address via the Good Sam club and a US licence should substantially reduce our insurance premiums.  This will also make North Carolina a little easier to drive to for when we spend Xmas with Louise. 

 

USA F1 Grand Prix

16 – 18 Nov Formula 1 Grand Prix – Circuit of The Americas (COTA)

Day 1 (Friday)

Up early for a 50 mile journey to the circuit.  This would be the first time that we have seen the brand new track which is purpose-made for F1 since the last race in USA in 2007.  It runs anti-clockwise for 3.4 miles with 20 turns and the whole area covers over 1100 acres.

Today would be practice day for all taking part. First up was the F1 cars for their first and second session, the noise was so loud that we could not hear the commentary.  The Historic Grand Prix cars were next followed by the Ferrari 458 Italia’s (31 racing cars at a cost of over $300.000 each).  Then came the Porsche 996/997 GT3 cars.

 

Day 2 (Saturday)

The Qualifying session for the Ferrari’s.  Third practice session for the F1 cars, then qualifying for the Historic GP cars.Then at 12 pm what we had all be waiting for “F1 qualifying”.

In the afternoon came the first of the Ferrari Challenge races, in spite of the cost of these cars they were most definitely racing, just like very expensive bumper cars at a fair ground.  The GT3 cars did their last qualifying session and then the Historic F1s had an 11 lap race.

Day 3 (Race day)
Another early start so that we would not get caught in too much traffic.
First up was the GT3s for their 10 lap race followed by the second race for the Ferrari’s.
The Drivers Parade consisted of them being driven round the course in convertiable cars, some from the 50s.  

Just before 1pm the ear defenders went on and the race was on.  Just under 2 hours of fantastic racing.  As most people have probably seen the race by now, I will leave it at that – good result for the Brits, and we waved our Union Jack for Lewis Hamilton at the end.  Role on next year!

 

 

 

We were very impressed with the COTA track.  Some of the area still needed landscaping but they had done a good job at getting it ready for the event.  We used the shuttle buses between the car park and the venue and had sunshine all weekend.  The staff were always smiling and the rest of the crowd were friendly – there were many from Mexico there and the Ferrari Team was well supported.

On the Friday evening we went into Downtown Austin to see what was going on.  Austin is known as the Live-Music Capital of Texas and there was all sorts of entertainment going on.  We also caught the end of a stage interview with Jenson Button.

12 – 14 November Visits to Dentist and Missions

 Monday Paul spent 4 hours at the dentist!  The work done was worth it and he won’t be eating any more Snickers bars straight out of the fridge again!

Tuesday the temperature had dropped to just above 60 degrees - and then it rained. 

We visited a couple of the Missions in San Antonio.  Originally built in the 18^th century by Franciscan Monks they became communities where local Indians were educated and taught skills and were safe from attacks from other tribes. 

It all reminded us a bit of the film The Magnificent Seven.

 

Wednesday Louise flew in to Austin with the Formula One Grand Prix tickets.  Yippee!

 

 

9 - 11 November. New Braunfels Texas.

We booked the RV in for an oil change and spent some time visiting a small town called Gruene.  A strange little town that used to be a bit of a 'ghost town' and they have revitalised into a visitors area with original shops. 

At our camp site we were invited to spend the evening with a Group of other RV’ers who were at the staying for the weekend.  We learnt how to play “Train” (an interpretation of dominoes).  We also joined them for breakfast the next morning.

 New Braunfels was settled by immigrants from Germany in the 19^th Century.  We arrived in time for their “Wurstfest” which was a bit like an “Oktoberfest” but in November.  We spent most of Saturday there – German beer and German sausages and several ‘Oompah’ bands – great fun! Paul doesn’t remember too much about the journey home.

 Sunday we made use of the camp facilities of the swimming pool and hot tub.  We then joined the San Antonio Hash for an afternoon trail.  The weather was a little cooler – top 70s instead of mid-80s.

6 – 8 November Saw Palmettos and Vultures

Our next stop was a camp site in Lulling, just off the I10.  Oil was discovered in this area in the mid-1920s and there are still some ‘active’ oil wells within the city limits.  We looked around their Oil Museum and saw some of the Pump Jacks which they have decorated with wooden figures to make them look more attractive. 

We visited another state park called Palmetto.   Here they have a large area of Saw Palmetto plants.  It was supposed to be a swamp area as the plants like heat, wet and humidity, but because Texas hasn’t had any rain for a while the swamp was very dry.

One thing there was a lot of was Black Vultures.  We counted at least 60.  We were very surprised to see them all taking a bath in the river, very funny to watch.

We stayed at Lulling for three nights just to rest and go fishing.   

5th Nov “Houston, we’ve had a problem here …….”

Everyone we spoke to said “Houston has traffic” and they were right.  Fortunately we didn’t have too much of a problem but we had to drive through the centre of Houston, on the interstate, between 15.45 and 17.15 hrs and hence we came across “The Traffic”!

