Creole Nature Trail - (Lake Charles, LA)

Before we got started this morning, there was a young buck standing by our firepit in the dark.  He was beautiful, and I had to try to get a picture even if wasn't a great one.  :)

He left briefly, but came back for the photo when a doe walked through our site.

Well that was a nice little start to our day of nature.  :)

The plan today was to drive a good portion of the Creole Nature Trail - a 180-mile journey through "Louisiana's Outback".

We're sort of between prime birding seasons, and we weren't sure about how much effect Hurricane Rita would have on the trip, but it was a little adventure we just had to try.

We drove from Sulphur through the town of Hackberry where we made our first stop at the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge.  Much of the refuge is closed, but we found a couple of places to check out.

We started with the Blue Goose Trail.  It's just a short, paved trail through a marshy grassland.

We got a couple hundred feet in and then hustled back to the Jeep.  Had to get lathered up in a little Deet.  :)

We didn't see much on that little walk.  But we enjoyed the antics of this crab-catching Willet.

Next we parked at what looked to be a very popular fishing bridge.

We hung out for just a bit and pestered this guy who very willingly answered our many questions about the bait they were using and what they were trying to catch.  :)

While there, I got some shots of this Snowy Egret.

Next stop, the Wetland Walkway.

That's where we saw our first Louisiana alligator.

It was a little one and there wasn't much more to see there, so we moved on.  We kept driving south to Holly Beach where we turned west and drove along the Gulf coast toward the Texas state line.

We didn't drive all the way or stop at any of the beaches.  But we did make a quick stop at the Peveto Woods Sanctuary - a coastal bird and butterfly sanctuary.

The sanctuary is still open, but the improvements were wiped out during Rita (photos at the link above).  The trails were a bit overgrown and we weren't prepared for bush-whacking, so we didn't even get out.

We re-traced through Holly Beach to Cameron, the parish seat of Cameron Parish.  There we had to take a short ferry ride over the Calcasieu ship channel.

It was in Cameron where we started to see how important RVs have been to the area over the last few years.  It seems several people have them adjacent to their homes for quick hurricane escapes.

It is clear that many are living in RVs while re-building their homes.  Some are living in them on top of the old concrete foundations where houses used to be, and some are living in them while running their businesses.  Construction workers are living in them while they re-build schools and other public buildings.

From Cameron, we drove to the town of Creole.  We timed that well as our sole purpose was to visit Sha Sha's for lunch.

We had a couple of personal recommendations, and this little restaurant (which has survived three major hurricanes) is listed as a place to stop on the Louisiana Seafood Sensation Culinary Trail.

Now, I was expecting something a little more run down, something a little more rustic.  But it was nicely decorated with a huge wide-screen TV over the bar.  I was almost disappointed and my expectations of the food dropped a bit.

We both ordered the fried shrimp platter.

Now, it's been a long, long time since I've had any decent fried shrimp.  But these succulent, fresh shrimp restored my faith in just how good they can be.  Delicious!

We topped that off by splitting a wonderful Bananas Foster Cheesecake with caramel sauce.  Yum.  :)

From Creole, we drove south through Oak Grove and east through Grand Chenier to the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge, a state-run wildlife refuge.

We drove through the refuge and took the only road we saw off of the main highway.  That turned out to be a short road, but a good birding area.

Here is another Snowy Egret.  

And a Great Egret.

The lighting wasn't perfect, but I can never resist getting shots of Roseate Spoonbills.  :)

There were also Forster Terns, Caspian Terns, and Black Skimmers - a new bird for us.

The Black Skimmers are in the foreground.  They have lower mandibles which are longer than the uppers. 

American Avocets are handsome wading birds.

Linda got a great shot of another Willet.

After we left the Rockefeller Refuge and headed back west, we stopped near a roadside pond.  It was loaded with alligators.

There was a Tri-colored Heron in front of this one.

From there we headed back toward Lake Charles.  On the way, we made a stop to do the Pintail Drive at the Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge.

