Louisiana road trip

Since it’s the weekend, and no work will be done on the rig, I decided a road trip was in order for Emma and me.  Once the sun melted the frost on the windshield (I no long own a scraper:)), we headed out for Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge that is located between Lafayette and Baton Rouge, LA.  I stopped at two different Visitor’s Centers along the way, and I must say that Louisiana visitor’s centers are exceptional.  They have movies, displays, and many knowledgeable folks manning the desks to answer questions.  I was really impressed.  At my second VC, I got the directions to find the refuge. 

 

Perhaps many of you have driven I-10 between Lafayette and Baton Rouge, but this was my first experience of the, I think, 18 mile long bridge through the swamps.  Wow!  I wish I could have stopped to admire the views, but there aren’t any pull offs.  Anyway, I then took LA 975 for 17 miles down a gravel road.  On my left was a levy, and on my right was woods.  I never saw a sign for the refuge, and being winter there really wasn’t anything worth photographing.  I guess this is one of those refuges that few people other than hunters visit.  Bummer.

As we headed back towards the rig, I made a detour through Breaux Bridge and decided to visit Lake Martin.  One of the folks at the second visitor’s center said you could drive completely around the lake and see some swamp area close up.  Turns out you can’t drive all the way around Lake Martin, but I did come upon a Nature Conservancy preserve.

There was an inviting boardwalk through the cypress swamp, so off we went.

The sun was behind us, so it provided some nice reflections in the bright, sunny, but chilly afternoon.

In the spring and summer, Cypress Island Preserve has many alligators that can be observed from this boardwalk. 

We didn’t see any, but Emma was certainly trying to find something interesting.  I’m going to have to look at the weather forecast because I’m thinking I’d like to take a swamp tour, maybe on Monday.  I’m fascinated by these cypress swamps.  I imagine they will just be teaming with life in a couple of months.

 

Tomorrow, I suppose I should do the Tabasco factory tour since I’m in the area.  I also plan to do some grocery shopping to plump up the empty shelves in the new fridge.  :)  Emma will have to stay home and hold down the fort!

 

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

Reefer update…part two

Bright and early this morning, Cory, was back to do the prep work for the installation of the new fridge.  The first thing he did was notice how I had covered up the vent with plastic wrap and the thick towel.  I think he was impressed, as he didn’t think it was going to get so cold last night.  He also began to refer to me as MacGyver.  That made me think of Dennis and Donna at CAVE DWELLINGS, and Donna’s comment about being vertically challenged.  It’s funny, but I have always thought of Donna as being rather tall and statuesque!  Just from reading her blog and seeing some pictures, I figured she was about 5’9”.  I don’t consider that short.  I’m probably around 5’2” these days (you do shrink with age:)), so this surprised me.  Anyway, I digress…

After doing all sorts of measuring, Cory built this flooring platform for the new fridge, and found a way to run an electrical line to my inverter in the subfloor.  I’m not very good with technical jargon, so I hope you’ll give me some leeway with my descriptions tonight as I try to answer several of the questions that readers asked in last night’s comments.  That took almost all day to accomplish.  Cory is obviously one of those people that has an eye for detail as he even painted the front of the fridge flooring black to be more aesthetically pleasing once the fridge was moved in. 

Just before 4:00, the move began.  It took three men to hoist it up into position.  That’s the owner, Billy Thibodeaux, in the back with his son, Cory, in the middle, and cousin Colby in front.  I told you this business was a family affair.  :)

Cory hopped outside to do the plug in and make some final adjustments as it was pushed into place.  There were a few slight glitches, but in the end Cory’s knowledge and perfectionism ruled…

and this was the result.  The fridge is installed, and I still have my pots and pans drawer underneath!  Yes, it is frost free (hooray!!).  It is connected to my inverter, so I can run it off of battery power.  It also weighs far less than the Norcold reefer, and I’ve been told has better insulation.  The temperature remains at a constant 38* in the frig portion and –2* in the freezer.  If I was a big fan of ice cream, I’m thinking it would be rock hard!  It has 17.8 cubic feet of space, and, most importantly for me, won’t ignite and burn the rig down.  That’s the plus things about it.

 

Now, after having it in place for a whole three hours, here are minus things for me so far.  Considering my height, or lack there of, I probably should have eliminated the pots and pans drawer and had it dropped lower.  The top of the freezer comes to about 4” above my waist, so the top shelves of the fridge will remain a challenge.  Since it is just me, I always keep my bread in the fridge to prolong it’s life.  Bread will now occupy the top shelf along with seldom used items!