 

We had set off in the morning over to Galveston by the ferry and on to the Space Centre at Houston.  We spent most of the day learning about the Space Centre, in the company of about 100 Japanese tourists (who just kept on talking through all the guides’ commentary).  We took the tour bus and sat in on a couple of Live Lectures and learnt that everything is recycled in space, including wee.  The Space Centre was particularly geared up to educate children (boring for adults) we thought the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida was much more interesting.

 

After leaving Houston we set off for our overnight stay in a state park (Stephen F Austin) a journey of about 60 miles.

As it was getting dark we heard a commotion in the trees behind us, we found out in the morning that we had parked next to the trees that the Turkey Vultures roosted in. There were also deer that wandered around the site.

 

Galveston and The Lone Star Motor bike Rally

1 – 4 Nov

All I knew of Galveston was from the song by Glen Campbell back in the 70s.  It is a sea-side resort on an island just south of Houston.  The ferry over from Bolivar peninsular to Galveston is free – courtesy of the Texas Transportation Dept.  We see dolphins everywhere – not to mention motor bikes!

 

There are thousands of bikers – they estimate up to 400,000 people come here for the rally.  The bikes are terrific – mostly Harley Davidsons.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  The atmosphere is great; tattoos and black leather everywhere (and that’s just the ladies!); live rock music all day.  Few wear helmets – just jeans, T-shirts and headscarves.  These are not boy racers – they are just cruisin’, many with the ladies as pillion.    Three-wheeler motor-trikes are also common.

Whilst in Galveston we also visited the Ocean Star, an off-shore drilling rig which has been turned into a museum about the oil industry.  The oil industry must be one of the biggest employers in this area.  We had passed 'nodding donkeys' on the drive down and can see oil rigs from the shore where we are camped.

 On our drive home we came across six or seven racoons who were fairly tame and came up to us when we stopped and got out of the car. 

The Lone Star State

29 – 31 Oct

We arrive in Texas, the Lone Star State!  The temperature has warmed up again and is around 80 degrees.  We stay a couple of nights in a campsite in Beaumont where breakfast is included in the site fee!  We chat to a neighbour who recommends visiting Bolivar Peninsular; so the next day we set off for the Gulf coast.



The peninsular was flattened by hurricane Ike in 2008 so many of the houses are new, having been rebuilt – all on stilts. 










This is also where migrating birds pass on their way south for the winter.  There are brown pelicans everywhere as they are the ‘locals’ and there are also large white pelicans, who are ‘visitors’ as they are on their way south. 

 There are blackbirds everywhere too – skinnier than the UK ones, with long tails and a very distinctive whistle and call.

 

We learn that there is to be one of the biggest gatherings of motorbikes this weekend at The Lone Star Motorbike Rally in Galveston.

 

New Orleans - without Mardi Gras

26 – 28 Oct

We spent all three days going into the French Quarter of New Orleans.  It’s all happening there; street artists, musicians, entertainers.  You can wear almost whatever you want – although the pregnant, bearded nun with a beer in his hand looked a bit odd-one-out!  We ate Beignet, gumbo, muffletta and even alligator sausage; Alison drank Hurricane cocktails.  We saw Mardi Gras costumes in a museum but none on the streets, although there was a Halloween parade one evening.  We were treated to creole jazz music (sung in French).  We learnt about damage caused from hurricanes Betsy, Katrina and Rita.  On the route in and out of town we could see some buildings still bearing signs from Katrina. 

We had a swamp boat tour and saw many alligators, ranging from 3’ to 5’. We learnt how the wetlands on the south coast are disappearing and how they can help reduce flood and hurricane damage.

The RV site next to the marina is also a place where many people were mooring their boats/yachts for the weekend.  There was entertainment in the bar every evening, many wore fancy dress.

Friday night the wind picked up and the RV was buffeted all night.  Saturday morning there was a twenty-five degree drop from the previous day’s temperature.  Although there was sunshine we wore jumpers and coats for the rest of the weekend. It had nothing to do with hurricane Sandy on the east coast; just a cold front coming through.

Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana

23 – 25 Oct 

We stayed an extra night in Georgia and then set off for Alabama on the I-85.  We spent the first night dry camping at Walmart in Montgomery, the state capital.  It is summer again – it is sunny and hot!  We have also gained an hour as we have crossed into the ‘Central Time’ zone.

Wednesday morning we stopped off to see Joyce and Rick, who we had met in Georgia.  Their ‘southern hospitality’ was wonderful.  We planned to ‘pop in for a coffee’ but were treated to lunch of Brunswick Stew and Joyce’s homemade chocolate pudding – it was delicious.

The landscape changes and becomes much flatter as we travel past Mobile on the I-65 and then onto the I-10 and into Mississippi.  We travel over some impressive roads which take us over the watery marshes.

We stayed overnight in our first public campground at Davis Bayou National Seashore Park at Ocean Springs in Mississippi.  The site is in a salt marsh.  We went round the park in the evening and were treated to seeing fish jumping 2 or 3 feet out of the water catching flies – but no ‘gators.  We were woken to the most varied Dawn Chorus I’ve heard since we got to USA with at least a dozen or more different bird calls (although not quite as tuneful as the British blackbird).

