February into March 2023

Cancelling our February AIRbnb reservation left us with an open six-week stretch on our calendar. We had scheduled a Care-A-Vanner commitment in Florida for the last two weeks of March, but we needed a travel plan to bridge the time between then and now.

We chose a route out to Rockport, Texas, and a return one that would bring us back to the New Orleans area for Mardi Gras on February 21st, and our Florida commitment in March.

Our last blog post ended at Galveston. From there, we traveled to Goose Island State Park in Rockport. We’d been to this park before – memorably during the Texas deep freeze a few years ago. This time around, the weather was perfect.

We rode bikes, did a little hiking, explored Rockport, and enjoyed being back in the land of HEB supermarkets (the best!).

An unexpected treat was an early Mardi Gras celebration. The community of Lamar, which is just a stone’s throw from the state park, holds its “Lamardi Gras” every year on the weekend before traditional Mardi Gras. We saw posters around town and decided to check it out. The parade was scheduled to begin at 10am, to be followed by a big community party near the firehall.

A small town celebration is often more fun than a big city blow-out. Everyone gets a chance to participate and the kids all have a blast. It may be on a smaller scale, but it’s got all the elements of a parade: marching bands, folks in crazy costumes, representatives of local government and Miss Lamardi Gras riding in convertibles, majorettes and dancers, jazzed up collector’s cars, beads and trinkets tossed to the crowd, and lots of firetrucks (After all, it is a benefit for the fire department.)

Later in the day, we rode our bikes over to the community party. What a surprise! The main building was set up for a silent auction and casino – which was slated to run until 11pm, and was already seeing significant action. Another tent housed local craft vendors.

The big top tent had a great live band, food and refreshments. The band was playing Guy Clark tunes and the beer was cold. What’s not to like?

Lots of folks in costumes and everyone was having fun. Maybe this event needs to go on our yearly calendar?

Brazos Bend State Park

Heading east again, we veered away from the Gulf to stay at Brazos Bend State Park in Needville, TX. This was another unexpected surprise. Right from the get-go, it’s clear this park is one for birders and nature lovers. Near the entrance station, we came across a group of birders watching a nesting Great Horned Owl and her partner in a neighboring tree.

The campground area is several miles further along into the park. It’s a beautiful area. The campsites are spacious, clean and quiet. We rode our bikes on some of the many trails along the lakes. We saw turtles, alligators, and many different types of birds.

Space Center Houston

On Valentine’s Day, we awoke to drizzly skies and decided a day trip was in order. We decided to visit the Space Center Houston and it was an excellent experience.

The museum showcases the history of NASA and the space race. For us, a big highlight was being able to climb the tower and enter both the Shuttle Independence and the 747 it “piggybacked” on to be transported. The story of John Kiker and his fellow engineers who dreamed up and perfected the design for transporting the shuttle in this way is amazing.

There are also fascinating interpretive displays about the future of long distance space travel and how to live in space for extended periods (think Mars and years…). Although I don’t think I’d be able to live on a space station or on another planet, it’s mindboggling to imagine all that goes into preparing for that. Scientists and astronauts could spend their whole career focused on a single aspect of that.

An excellent documentary to watch is Good Night Oppy. We watched it right before this visit and thought it was eye-opening and heart-felt.

Back to Back Harvest Host Breweries

For an overnight, as we passed through Lake Charles, LA, we stopped at Crying Eagle Brewery.

Even though this was just off the highway, we had a quiet parking spot behind the brewery.

We enjoyed pizza, salad, and a couple of beers before settling in for the night.

In New Orleans, we spent the night at Faubourg Brewery. Faubourg started out as Dixie Brewing in 1907. It survived Prohibition by selling “near beer,” which has less than .05% alcohol. Hurricane Katrina wiped out the original brewery. The brewery survived by contracting out production while it regrouped. Fast forward 12 years, and the owners of the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans, Tom and Gayle Benson, bought a majority stake in the company, with the goal of bringing back production, jobs, and business to the community.

The facility you see here opened in 2019. It’s pretty impressive. Lots of indoor and outdoor venue space.

There were at least eight other Harvest Host rigs in the lot on the weeknight that we were there. The brewery has big plans for events, festivals, and promotions.

We were lucky to hit here for Thursday Happy Hour when chargrilled oysters are $1 each.

Mardi Gras

We spent the rest of Mardi Gras week at Fontainebleu State Park near Mandeville, LA. Mandeville is on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain. New Orleans is on the south side, about 25 miles away. This is also a familiar park to us. We love staying here and enjoying the local scene. The food is terrific – lots of fresh Gulf shrimp and crawfish for cooking – and the Tammany Trace is a favorite biking path.

On February 21st, Mardi Gras, we went to Covington to see their parade. Wow. The town was packed. We had to park on the outskirts of town and walk in. It seems there must be a lot of folks who would prefer a town parade to the idea of going into downtown New Orleans these days. Covington is safer and more family-oriented. And it’s free to park. (We paid $36 to park the last time we went to the French Quarter. Kind of steep…)

Also, because NOLA is so crowded, they don’t allow ladders, umbrellas, tables, or other tripping hazards. Here you can see that the little kids are often seated in boxes fastened to the tops of ladders. They can see better from up there, and they usually catch more beads, too.

Bayou Camping: Ocean Springs and Gautier, MS

We continued east, stopping for a few days at Davis Bayou Campground, in Ocean Springs. This is part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. We’ve stayed here before. It’s an easy bike ride to town for dining, eclectic shopping, and the artsy vibe of the town.

This time, we visited the Walter Anderson Museum, which is great. Anderson’s story is layered, winding, and a little sad. He was an eccentric who struggled and wasn’t well-understood during his lifetime. The museum is one you’d have to visit several times to absorb all that’s there. Well worth visiting.

We also spent a few nights at Shepard State Park in Gautier, MS. This small, quiet campground on the Bayou is a perfect place to unwind. We walked the new boardwalk trail out over the Salt Marsh. Salt marshes are tidal. When the tide is in, most of the grasses disappear; when the tide is out, the marsh reappears. This landscape protects the coast, providing valuable wildlife habitat and buffering interior land from storms. Half of the US salt marsh is on the Gulf Coast.

Back in Florida – at home at Fort Pickens campground

Fort Pickens is also part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. We’ve stayed here a number of times. And although it isn’t fancy, we just love the location. It feels like home. It sits at the end of Santa Rosa Island, a little spit of land separating the Gulf of Mexico from Pensacola Bay. From the Ranger station near Pensacola Beach, it’s another 5.6 miles to the campground area. As you drive the curving road, you can glimpse the Bay and the ocean – almost close enough to touch. As a result, the road floods frequently. Luckily, not during this visit.

We enjoy walks on the sugar white sand and bike rides out to the Fort. We never seem to run out of things to do here, and the time goes too quickly. Pensacola is nearby for shopping and farmer’s markets.

So, we successfully filled that newly opened space on our calendar. Now, it’s on to some time in Florida, and then more 2023 adventures! Cheers!