In my almost five years on the road, I can count on one hand the number of times that I’ve had the former reefer on gas, so that was not a big loss for me.  Having the fridge, an electric space heater, and the TV turned on last night at the same time did not trip the breaker for the inverter, so Cory assures me that this shouldn’t be a problem if I don’t have electric hookups.  I just don’t know how long the batteries would last.  I’m sure not long were I to use all these items.  My alternatives would be to run the generator or eliminate the TV and heater.  I’m used to that.  My last rig didn’t even have an inverter, so since I don’t boondock very much, I think this will not be a problem for me.   Also, in all my travels before I went fulltime and since, I have never traveled with the fridge on while I’m moving down the road.  It’s just not something I do.  The doors remain closed, and the unit remains cold.  I think this has covered about all of the inquiries except one…

e…Donna asked if I had a designated wine chilling drawer.  Well, no, Donna, but if you look closely you will see a bottle of Bailey’s Irish Cream lying on it’s side.  Does that count?  I suppose I could use one of those empty vegetable bins for that purpose.  :)

 

When Billy, the owner, came in to help with the final push into place, he said that he was working on an estimate for someone that had read my blog and wanted a frig installed.  Can you believe that?  Well, I immediately said that since I had written the post I should receive a  10% advertising discount!  Cory then piped in and said, “Hmm… I think it’s going to take me 10% longer to finish this job!”  Ha Ha!  I think I like this business!

 

Well, if you’ve made it all the way through this post you have a lot of patience…sorry it’s so long.  The guys filled my fresh water tank today because it’s supposed to get down into the 20’s tonight, so I guess I’d better go out and disconnect the water hose.

 

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

Please let me sit and play…

Before you make me Etouffee!   Crawfish Etouffee is very popular in this neck of the woods.  I’m not crazy about it, but JB had left me a comment about Suire’s Grocery Store and Restaurant, so I decided to head there today for lunch.

What an interesting place this is!  Half of the building is a small grocery store, and the other half houses the eating place.  The menu items for this Cajun cooking restaurant can be found painted on the outside of the building along with caricatures of alligators and turtles.  The grocery side sells popular local items like Cajun pickled quail eggs.  Each of the tables on the eatery side has a checkers board on it.  I ordered my first shrimp Poboy, and sat at a table to wait for my name to be called.  For a place out in the middle of nowhere, you wouldn’t believe how busy it was.  Many working men, clad in rubber boots and covered with mud, either ate inside or just stopped by to pick up their lunch to go.  Today’s special was shrimp etouffee.  It must be good because it was selling like hot cakes!

 

It may have been unusual for a solo “northern” female to stop in for lunch because the lady taking the orders immediately wanted to know about me.  I told her that my friends, John and Brenda, had recommended this place to me as they had been here while they were traveling.  Her response to me was, “Are you one of those RV people?  I just recently heard about people living in their RVs and traveling around the country.  Do you do this alone?”  I told her I traveled with my dog.  :)  She was a little surprised.  The Poboy was excellent, and I enjoyed my lunch stop.

Before I got to Suire’s for lunch, I stopped in the town of Rayne, the Frog Capitol of the World!  I didn’t see any frogs; must be the wrong season, but I did see all the murals with a frog theme painted on the buildings.  The one pictured here is on the police station.  I also stopped to see St. Joseph’s Catholic Church and Cemetery.  As you may know, people are buried above ground in this area of Louisiana.  You can click to enlarge to read the plaque about the skinless frog.

After lunch, I continued down the scenic byway I was driving down.  I can’t say that this scenic byway can compare with the byways of Idaho, but I have to remember that there aren’t any mountains in Louisiana.  :)  I did find a couple of roseate spoonbills and black-necked stilts feeding along the bayous.

This bird used to be called the Louisiana heron; how appropriate!  However, the powers that be in the bird world have decided that it should now be called the tri-colored heron.  Since I’m finally in Louisiana, I’m going to defy convention and call it a Louisiana heron while I’m in this state.  Just call me a wild and crazy gal!  :)

In my travels today, I drove past many flooded fields.  I had a real debate with myself whether these were rice fields or crawfish ponds.  When I got back to the repair place, I asked Helen Thibodaux about them.  She told me they are both.  During the growing season, they are planted with rice.  Then in the winter, they are used to raise crawfish.  Aha!  It made me feel good to have figured out both uses.  I just didn’t know the same fields were used both ways.

                                                                    THE END!!   