We started off seeing the usual egrets and herons and finally got a good look at a Double-Crested Cormorant.

Then, we found a gator right beside the road.  That made it pretty easy to get a good shot.  :)

Not close enough for you?  How about this one?  :)

As we continued on around the nature drive, Linda spotted an even bigger speciman on the other side of a canal.

Couldn't get quite as close to that one - not that we wanted to.  :)

Well, that just about wrapped up our day-long drive.  We made one more stop at the Southwest Louisiana National Wildlife Refuge Complex headquarters.

They have a very nice visitors center and even have a little animatronics deal to tell about the marshes and Cajun country.

We arrived about fifteen minutes before closing time, so we didn't stay long after watching the show.

We ran out of time before visiting one last wildlife refuge on the Creole Nature Trail.  Maybe we will visit the Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge another day.

We drove a couple hundred miles in all and had an excellent day of nature.  I only wish we would've taken a cooler and picked up some fresh shrimp.  It was quite abundant and is sounding pretty good right now.  :)

No plans for tomorrow, so we'll just have to see what unfolds.  :)

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Comments

[klueck]

Nice photographs. It sounds like you had a great day. Exploring new areas is always fun.

[Phyllis and Leonard]

We've walked that Sabine Nature Trail and never saw a gator. In fact this Jersey Girl has been married to Leonard for 21 year. We travel to that area no less that twice a year. I have yet to see a gator in the wild!

When we settle down from RVing the plan is to move to that area. A few years back while on the Creole Trail I told Len I would not mind living in Cameron (he was born there). He said I really would not want to do that. Only months later Rita came through. We were down there in February and again in June this year. Driving through HOlly Beach and Cameron I now see why.

Len's Mom still lives in Vinton, three brothers in Sulphur. His other 5 siblings in Vinton or Orange.

BTW, outside of Sulphur there is a building built on many acres that sits back off the road surrounded by water. It is a for sure real castle. Ask anyone for directions to the castle. It was build and owned by Len's oousin Dwayne. Stop on in. Tell him you heard about his castle from his cousin Leonard in New Jersey.

Enjoy!

[Jerry and Suzy LeRoy]

We saw much of that same area in 2003. That's where we got our first look at (and lots of pictures of) a flock of roseate spoonbills. They are unique creatures!

If you like gators and birds, especially egrets, visit the home of Tabasco Sauce, Avery Island. They have an egret nursery, as well as some very interesting scenery and gardens. They even have a huge ancient Chinese buddha statue in a glassed-in temple!

[Randy and Pam]

Looks like some great places to visit. Thanks for the info and great pictures!

[Rich O]

Based on what you've eaten the past couple of days, I'm guessing tomorrow's journal entry should be something about exercise ;)

[David Sussman]

It looked like the gator on the side of the road was smiling for you.Little known fact, that gators love to be scratched under their chin.LOL Coming from south Florida I've seen enough gators and crocs to last a lifetime.Even a picture of them still scares me.But,thanks for taking me to louisiana today.You guys always make it fun.If you can find it try fried gator tail.Be safe and I'll be tuned in for the next episode.

[Harris]

Hi Howard and Linda,

Another great place to eat is a place in Abbeville, LA...called Shucks...great seafood of all kinds...

New Iberia has a lot of sight-seeing to enjoy...Avery Island is a must and the Tobasco factory...there is also a very beautiful plantation home in New Iberia....only one I have ever seen with period clothing intact.

In Lafayette there is a community built showing the life of the people who settled that area...very interesting...

Ken and I spent 4 months in New Iberia during fall of 2003...We very much enjoyed our visit there...the sugar cane harvest is also extremely interesting...that whole area is packed with wonderful (crowd free) activities...

Glad you are getting to enjoy some of it...

Blessings,
Fran and Ken

[Janeen Ryan]

Until now I have wanted to follow after you and Linda on every trip, walk, and paddle canoe trek you've taken. I can honestly say I'll skip the 'gators! WOW! Fantastic pics guys!! Howard, you amaze me with your knowledge of wildlife. Great job!