Grey Saturday in Santa Fe

Last evening I had thoughts of possibly going up to Taos for the day and exploring the pueblos there and whatever else I could come upon but, the strange start to this day had me going in a different direction as I searched the web for information on a family I had met nearly 50 years ago in Albuquerque on my family's relocation trip from Denver back to Virginia (for my senior year in high school).  The family in Albuquerque was that of my mother's schoolgirl friend Angela T. Olguin and her husband Manny (Manuel).

When I originally planned my route to Colorado from San Antonio, I had thoughts of possibly passing through Albuquerque for the second time in my life to look up any remaining family members who might still be around but, something inside told me they probably were not to be found.  I already had known or heard that their beautiful daughter Alicia had passed away while she was only in her 50s -- she probably was the first soulmate I had met in my life but, I was too young and stupidly unaware of any such meeting possibly ever happening and therefore totally unprepared for what could have happened afterward.  The long distance too played with my mind too much and snail mail really didn't help at all.  Would have been much easier if emails had existed then.

Manuel P. Olguinn, LTJG

So, instead I decided to come to Santa Fe for a few nights and see what I could find -- closer to places like Taos and the mountains and the rivers coming out of Colorado.  What I did find on the internet this morning (perhaps by some spiritual direction) is that the two parents (Angela and her huband Manuel) are buried here at the Santa Fe National Cemetery on the hills overlooking Santa Fe so, I decided to pay them a visit and offer my respects.  I got lost once on the way to the cemetery on some of the winding, circular or looping roads but, saw some of the beautiful homes and condos nestled in the hillsides and ridges surrounding this beautiful city -- eventually making my back and into the cemetery where it took a couple passes and loop arounds to finally locate their gravesite on the hillside nearest a semi-circular arrangement of flags.  The groundskeepers were working on replacing the sod on the section of the hillside there and a fresh crop of grass should be in place when any of their family comes to visit most likely in May (the month they both died).

View from Manny and Angela's grave

 

San Miguel Chapel

Then I headed into the historical section of town nearby and proceeded to get lost again as I looked for the Oldest House in the USA and the San Miguel Chapel -- eventually, pulling into the Visitor Center across the street from the State Capitol building and learning both old structures were just around the corner.  A nice walk interrupted by numerous distractions and good smells from little outdoor cafes busy with the lunchtime crowds gathering.  The little shops along the way had some wonderful jewelry and some outdoor vendors were setup on one street corner near the Santa Fe River (which was smaller than Bear Creek in Denver).  The stream was being fed by runoff from the snow capped peaks of the Sangre de Cristo mountains rising from its banks -- had seen the snow earlier as I drove toward the heart of town on Cerrillos Road.

Just One of many quaint shops

The walk around the beautiful town filled my senses with all you could hope to see, starting with the State Capitol and then the quaint, truly unique southwestern style of the little buildings and shops. Oh Yes! The smells too had me checking all the menus of the little cafes I passed between the little jewelry and art stores in all directions.  Craved a slice of pizza but, held out for my first pieces of chicken from KFC -- consumed in the RV after I got back.  First chicken I have had on this journey since it started back in November (maybe my third fastfood meal).

Oldest House in USA

The Oldest House in the USA is now privately owned for the last 18 months and is open for self-guided tours (and donations towards its maintenance).  I took almost a dozen pictures of its unique interior with little fireplaces and chimneys (skipped taking a picture of the casket in the front room).

Interior of Oldest House

The Climb to 7000 feet

I purposely awoke around 2:00 a.m. from a nightmarish dream so I wouldn't have to see the actual killing/dismemberment of a man in the dream -- knew it was going to happen and how but, didn't want to fill my memory banks with the vivid images.  Am now enjoying a fresh cup of cofee and will be monitoring the chill expected to set-in here as the wee hours of the morning give way to the approaching daylight -- have my fleece handy just in case the short-sleeve shirt and jeans aren't warm enough.

