Month: February 2017

Buccaneer SP, Waveland, MS

I drove to Gulfport, MS, to have the oil and transmission changed. It was terribly foggy and there was one pile up in each direction as I made the 35 mile journey. As a result, I was late getting to the shop; it was the worst example of a service department I have ever seen! But, I got the work done and got out of there, picking up RV parts, groceries, and lunch on the way home.

It was a treat to be able to see; the fog had lifted. US highway 90 runs between the spotless white sand beach and the continuous live oaks for about 20 miles until the elegant Bay St. Louis bridge. At which point, it becomes a four lane undivided highway full of the commercial establishments we know so well. Many strip malls and stand alone buildings were vacant; I suspect a lingering effect of Katrina as well as the 2008 downturn.

Returning “home”, I got out on my bike for a fun ride down wind along the coast and a taxing return trip. I need some wind to challenge me; there are no real hills here. Penny was painting again and seems to be nearing a completed mural! (Closing in on it anyway; no pressure!)

Buccaneer SP, Waveband, MS

Thunder storms are predicted for mid day, including a tornado warning, so we decided to get our bike ride before breakfast. As we returned to the park, a Bald Eagle dove right in front of us to touch the water and fly off down the coast. What a treat!

It did rain torrentially all afternoon with gusty winds. We were able to leave the awning out though because of the tree cover here and the direction of the wind. This was good time to catch up on writing and phone calls, as well as searching for campgrounds down the road; there are some favorites from last year we want to see again. The storms moved on about dinnertime and all was well. The restrooms here are rebuilt to withstand  another Katrina, so we had a safe place to go had a tornado shown up.

Persistently looking for campgrounds on our path to Penny’s Dad’s birthday party, we were able to reserve Davis Bayou, also in Mississippi, but a National facility where we stayed last year. We got three days in one campsite and two in another. Next was Ft. Pickens, another national facility; this one on a barrier island near Pensacola. FL. Two nights each in two different sites is what came up. That gets us booked until Sunday night, the 26th of Feb. St. George Island SP is our dream spot, but it is booked solid! It is just outside Apalachicola, FL., on a barrier island. I am just going to keep checking; maybe someone will cancel their reservation.

Down here our national parks nightly fee is $11/night water and electric. State parks are about $25 for the same utilities. So, you can see our expenses for campsites have dropped significantly.

Buccaneer SP, Waveland, MS            Ground  Zero for Hurricane Katrina

Here we are at Buccaneer SP for 8 days of rest and relaxation. Bike riding is great here; it’s flat! But, the wind does blow. Today, I got 9 miles in; the aches and pains of beginning again are gone. And, my lungs are getting stronger.

Penny is doing some painting on the trailer; it is really becoming transformed with the detail to the landscape in the foreground. She is amazing! Other campers stop to talk about her work and compliment her. Rain is forecast for tomorrow, so she is hoping for good weather the rest of the week to continue the work.

She is just as creative in the kitchen, making a meat pie from scratch. So delicious and enough to eat off of for a couple of days!

Buccaneer State Park, Waveband, MS, 306 mile jump

We slept well; the town was quiet. I attended 7AM Mass while Penny wrote letters. I was glad she did not attend with me. There was no singing and the sermon was monotone.

Saying good bye to Texas, we entered Louisiana and stopped at a welcome center where we learned about the Atchafalaya National Heritage Area (ANHA), “home to the nation’s largest river swamp. One of only a handful of actively growing river deltas in the world, the area runs about 150 miles north to south, and its width varies along the course of the Atchafalaya River. The ANHA contains a complex ecosystem that houses more than 85 species of fish and 270 species of birds, from songbirds to waterfowl.”*

Atchafalaya: it starts like a sneeze, ends like jambalaya: “uh-CHA-fuh-LIE-uh”!

