Saturday was a beautiful day, some clouds, some
sun, a good day to get out and explore. The campground was overfull with
families gathering for Easter, egg hunts, games, music, lots of kids on bikes.
So another reason to get out on the road.
The Creole Nature Trail a.k.a. Louisiana's Outback is a scenic drive through the very southwest Louisiana. It was nice and peaceful, we left the bayous and swamps and headed south - not much traffic at
all, long stretches of open road, gulf beaches, grasslands, canals.
Sabine National Wildlife Refuge - walkways into the grasslands, gators, birds. We met some nice folks that told us you used to see gators all along this canal until they turned it into a refuge, now you might see one or two.
We passed by this pull off and had to turn around after seeing the pink birds, thought they were flamingoes, then maybe thought they were pelicans because of the beaks, but after an internet search for 'pink pelican' discovered they are spoonbill roseates.
Way down past the bayous and rice fields and sugarcane and grasslands we found the Gulf Coast, lots of seashells by the seashore.
The Creole Nature Trail was described as an 180 mile scenic drive, at the end of the day our odometer said 240. The description also said to fill up with gas before starting out, which we did along with packing a lunch.
We crossed several shipping channels going between the gulf and inland, some with drawbridges, some with very high bridges for ships to pass under, and one with a ferry. We sat and waited on the ferry, first in line, eating our PBJs. A great day exploring the diverse countryside.
