Well the last format was no easier on the eyes than the first one so I’ll try a third today. 

Saturday we revisited the birding spots in High Island. We thought it was crowded on Friday. There were at least double the crowds on Saturday. The term “throngs” as in ”throngs of birders sneaking through the underbrush seeking the illusive double breasted thick knees” comes to mind.

A few birders at the Boy Scout Sanctuary, High Island

The First Methodist Church in High Island has posted signs everywhere to attract some of the throngs of birders to their BBQ luncheon. We got our space at the trailer park partly, I think, because the fine lady at the park first asked if we were staying for the BBQ on Saturday. I guessed that the right answer was “yes”. We joined a few hundred other birders to try it out. It was actually very good. The person serving us said that this fundraiser paid for what the church owed corporate Methodist (or whatever) for the year. They sold out of everything on Saturday.

At the BBQ we sat next to some folks from College Station, Texas, who ended up being professors of reproductive biology Texas A&M. One specialized in sea urchins and the other in horses. It ends up that the sea urchin is more sexually active. Who’d think it?

Saturday afternoon we drove out Bolivar Peninsula towards Galveston just to see say we had done it. This stretch of the gulf has hosted many hurricanes. There are lots of homes just destroyed and walked away from. The homes there are built on stilts so tidal surges wash under them. Some of the stilt homes are nearly mansions.

Colorful homes on stilts.

At 11:36 AM, Sunday, April 21, 2013 we drove out of the near endless state of Texas. We are now truly in the eastern US. We have pulled the trailer over 2,000 miles since leaving home. 

It’s not that Texas was bad. Not all of it. Parts of Texas were spectacular and we had a great time crossing the state. It’s just that it kept on going and going and going. So when, at 11:36 AM, Sunday, April 21, 2013 we entered Louisiana there was a feeling of relief. Texas was past!! 

The gulf coast of Louisiana is different from what I expected. The image I had was of swamps with cypress tree forests. It might have been like that once but now it is lots of cleared agricultural fields. And there is lots of water. It is pretty country to drive through.

This is a little pond near our camp site at Palmetto State Park.
This is really a nice park.

At this moment we are in the Palmetto State Park near Abeville, LA. Tonight we will descend on an eatery in Abeville to sample real cajun food.

Court House in Abeville.