Estero Llasno Grande State Park and Santa Anna Natl. Wildlife Refuge

Jan. 16, 2020

We were taking a southerly track in Texas to visit friends volunteering at Estero Llasno Grande State Park (link), Steve and Laura.  Making it a sextet, we were also joined by two more friends we met volunteering in Oregon, Wil and Kevin.

Estero doesn't have a campground so we stayed at Snow to Sun RV resort, just 4 miles north of the park.

Estero is known for it's birding.

Can you find the Common  Pauraque? (link)

In the US, the Common Pauraque is only found in extreme southern Texas.

Santa Ana Natl. Wildlife Refuge. (link)

 

About 15 miles away, we took a day trip to visit Santa Ana NWR.

Altamira Oriole.

Looking across the Rio Grande at Mexico.

The 3 Amegos... Joan, Wil and Laura.

Suspension bridge and an even taller observation tower gives you a "bird's eye view" of the refuge and it's feathered friends.

The Rio Grande valley was once a vast flood plane with lush forests.

We enjoyed our time visiting friends and seeing a very different part of the country.   But now it was time to continue the journey. 

Coming next, The Way West.

Traveling the Gulf Coast

Jan 2020

The first stop after leaving Florida was Gulf Islands Natl. Seashore.  We stayed here 3 years ago and spent an hour or so in the concrete block mens room waiting out a tornado warning (link, dated 4/28).  This time we were hunkered down waiting for somemore bad weather to pass.

White Oak Parish Park, Lake Charles LA (link).

This is one of the most well manicured county (Parish in Lousiana)  parks we'd seen.  It would rival any high end resort.  They have an excellant online reservation system that we used to pick our spot while traveling I-10, about an hour up the road.  The sites are all long, level concrete pads.  All this for $12 a night!  There are 5 of these Parish parks around Lake Charles, each having something different to offer. Next time we pass this way we'll be sure to check out one of the others.

We arrived to some locals having a Sunday afternoon street party and they invited us to join.

Joan playing a variation of Corn Hole where large steel washers replace the bean bags.

Unfortunately the rest of our time here was off-and-on rain.

White Oak park is on the west fork of the Calcasieu river.

Sampling some local Cajun cuisine. 

Calhoun's RV Retreat 

After traveling through The Belly of the Beast (Houston TX)  on a drizzly foggy day, we stopped at this little Passport America park (link).  Nothing special here, just a small river side campground near Tivoli TX. 

Arriving on a drizzly foggy  afternoon.

Guadalupe River

Here's an overview of the locations in this post, and the next.

Coming next, Estero Llasno Grande State Park and Santa Anna Natl. Wildlife Refuge.