As described in my post last night, besides the noticeable lack of anything in the terrain and countryside there was the constantly dropping temperature inside the cab of the RV as the climb from 3000 feet progressed -- could only sense the climb as the diesel engine at times struggled to maintain speeds above 55 and an engine operating temperature in the middle range of the gauge.  Sometimes, I just eased off the gas pedal a bit to let it cruise and keep the engine from running too warm -- didn't want a breakdown out there in the middle of nowhere.

After leaving the mesas or hills around the city of Carlsbad, I thought perhaps that I really should have stopped at that Living Desert State Park just off the 524 truck by-pass to the west of the city.  It was on the top of one small mesa -- maybe I could have learned what was really living out there in the nothingness I drove through (besides rattlesnakes and coyotes).  It is hard to imagine what it would have been like to ride a horse or horse-drawn wagon through that same area -- not a sand covered desert but, without even a tree or the view of snow-capped mountains in the distance to draw you on it must have been difficult to push onward.  Perhaps in the early days, someones detailed description conjured vivid images in peoples minds and that was enough for them and simply amazing to me.

Now we can "Google" an image and off we go but, sometimes we forget what's in between.  And don't forget about those provisions needed to cross the 200 plus miles -- breakfast first and a jug of water is all I needed -- and all but 10 gallons of the remaining diesel fuel I had put into the RV back in San Antonio.  Five hours of driving just from Carlsbad and that equates to 5 days of travel for those early folks -- add another 7 days from San Antonio and that means a couple weeks -- talk about torture.

Approaching 4:00 a.m. here and maybe just another half cup of coffee while I look out the front window -- after checking the cabin temp.  May be time for that fleece with the cup of coffee -- 65 degrees inside.

My First Sunrise here in Santa Fe

By the way, this RV park (Los Campos) looks more like a deserted drive-in movie theater (minus the big screen).  There are only about a half-dozen big rigs sprinkled around and a few other camper/trailers in this mostly empty patch of land -- mountains to the east (Sangre de Cristos, I believe) where daylight should begin to appear in a couple hours.

Thnks, Jim for the flower

Just enough daylight to make the solar-powered "Dancing Flower" to start dancing

Journey through our Wasteland

After driving around 5 hours from Carlsbad to here in Santa Fe, it is hard to find any better word to describe the land I passed through on the way here -- only the last 30 or 35 miles had some interest and appeal to it as the first signs of moving water in a stream finally appeared.  The land is so non-descript without trees and seemingly flat, dry and without interest -- no wonder they want to bury our nuclear waste some 2000 feet below the surface in some salt mines out here -- no one is around unless those aliens are still cruising around Roswell or the hills nearby.

The city of Roswell was the freshest looking and only appealling city I passed through on highway 285.  I thought for sure it would be garish and rinky-dink because of the alien connection but, only saw signs of that in two places (one in the center of town, a theater converted to an alien research center and a wester-style motel with a couple cheesy props out front -- a small flying saucer and a green alien).  The truck bypass route would have been better to take timewize but, my curiosity got the better of me and so I drove the slow route through the town -- it was the only oasis along the whole drive from Carlsbad until getting to the hills around I-40 and I-25.

Perhaps the interest in the alien phenomenom brought life to Roswell but, all the other little towns such as Artesia, Ramon, Vaughn and Encino looked totally deserted and abandoned -- maybe the people were abducted by the aliens or they gave up on the wasteland and life altogether.

The wind was really fierce today (apparently it was worse yesterday) and I had to really struggle to keep the RV on the road at times and couldn't get gutsy enough to drive the 70 mph speed limit -- even though it was mostly 4 lane divided highway until I crossed route I-40 in Clines Corner (2 lanes and 65 mph after that).  I was content to manage a little over 60 or 55 mph and even then my hands were constantly getting sweaty from fighting the buffeting winds -- more so when it was only 2 lanes.

