3 stops on the road to New Orleans

From New Braunfels, our convoy of eight Alpines heading to New Orleans set off under gloomy, sprinkly skies after saying our last goodbyes to everyone. It was also breezy and 30 degrees colder that day! Although it had been muggy and quite hot, we probably enjoyed the best of the weather during our stay in New Braunfels.

The 552-mile trip to New Orleans would take three stops. The Pecks had organized the New Orleans trip and RV parks for overnight stops, and graciously welcomed us as late tag-alongs after we first heard about the plans for New Orleans a month ago. 

The first overnight stop was 166 miles away at Katy Lake RV Resort in Katy, Texas, just west of Houston.  

the view ahead of us along Route 10 east-bound

We pulled in to Katy mid-afternoon and set up as usual. The Pecks, Giddens, Mazzoccos, Fred Masino and Marilyn Fogel, the Weinheimers, McClures, and Eggs were already there. Perhaps because of the cooler weather and the wind, no one stirred outside and we all spent a quiet evening in our own homes. I suspect that after the intense socializing and gadding about, we were all quite content to hibernate and relax for the first time in over two weeks. 

The next leg was to Beaumont, Texas, 102 miles further east along Route 10. We passed several convoys of trucks transporting wind turbine blades down the highway. Since turbines have three blades, the trucks came in threes, so by the third attempt, I was able to take a photo of the entire expanse. Those blades are enormous. 

We passed Houston with its maze of interchanges and skyscrapers.

With numerous interchanges and exits along some parts, I was glad that the roads were well marked so that we knew exactly which lane to follow.

Thumbs up to the Texans for making it simpler for those of us passing through. 

We passed a Chevron Phillips refinery. It was huge, stretching for a couple of miles on either side of the highway. The oil business is alive and booming here.

We crossed inlets and rivers feeding into the Gulf of Mexico, and saw Baytown in the distance with its port and tankers.

The landscape to the horizon is flat and marshy. The roadways are mostly elevated.

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Approaching Beaumont, the terrain changed and trees appeared.


We arrived at Gulf Coast RV Resort just after noon, and because all eight coaches pulled in at around the same time, we created quite a traffic jam lining up into the road to check in. 
The office had lots of tourist information about the area including a brochure for Big Thicket National Preserve. We set up and had a quick lunch outside in welcome sunshine, then headed off to explore Big Thicket.

This was yet another interesting discovery. We learned about the varied ecosystems in this area of southeast Texas which are totally opposite to bone dry and arid southwest Texas. So each corner of the state has extremes in climate, topography and vegetation.
We stopped at the Visitor Center and spent some time reading the excellent displays (unfortunately we were unable to view the short video because of technical difficulties). Big Thicket once sprawled across 3.5 million acres. Today, the preserve protects 108,208 acres in 15 remnant sections that encompass nine different habitats, including hardwood forest, coastal plain, swamp, desert and prairie. This UNESCO biosphere reserve offers 40 miles of hiking trails, backcountry camping, canoeing and fishing on the Neches River or Village Creek. With only a couple of hours to explore, we merely saw a glimpse of this vast and varied biological preserve that encompasses nine land and six water units. The ranger recommended two short hikes. The first was a short drive away to the Turkey Creek Unit. 
I bought my patch, took a photo of the hexie quilt on display in the log cabin visitor center, and off we went in search of swamps, tupelo trees, cypresses, and carnivorous plants.

 a short 2.5-mile drive to the Kirby Nature Trail, lined with loblolly pines

We hiked along the Kirby Nature Trail. It felt like we had entered a secret world hidden from view. The trail led us to a cypress slough. The short stumps or "knees" surrounding these tall trees are what keep them upright in the muddy soil. They also carry oxygen to their submerged roots.

bald cypresses can grow to heights of 130 feet and live more than a thousand years

Part of the path meandered through a slope forest. The fallen dry leaves crackled as we walked along.

We found tupelo trees, with their thick-buttressed trunks. 

swamp tupelo, also called swamp gum, can
grow as high as 100 feet

Our next stop was at the Hickory Creek Unit in search of the carnivorous pitcher plant along the Sundew Trail. Of the five species of carnivorous plants in the US, four grow right here in Big Thicket.  The most well-known Venus Flytrap does not, however, grow here and is native only to the Carolinas.  
The wet soil here is low in nutrients so these plants supplement their diet by capturing insects and digesting them.

pitcher plant bog

the elegant pitcher plant, lid wide open, enticing insects

There is lots more to explore and learn about but we will need to return. For today, the sun was setting and we had a half hour drive back to the RV park.

Gulf Coast RV Resort is a great find, conveniently located right off I-10, and accepts Passport America, making it a good deal. The pads are wide and level and the best part is the free breakfast which we all took advantage of before setting out on the road to our third stop. The breakfast was a feast offering cold and hot cereals, muffins and bagels, pastries, eggs, and Texas-shaped waffles.

We were back on I-10 soon after 9 for the 143 mile trek to Abbeville, Louisiana.
Within a few miles, we crossed the Sabine River and entered Louisiana. 

Our path took us through pretty, luxurious scenery with lots of water. 

 

We crossed Moss Lake and passed Lake Charles (the city), and at Jennings turned on to route 26 which led us to route 14. This final stretch of the road is possibly the worst we have yet traveled, along a truckers county back road, that rattled and shook us to the point that I began wondering if any of my many fillings was jiggling loose. This stretch certainly tested the stability of all the furnishings! Thankfully everything aboard remained intact. 
We entered a region of sugar cane plantations. At first I thought I was looking at corn fields but it was mile after mile of cane fields. We saw first-hand why Louisiana's main crop is sugar cane. It is everywhere!




We spent two nights at a lovely city park, Abbeville RV Park, which is very quiet and located in a pretty setting. The drive into the RV park was through a mile of forested land. The Figges joined us in Abbeville, so we now had nine in our group continuing on to the final destination in New Orleans.



Some of the group went off as soon as they set up. The rest of us were happy to hang about in this nice campground and reserve our energy for a full day tomorrow. Carol had arranged a Cajun cuisine tour for the morning, after which several of us decided we would explore a nature preserve at Lake Martin in the afternoon. But first, this evening we all gathered for dinner at a local haunt to enjoy oysters and other seafood. 

shrimp, crab cakes, and yam fries