 We continued our way towards New Orleans along Route 90 which followed the coast.  Many of the houses on the coast line are raised on stilts.  There were also several plots of land for sale; some looked like there used to be a house there with stone steps leading to nowhere.  We assume the house was blown away by hurricane Katrina (?).  We went through Biloxi with their casinos and bright lights. 

 

 

 

There were miles of white sandy beaches with only one or two people around.

 

We arrived in New Orleans, Louisiana, where it is HOT!  I went swimming whilst Paul caught dinner with his fishing rod.  We are camping right on the edge of Lake Pontchartrain (the lake that flooded during Katrina) and next to ‘Trinity’ one of the biggest specialist yacht builders in USA. 

 

Georgia

17 – 21 Oct
Springer Mountain, Gold Rush and Apple Festivals

We travelled from Tennessee into Georgia to a camp site near Dahlonega.  On our first day here Paul went fishing and caught many small fish but only one worthy of a meal (for one).  So we put it in the fridge for another day.

We met some friendly folk from Alabama, Joyce and her family.  We experienced their “Southern Hospitality” and shared their BBQ, and company around their camp fire every evening.  They taught us some American words and we now know what a ‘Rutabaga’ is.  Rick kindly gave us one of the walking sticks he creates from tree branches he finds. 

On the Friday we set off to climb Springer Mountain – the southern end of the Appalachian Trail.  Unlike Katahdin, at the northern end, this was soooo much easier.  We drove up a dirt track for just over 10 miles.  The walk to the summit was only 1 mile with a 400ft climb!  Easy peasy!  ‘Rick’s stick’ was given it’s first outing.

As we still had most of the day left we went onto Amicalola Falls State Park.  It is a small stream but water falls over 700 feet down a series of rapids and rocks.  There are 604 steps which follow the water fall and of course, if you walk down them, you have to walk back up!

Dahlonega, GA, is the site of one of the first “Gold Rush” in 1829, and where the phrase “Thar’s gold in them thar hills” emanated.  This weekend happened to be their ‘Gold Rush Festival’ which we enjoyed on the Saturday and watched the town Parade from the balcony of the Gold Museum, an excellent front row view!

A little further up the road is the town of Ellijay and they were holding the Georgia ‘Apple Festival’ this weekend.  So Sunday we went along to that.

At the festivals we tried some American food – Corn Dogs, Blossom Onion and fried apple pie. Bring back “Fish & Chips” says Paul!

We are now off south again to New Orleans, travelling over 3 days with a couple of dry camps on the way.

 

 

Gatlinburg and Great Smoky Mountains, TN

13 – 16 Oct

We enjoyed the Great Smokies so much we decided to move over to the Tennessee side of the mountains.  We spent Saturday evening in Gatlinburg which was where the rest of the population was!  We have never seen so many cars in USA going nowhere – it was one big traffic jam for the 5 hours we were there.

 

 

 

 

We drove around Roaring Fork Drive – a 7 mile one-way loop taking in scenery and we walked up a trail to Grotto Falls.  We saw a couple of Salamander; one was very small and orange; the other a bit larger and dark.

There were a lot of old log cabins that have been renovated. The one below is an old grist mill.

 

 

 

 

We drove up to Cades Cove to see more wildlife.  It was one big traffic queue around an 11 mile loop!  The trees are looking gorgeous; yellows, orange, gold with splashes of brilliant red.  We saw some deer but there are really far too many people here this week.  We will be moving on again.

 

 

Asheville and Great Smoky Mountains, NC

9 – 12 Oct 

We visited the town of Cherokee.  The town and surrounding reservation belongs to the Eastern Cherokee nation and is on the south-eastern edge of the Great Smoky Mountains.  It had numerous souvenir shops, and casinos etc.  The Museum of the Cherokee Indian was very informative and at the Oconaluftee Indian Village Museum local people talk about the Cherokee’s ancient way of life.  Some of the local crafts sold here are made the traditional way; which is labour intensive and unfortunately puts items well out of a reasonable price range! $400 for a shopping basket.

We drove some of the Blue Ridge Parkway and were treated to lovely views of the mountains and the various autumnal colours of the trees.  We drove most of the BRP during our visit in 2003 so this section means we have completed some more.

 

 

We visited Clingman’s Dome – the highest point on the Appalachian Trail at 6643ft.  Normally you can see for 100 miles from here; but cloud came down and reduced visibility to about 100 inches! Yes that is Alison standing in the foreground.

 

 

 

We were treated to seeing some Elk near the side of the road; a herd of about 10 females and two stags.  One stag was strutting around looking very important for the cameras and even had a wallow in his mud hole marking his territory.

 

 

 

 

We went into Asheville and opened a US Bank Account. We needed to get across the road to another point, about 100 yds further up on the other side.  We thought we would be very British and walk.  , The Republican Candidate, Mit Romney, was visiting Asheville that day and the Interstate was closed for his cavalcade and traffic diverted.  There was no pavement, no pedestrian crossing and the traffic was continuous across all four lanes.  We stood at the side of the road for a few minutes and had to give up and ‘take the car’ 100 yds to the other side of the road!