 

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

Moving on down the road

It rained all day yesterday, and I wasn’t about to take down the DISH in the deluge or do the other outside chores.  So, I left an hour later than planned this morning, but I was on the road by 10:00.  After 13 miles, I turned east on I-10, and for the first time in my life traveled into Louisiana. 
Just a couple of miles after crossing the state line, I pulled into the first Rest Area.
What a nice rest area it was!  It’s located on the shores of a lake.  There is a boardwalk that is closed at the moment, but what a pleasant walk it would be when you have the need to stretch your legs on your journey.  This section was still open, so Emma and I walked around before and after lunch.
The trails are paved and all the picnic tables are under roofs.  It’s one of the best rest areas I’ve ever seen.  :)
Many of the trees were fairly dripping with moss.  I used to know the official name of that moss, but I just can’t seem to get it out of my aging memory banks tonight.  I suppose I’ll wake up at 3:00 in the morning with the answer to that.  :)  After spending three months in a marsh in Texas, this will be the memory I think of first of Louisiana… moss in America’s Wetland State.
After another 100 miles, I arrived at the repair shop outside of Scott, Louisiana.  They will be taking care of a Workhorse recall that I was informed about, amongst other things.  They had previously asked for the rig’s VIN# so they could check on other recalls for me, and sure enough, there was another one.  It has something to do with the clutch and a water pump, but they already sent for the parts for the repair.  I’m just wondering if this is related to my water pump going out near Boise, Idaho, last October?  I had to be towed about 100 miles then, and the replacement of the water pump was covered, mostly, by my extended warranty.  Hmmm.  I never did get a notification of that recall.
After I unhooked the toad, one of the techs maneuvered the rig into this spot by the office.  I’ve got full hookups, so this will be my home through the duration of the recall work and replacement of the frig.  Because it was late afternoon before I was set up, no work was done today.  The owner did come in to measure the space for the new frig, though.

I’m thinking Emma and I will be doing some sightseeing once they pull the rig into the shop tomorrow.  In the meantime, we are in a gated community for the night.  The owner said he wouldn’t turn on the laser tonight so I can take Emma out without setting off all kinds of alarms.  :)

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

An Anahuac Avian Adios!

Alliteration, don’t you just love it?  I was off to the VIS this morning under cloudy, windy skies.  There were not many people visiting the refuge today, and my sales for the day amounted to exactly zero!  That’s the first time I’ve been skunked here.  At least I didn’t have any interruptions as I entered the data into a spreadsheet for all the bird surveys I’ve done.  :)  That took me about four hours to accomplish.

The territory of this mockingbird surrounds the VIS, so this afternoon I decided to try to get his picture.  His feathers are a little rumpled due to the wind, but he remains vigilant in defending his territory.  Soon, he’ll start singing 101 different songs to attract a mate.

After work, I decided to take one last drive on the roads at this end of the refuge.  I guess I startled this family of blue winged teals. (click to enlarge)

There was also a brown pelican fishing Oyster bayou.  That doesn’t happen that often this far up the bayou.

A crested caracara took flight as I approached.  He is one of nature’s garbage men.  If an animal dies, he and the vultures clean up the remains.  I think he’s a little more stylish looking than the vultures.

 

As I drove the road towards Frozen Point, I stopped to enjoy this snowy egret procuring his evening meal.

Good things come to those who wait!  Mmmm…fresh fish!

 

Adios amigos, and thanks for giving me such a wonderful display for the last three months! 

 

I probably won’t post tomorrow night, as I’ll be getting all those last things done after working at the VIS.  Guess you’ll hear from me again once I get to Louisiana.  That’s a new state for me.  I’m looking forward to trying a shrimp Po-boy.  :)

 

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

Plans shaping up for the fall/winter

Yesterday was pretty much a catch up day...recuperate from the busy week and all the driving, and prepare for today at the visitor's center. Being at the visitors' center today was a real bust. I was in there for ten hours, and not one person came in. That makes for a long day. Once again, I put a movie into the projector, watched "Radio" without any interruptions, and played a lot of solitaire and Flip Words.

I have been working on where I'll be going in the fall, and many possibilities have passed through my mind. I have committed to return to Balcones Canyonlands NWR in the middle of February (can't beat mainly doing bird stuff), and campground hosting at Rice Lake from Sept. 1-19, but had the time in between open. I've been talking to Cibola NWR in AZ, but they're not sure there is an opening available. So, when I was visiting Robyn, I made reservations at Indiana Dunes State Park for the week of Sept. 21-27. I'll be meeting my new fourth grandchild that week. Then I thought I might go to the Gypsy Journal Rally in Celine, OH. I haven't signed up for that yet, but I probably will. Then I got a Workamper News email, and there was a volunteer position at a Corps of Engineer Park in Louisiana that sounded interesting. I talked to them today, and have committed to be there from Oct. 15 until the end of the year.

I also got a call, yesterday, from Stephanie Martinez, the volunteer coordinator at Anahuac NWR in Texas. Anahuac, and it's buildings and equipment, was pretty much destroyed by hurricane Ike. Stephanie is trying to rebuild the education program and was looking for a little input from me. I volunteered there in the spring of '06 and '07. There's the possibility that I could help her out for about six weeks after I finish in Louisiana. We'll see what happens.

Lot's of possibilities and new experiences ahead..........

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