Arrived here around 3:15 p.m. and got set-up in about a half hour after enjoying a couple cool Coors Lights and then let the twins get adjusted before heading to the nearest Walmart (3 tenths of a mile from here) where I picked up some frozen burgers and buns -- canned tuna for the twins.  Not a good view for the sunset but, will be pointing at the mountains (Sangre de Cristos) for the morning return of the sun.

Maybe a trip to Taos tomorrow after getting a pretty sunrise with a cup of coffee.

Sunset on the Pecos - Rio Grande tomorrow

One last sunset here at the edge of the Pecos River and then tomorrow night, I should be close to the shores of the Rio Grande River -- which I should follow north from Santa Fe into Colorado and the city of Alamosa come Monday morning.  Still have no reservations for an RV park in South Fork but, will make a few calls over the next few days to see what I can learn that didn't appear on the internet or satellite images -- final decision will probably be made Monday when I arrive in the town there and park the RV at the Visitor Center while I take the Jeep to 4 or 5 parks to see what might suit me (and the twins) for two and half weeks.  Final stop before heading into Denver on the 18th of May -- time for fishing and some relaxation (restock the freezer with trout, hopefully).

The sunset tonight was quite better than the past two nights as two RVs had left and none replaced them -- clouds weren't blocking the sun either.  Quite hot here again today and the wind had been gusting to 50 mph at times and I could see clouds of dust blowing from the south -- suspect the mauve color on the horizon after the sun went down was due to the dust still being blown along the hills and mesas nearby.  The coral color above the mauve made a rather pleasant banding with the light blue above it.

The RV is nearly ready for the next move but, will still need to put away a recliner and small table before we hit the road sometime between 9:00 and 10:00 a.m.  May enjoy a cool one and some music for a while this evening and see what the stars and moon have to offer as the darkness settles (and hopefully the dust does too).

White's Discovery -- Our National Park in Carlsbad

Visitor Center on the mesa

Well, it's about 27 miles out into the hills from here in the heart of the city of Carlsbad and the road is 4 lanes of divided highway which gets you there in about a half an hour -- well worth the drive through the dusty, dry desert-like countryside.   The 7 mile drive on the 2 lane road from the main highway had the leftover signs of the brush fires from last year in June but, new life seemed to be blooming from some of the cactus and other succulents.

Natural Entrance (paths added)

When the then 16 year old ranch hand discovered the caverns over 100 years ago, I hope the current drought conditions had been drastically different as he headed for what he thought was a cloud of smoke coming from one of the mesas -- turned out to be millions of bats entering/leaving the cave entrance (currently the natural entrance).  It was probably a spectacular sight then and most likely a fairly impressive sight when the current population of a half-a-million take to the air from the cave entrance (you can take the elevator down the 750 ft. instead of the 1.5 mile hike into the natural entrance but, not my choice).  It almost felt like Lombard street in San Francisco as I descended into the caverns with bats or swallows flying about  in circles -- they didn't stop for me to get a closer look (and I was glad I had my hat on too to catch any droppings -- bird or bat).

Lion's Tail Formation

My camera didn't do the caverns justice as the beauty that my eyes saw was far more impressive and worth the chilly walk down the sometimes steep walkways to the main gathering area at the base of the elevators, restrooms and restaurant.  From there I took the self-guided tour around the Big Room (approx. another 1.3 miles of trail with stainless steel handrails to help steady any weary hiker -- really needed them at times on the wet and slicker, steeper parts of the paths).

I also booked the Ranger-guided tour of the "Kings Palace" which was to depart at 1:00 p.m. so, when I arrived back at the base of the elevators from my tour of the Big Room around 11:30, I decided to take the 750 ft elevator ride back to the top to warm-up and have the lunch I packed -- a little nap in the Jeep too with the hot breezes blowing through (only a few minutes as it turned out).

The Kings Palace tour takes about an hour and a half but, well worth the time spent there and the minimal charge associated with it ($4 for us Golden Pass holders).  There is no other way to see this part of the caverns as it has been closed because it had been so heavily damaged by self-guided tourists taking parts of the Stalactites (some 10,000 or more).

