After our big thunderstorm last night we were rewarded with a beautiful sunset. There was at least 3" of standing water all around the camper. By morning it was almost gone.
We had planned on driving from Breaux Bridge, LA to the Gulf Coast and then along to Galveston. Delorme is great mapping software and we plan each day at a time so we can take advantage of local points of interest. There is always a long range goal, this time Big Bend National Park in SW Texas. After the almost obligatory stop at Walmart to get a big plastic box, we spent time sorting out clothes and packing up those way too hot to use before probably next fall. We used them at Assateaguge and Tall Pines but no need in the 85F plus heat of Texas.
Several of the small roads we had planned on taking were either nonexistent or closed. We kept seeing bare foundations with 5th wheels or travel trailers on them and imagined that Hurricane Katrina or a like storm had wiped out the houses. This is an area with mansions on gated estates to regular single wide trailers but they are all neat and clean and not cluttered like so much of the northern trailers.
The closer we got to the coast, the higher the houses are raised. Delorme was telling us we were from 3 to 10 feet above sea level. The land is totally flat and now we could see what happens when a hurricane rolls in.
Our route took us to Abbeyville via Route 82 along the Creole Nature Trail by huge rice paddies, swamps, shrimp boats and oil rigs way in the distance. This oil rig was under construction and then would be towed to sea.
I'd never seen rice paddies and they went for miles. They seem to be set up similar to cranberry fields.
After a lunch stop at the Grand Chenier boat dock and a walk along some of the Roosevelt Nature Preserve canals.
We kept going to Cameron on route 27. $1 got us a ferry ride over the inlet. Here we could finally stop and get out to the "beach" on the Gulf of Mexico. So much of it is gone with storms that the State is dumping rock barricades in hope of breaking up waves.
Finally Texas !!
On to Port Arthur which is a major refinery area with associated smells and bad air. Here we had the disappointment of the day. The plan was to go to the TX state park 20 miles further along the Gulf Coast. We found out via a tiny sign and then research on line, that the road past the park to Galveston was gone - storm damage. Reroute took us north to Beaumont and the Village Creek Texas State Park. We took this down time for cleaning chores for the camper and truck and a repack of those items that loosen up with road travel.
We've decided to skip going down to Galveston and traveling more of the Gulf Coast. Tomorrow we'll cut north of Houston towards western parts of the state.
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