Western South Louisiana and East Texas

 The last night in Louisiana

 Across to Galveston

 Pelican and Old Glory fly with us across the channel.

From the back window of the RV.  Yes, it is a bit foggy.

January 11
We left the comforts of Shepard State Park at ten in the morning.  Fortunately we waited until Friday to make the move, for the tornadoes that we were alerted to did indeed strike an area in Louisiana through which we traveled.  With the exception of a cloudburst just east of Hammond, the weather and the roads were good.  We stopped in Hammond for lunch, buffet again, protected ourselves with umbrella going in, didn't need it going back to vehicle.

Just west of Lake Charles, we took an exit with the intent of finding a campground.  There were three indicated on the exit signs.  First one?  Followed signs for about five miles, never found the place.  Returning toward the highway via another route, we came upon the second one.  Even we would not stay there, interpret that as you may.

The remaining choice was a Jellystone.  We have avoided Yogi and his "resort" parks because they tend to be pricey, and moreover the attractions are aimed at kiddies... well, you see where I'm going.  But we were tired, so we drove a couple of miles to the park and found it to be quite acceptable.  Since it is "off season" there are virtually no kids in the area, and in fact everyone seems to be pretty much what we are... old people RVing their declining  silver years away.

We encountered two young men in scuba gear as they came out of the lake and went to their vehicle  to stow their gear.  We fell into conversation with the older man, large, robust and not what I would have pictured as a professional diver, but so he was.  The other man was completing his course in preparation for a trip to Mexico later this winter.  Justin is a licensed instructor and was winding up Don's final exam.  Justin is a man of many parts, accomplished mechanic, heavy equipment operator, and business owner.  He is in his late forties, but has daughters four and eleven years of age.  Seems to have it all together, and learned that family relationships are more important than certain other things, and has thus determined to give up the excessively long hours in exchange for more time with his wife and kids.

Good for him.  We wish him well.

January 12
Departed Jellystone about 10 a.m.  Just west of Beaumont, we stopped at a gas station where I already had the nozzle in the filler pipe before I noticed that the cost was 45 cents higher than we had been noting on the highway.  That figures.  Beaumont is the place of oil discovery in Texas, and thus, I am guessing, the site of the first refinery in the state.  And still they crank it out.  So it should cost more where it is produced?  Bought only eight gallons and moved on down the road.

Lunch adventure at the same exit.  We were seated in two, count them, two different restaurants and departed both without eating.  I am not a skinflint (well, okay, maybe I am) but when lunch runs to over fifteen bucks apiece, and washing it down with water, it is high time to look for another place to eat.  So we were back on the road.  Half hour or so later, we stopped in Winnie and lunched for a more modest $6.54 apiece.  Okay, okay.  It was hamburgers.  Filled up with gas, price back to a more reasonable level.

Drove south from Winnie the length of Bolivar Peninsula and took the ferry across to Galveston.  We checked in at Dellanera RV Park, a very nice facility where the rear end of the camper is as close to the beach as it will go, and the surf-sounds will lull us to sleep tonight!

We have hooked up the facilities, JoAnn has made a foray around the park, I have typed this update, and it is not yet four in the afternoon.

10:05  Fog quite heavy, wind now from the north, about 18 -20 knots.  Looking for a cooler walk on the beach tomorrow than was the walk we had this evening.