Carlsbad -- not bad

After some 7 hours of driving out of the hills of San Antonio, loving the sight of the yellow and purple wildflowers along the road and fighting the fairly stiff cross-winds at times, I made it out of Texas in one day (a personal goal of mine achieved -- missed it by a few miles last year after the AC went out in my Jeep and I settled into a motel in El Paso and the nearby Texas Longhorn steakhouse for a tall, cool draft beer).  The trip from Ft. Stockton after leaving I-10 and rolling up US 285 was mostly 2 lane highway and the speed limit of 75 seemed a bt excessive for the condition of the road -- though I probably hit that a few times when passing other slower RV trailers and cars.

Hardly anything picturesque about the countryside unless you like sagebrush and cactus mingled with a number of oil rigs pumping in the middle of nowhere -- maybe the wind farms on some of the mesas in Texas would have been worthy of more close inspection but, I didn't want to unhook the Jeep and climb some of those dusty roads (probably riddled with rattlesnakes, scorpions and Gila monsters) -- like this area too.

Staying in the heart of Carlsbad on the eastern shores of the Pecos River in the dinkiest of RV parks I've been in -- only 17 spaces and I'm in one of the two pull-thrus facing the river.  Mostly dust and dirt with a number of pecan trees dotting the spaces and mine has two of the biggest and most mature so, I've gathered a small pile of the nuts on the picnic table on my site (may try cracking a few and see if they are edible (expecting they won't be anywhere as good as the ones I enjoyed from Janet and Joe's).

No real amenities with this park but, there is a Riverwalk along the Pecos River and it is dammed up as a reservoir to provide outdoor recreation for all the residents (and us visitors too).  I walked about one-third of the park this morning and saw many other people out (some with their kids in strollers) doing the same.  I've seen pictures in the RV park store of fish caught here under the nearby bridge and at various other places up and down the park -- some trout, some catfish and other big catfish too.  There are lots of grass carp too which I saw and they are being asked to be returned if caught.  It's only about 25 yards to the stairs leading down to the Riverwalk from my RV.

There's a nice recreation center just a short distance up the river on the same side as the RV park and a really nice wooden climbing structure for the small children.  Lots of concrete benches along the walkways have been donated by various people and groups -- plaques are laid in the concrete crediting their donation and by whom.

Today it was in the 90s and tomorrow is supposed to be 100 so, I will be heading for the Carlsbad Caverns to enjoy the 56 degree temps that are publicized -- take some pics of the beautiful sights too.

Into The Desert and Up Into the Mountains

Jimmy and MM (me)

Finally have that new windshield on the passenger's side of the Winnebago -- after the storms cleared here Friday afternoon, the two guys from Alamo Glass arrived and replace the piece in about 2 hours.  I decided to stay here another night to allow more curing time for the adhesive and give me some recovery time from having a little poolside cookout at my cousin Shirley's apartment building -- her friend Jim Johnston joined us with his niece Margie Jo, her daughter Stephanie and her 2 children.  Only expected 5 people so we had to cut the bacon wrapped steaks in half and share them -- plenty of potato salad, deviled eggs, and fruit salad to go around with leftovers (not the steaks though).

The visits here with cousin Shirley had been nice and only wished she could have been more physically able to move about and enjoy the time we had together -- minus the spells of pain and discomfort she experienced at various times too.

Blazing Star site 212 (mine)

The previous Saturday evening we had gathered at the nearby Longhorn Steakhouse for a really tasty meal with Tina (Shirley's daughter), her husband Marty and two of their children Katelyn and Brendan.  I had brought Shirley out to the RV park a little earlier in the evening so that she could see the set-up and meet Tiger and Molly -- not able to get her up in the RV because of the steps.  Her son Mark had helped us get her into my Jeep with her walker for the outing to the restaurant.  Mark had been here for about a month helping Shirley relocate from her previous place and he left Sunday to get back to Colorado (Salida or Buena Vista).  Below is the picture I had been waiting for showing all of us at the restaurant.



