March 11: Sulphur, Louisiana

We made it to Louisiana today. We wanted to stay a short time in this state so we could add another state to our map. We'll see Lake Charles and visit a couple of casinos (read buffet's) and then start heading north.

Meanwhile, the few days we had left in Livingston were well spent. The pollen from the pines is awesome. You can see the pollen on the car. Even the cobwebs had a hint of green to them. Clouds of pale green pollen could be seen drifting past the camper like smoke. On Monday we went geo caching in the





Escapee Park. There were two and we found one. You can see the Care Center in the background. Not great odds for us but it was a good walk.





We drove over to the state park and went for a hike. Hiked back to Duck Pond - no ducks - and Frog Pond - one frog. It was suppose to be about a mile round trip - but the map wasn't real detailed and I think we ended up walking about 1/2 mile more. There are fallen trees everywhere. Signs of Hurricane Ike are all around: in mounds of tree chips and many fresh tree stubs. The paths were cleared but I don't think I would have taken off across the woods to an adjoining path - too many trees down.

Yesterday, we went on the Welcome Tour of Escapees. We visited the mail service - the largest independent mail service in the country. Ate chicken sandwiches for lunch at the club house and donated blood at the Care Center. Bingo was last night and once again we didn't win anything.

Our new campground is just west of Lake Charles. The Wi-Fi is free for 8 hours - after that there is a fee. So my computer will be up all evening for Skype visits and to check e-mails. We'll also be checking out places to see and things to do while we're in south Louisiana. We're suppose to get rain for the next three days and I hate to complain because I know they really need it - especially Texas. I hope they get 3 days of rain - it's badly needed down here.



This part of the world (including Livingston, TX) bounds with blooming bushes and trees. The Bradford Pears are almost past the peak of their blooms and the red buds are trying to stick out to show off their color of pale violet between towering pine trees. The Azaleas are wonderful splashes of pinks and whites everywhere you look. It's like they're bursting out of the ground. The fruit trees are all blooming too. Many other bushes are blooming in beautiful shades of pinks and reds that I don't have a clue what they are. The Iris are also in full bloom. The ones we saw at the visitors center were about 4' high. I've never seen Iris that big--and they were bright sun shiny yellow. The Daffodils are fading in their blooms too.

We plan to leave here Sunday morning and drift northward. Hopefully I'll find another Wi-Fi spot so I can update all of you.