The Mississippi River flows parallel to the Atchafalaya about 30 miles to the east and flows through the ANHA for about 40 miles as the crow flies, but meanders for many miles to traverse that 40. It amazed us that the Interstate between Lafayette and Baton Rouge is suspended over this swampland, another marvel of human engineering and technological power. America is great! There is lots of room for improvement, but much effort has been expended to protect our “places where natural, cultural and historical resources combine to form a cohesive, nationally important landscape.”*

A few miles down the road, we came to Hammond, Louisiana, where we completed the figure 8 we have drawn on the map of the USA over the last two years! An amazing accomplishment, our hearts filled with gratitude for all the grace bestowed on the road of exploration. Leaving Grand Rapids, Michigan, in October 2015, traveling south along the Mississippi River and stopping in Hammond for lunch on our way to our current campground, Buccaneer State Park. From there we moved east along the Gulf Coast of Florida, falling in love with Live Oaks and seabirds. Then up the East coast, marveling at the Blue Ridge Mountains and Smithsonian Museums. Then back to Grand Rapids completing one half of the 8. If you’ve been keeping up with this blog, you’d know the story of the second half! Otherwise, use your imagination! Hint: it’s a lazy 8.

Anyway, here we are at Buccaneer SP for 8 days of rest and relaxation. Bike riding is great here; it’s flat! But, the wind does blow. Today, I got 9 miles in; the aches and pains of beginning again are gone. And, my lungs are getting stronger.
*ANHA Pamphlet

St. Anne’s Catholic Church, Beaumont, Texas, 340 mile jump

It was a long waltz across the remainder of Texas northeast to Houston where the Super Bowl will be played tomorrow. We had veered about 200 miles off a direct course towards Florida, but the time in Padre Island was serene and restful, just what we needed! Houston was a maze, switching from one interstate to another several times before finding I-10, our route east through Louisiana. Once again, we marveled at the state of the infrastructure. Massive pillars holding up ramps connecting one freeway to another in a spaghetti junction of highways. Again, the roadbeds, landscaping, and artistic murals, fencing and landscaping were very impressive.

We planned to sleep free tonight; I had been thinking that a church parking lot would be more restful than a Walmart or Cracker Barrel. So, after grocery shopping in Beaumont, Tx., we found St. Anne’s Church. It had a school and other buildings creating a campus like atmosphere. We parked in the center of this complex and felt comfortable and safe.

We listened to the Zags win their 25th straight game; they are now number one in the nation!

Padre Island NS

The highlight was Acoustic Cafe with breakfast and the visit by the window repairman to mend two rock chips in the Ram’s windshield. Otherwise, we stayed inside out of the wind and read/napped/read/repeat.

Padre Island NS

Penny and I rode together this morning the same 9 miles I rode yesterday, plus a side trip to investigate the boat launch. The winds were blowing, but just getting started. It was a more enjoyable ride on a number of levels.

Settling into our lawn chairs for a day of reading, the elderly man next to us was working on his motor coach. It seemed the fresh water tank was leaking. Penny commented that he wasn’t cursing or seeming upset at all. It turns out he didn’t want to ask for help. He walked over to say he used to be able to fix anything, but had a stroke which incapacitated his left arm. He said he was apologizing in advance since he was about to start cursing. I told him what Penny had just said and that I was more than willing to help him. He turned and went back to work, too proud to ask for help. After a few minutes, I approached him to offer help.

He had just paid $1900 to have the problem fixed at at RV place 50 miles away. I helped him change the plumbing to isolate the leak while preserving the water in the other fresh water tank so his wife could have her shower. He strongly reminded me of my dad; his face, bushy eyebrows, glasses, hands, and bandaged arms due to his thin skin and blood thinners. He was a German from Argentina who had settled in Phoenix thirty years ago. Godspeed, Fred!

After lunch and a nap, we went to see the Visitor’s Center and walk the beach. Just then, a marine layer of fog moved in obstructing the sun and cooling the air. We cut our beach walking short and headed back to the truck. From that point on, the weather turned from short sleeves to sweatshirts and long pants. This was not intolerable, but a change that required a change in attitude. It was still 40F warmer than Spokane or Grand Rapids!

Padre Island National Seashore            Happy birthday, Casey!

Up to watch the sunrise before 7, we found the interior temperature of 62F and exterior of 59F. We walked down the beach where we obtained a phone signal with which we hoped to call Casey, my daughter, for her birthday. No luck with a call, so we sang and recorded the “Happy Birthday” song via text; that worked!

Penny went for a morning bike ride, once again showing her superior intelligence. I waited until the early afternoon when the wind was blowing 20MPH and gusting well beyond that. But, I did get nine miles in, half of which were way more fun than the other half!

The remainder of the day was sun bathing, reading, and wading in the shallow waters of the Laguna Madre.