Our Last Stop in Louisiana

Yesterday we arrived at Sam Houston Jones State Park in Lake Charles Louisiana. We will be here till Monday. If you check your Atlas, we are just North of a huge bayou area and not far from the Gulf. I was hoping to take a scenic ride on what is called the Creole Nature Trail, but some of the roads are still closed due to Hurricane Gustav.
Our campsite is in the middle of the tall trees and Den thought it may be a challenge finding our satellites, but he had no problem and we have our Direct TV AND we are online. (This isn't really "camping"..this is "RVing"). When we arrived yesterday, it was 74 degrees and we sat by our campfire until 7PM in just a sweatshirt. Not JUST a sweatshirt, mind you. For those of you who know what I wear after 4PM..YES, I did have on my "uniform", striped socks and all.Sometime I'll post a photo. Dennis grilled some great lamb chops and we had our usual wonderful dinner.
This morning, unfortunately, the weather has changed and it is only 50 degrees and dreary. We walked our 2 miles and this is a very pretty park. We are camped just across from a lagoon,aka swamp, with bald cypress trees and dripping moss...and, I am sure, some alligators.

There are also some very strange looking geese that didn't appreciate us and chased us a few feet. I put Dennis in front of me in case they were going to get more hostile, and they are pretty fast if they get upset..which they were.

After lunch, I decided to get some more fresh air with my camera, going back around the swamp. I was hoping to get some strange bird photos and I was pleasantly rewarded for venturing back out in the chilly damp air. Here a few bird photos from the swamp..(Jane Hathaway, eat your heart out! All I need is khaki shorts..)This is the Mallard I spotted with a few other ducks..

I think the next one is a Pintail...

And now for the "weird geese"... what the Hell ARE they??


I walked out onto a bridge to see what the sign said that was posted there..I should have known.."DO NOT FEED THE ALLIGATORS"..Maybe they should tell the alligators NOT TO EAT US!! It was so eerie, creepy and quiet. I found myself looking all over, in case an alligator was lying as still as a stick, somewhere on the shore.. (where I was wandering with my camera)..Did I mention that Dennis was back in the warm RV doing Sudoku?? I DID take my cell phone with me..(as if that wouldn't get eaten right along with ME!) I crept back cautiously onto the road and started going back around the swamp. I got another bonus as I looked across the swamp...I believe this is some kind of Heron...

I was almost back to the camper, when I spotted a huge woodpecker flying over me. Of course I followed, and found him in a tall tree in the swamp..I carefully walked down toward the bank and got this shot of him..we never see Woodpeckers this big at home unless it's on cartoons, and his name is Woody.

Well, my adventure for the day was over and I scooted back toward the HitchHiker and safety. Here is a shot of our location in the woods.

I probably was never even near any danger, but the swampland made me remember the movie "Creature From the Black Lagoon"..Next time I'll take my bodyguard..screw the Sudoku!! Later...