Gulf Islands National Seashore

The sun was shining this morning, so we took advantage of that fact and headed out for Gulf Islands National Seashore.  I don’t know the reason, but it turned out the Visitor’s Center will not be open until at least March 8.  As we drove around the park, there wasn’t much evidence that this was a seashore.  :(  We did find a  person playing his bagpipes at the boat launch into the bay, but that was about it for shoreline.  Don’t know why he was there alone playing his heart out, but it gave the hike we ended up taking a rather eerie backdrop.

We parked in the large picnic area and headed out on foot to take the Davis Bayou Trail.  The trail meandered through another coastal woodland.

There were some rest stops along the way, but this one was so tilted it didn’t look very relaxing to me.

There was a rather rickety overlook to this sea of marsh grass.  Perhaps there would have been more water in it during high tide.  It’s been over five years since hurricane Katrina, so I was surprised this trail wasn’t in better repair.  They need some RV volunteers here doing trail maintenance!  :)  Maybe next month when the Visitor’s Center opens I’ll ask about volunteer opportunities.  There’s a camp host in the campground, but I’m thinking they could use additional volunteers to help out with things. 

I came across this huge magnolia tree along the trail with very thick vines entwining it’s trunk.  I’m going to have to figure out when the magnolias come into bloom here.  I imagine that it will be just gorgeous, and fragrant.  I need something this spring to rival the blue bonnets of the Texas Hill Country. :)

On the way back to the car, we came upon this ‘gator’ pond.  It was a bit too chilly for alligators to be out this morning, but the winds were calm providing nice reflections.

A great blue heron seemed to be waiting for a bit warmer temperatures to actively look for lunch. 

A little further on, a brown pelican took time to pose for me.

Pretty soon, this guy/gal will be outfitted in breeding plumage, and be quite a bit more colorful.  In another six weeks or so, things will really begin to pop around here in the avian and flora world, and I’m happy I’m in a new location to enjoy the vernal awakening!

 

Emma and I headed back to the rig after our hike.  We made one more stop in Ocean Springs, MS, on our way home, but I think I’ll save that for tomorrow’s post since more rain is in the forecast for tomorrow.

 

Thanks for stopping by…. talk to you later,  Judy