Brendon, Katelynn, me, Shirley and Tina

 Originally, when I first saw Shirley in her apartment for the first time since last year, I thought this guy was somebody just helping her out like some gal had done at her previous place off Bandera Road.  The light finally went on in my head when the name "Mark" registered and I had to ask Shirley to confirm that it was her son -- information she had not conveyed in any notes before I arrived.  Also, hadn't heard that Marty had recently had a "new" pacemaker installed a few months earlier too -- information I would liked to have known earlier or sometime over the past year (rather than getting some of the forwarded emails I had most likely discarded at various times during the months passed).

I hope my beloved cousing will listen and respond to my plea to keep me informed of the important things going on with the rest of her family and maybe get down to that nice pool and get more active.  All of the above would be nice.. and putting down some of those stories she has in her head (ones that will be important to the rest of the family as we search the family ancestry).  She has touched so many of our families over the years and has been with us all at various times we all can remember (somewhat).

I haven't focused much on the RV park here but, did take a few pics in case someone might be heading this way and looking for a nice place to stop -- close to Sea World too.

Half hour in the sun then a dip

It really is a pretty nice place and the sites are fairly well designed (though some may have a reverse slope that people should be cautious of).  The pool is really nice and the facilities are quite good and well maintained.  Too bad some of the golfers in the Valero Open didn't pull in here -- I would have enjoyed meeting some of them for sure -- between visits to my cousins place, of course.

For those future Grandmas and Grandpas, there is a nice playground -- and did I mention that Sea World is nearby??

There's also a nice sitting place adjacent to the pool for watching a beautiful sunset -- where I might head shortly.  Didn't get there and instead enjoyed sharing a bottle of wine with Debby and Tom Mnning in the site two spaces up the hill -- night before my departure from San Antonio.

Short Stop at L'Auberge -- Not a Dime Spent

Decided I should at least get dressed up at least once on this Journey and check out the interior of the fanciest casino around here so, put on those nice slacks that I haven't been able to fit into for over 5 years and waffled between the peach and plum colored shirt to go with the pants -- decided on the plum since I had purple in my velcro sandals (didn't feel like the dress shoes were fitting my mood today -- though they did fit my thinned down feet with room to spare like the slacks).  That's about as dressed up as I felt I could stand so, went over while the twins were taking one of their many naps -- hoping to avoid any thunderstorms that might be arriving this afternoon or early this evening.

As mentioned already in the title, I didn't spend a dime (only had nickels, quarters and 20 dollar bills with me but, nothing spent).  I did get a free root beer from one of the serve yourself stations.  The interior of the hotel and entrance to the casino were nicely done but, nothing too exotic or near the level of the casinos I had remembered from Vegas -- not that either had much appeal to me.  I had more interest in getting a look at the golf course and Touloulous but, only got glimpses of the Lazy River instead and the marina -- Touloulous wasn't open yet as I had already suspected.  The marina on the lake or river had no real warmth or appeal and the muddy waters only had me looking for alligators or expecting some dead catfish floating in the still waters -- no boats or yachts tied up in any of the slips.  Felt like more of a "back of the house" scene and not invitig at all.

My walk around the casino didn't impress me or give me an inviting enough feeling to even sit at one of the slot machines -- though I did sit down once to rest my legs and feet before wrapping up my tour and exiting the smoke filled or smoke tainted air of the casino.  If the Jack Daniels bar and grille had been open, I might have stopped there but, it wasn't open until 4:00 p.m.  Guess I will save my nickels and quarters for the slot machines in some of those more inviting little gambling towns in Colorado -- hope some friends and relatives will be there too to make it even more fun.

Now for another Coors Light and maybe a glass of wine since the Jeep is already hooked up and ready to roll with the Winnebago -- to San Antonio first (Blazing Star RV resort) and then maybe Pecos, Carlsbad or Roswell (as I head up the front ranges of the Rockies).

Tour du Lac - Not France'

Made another exploratory trip yesterday, this time around the southern side of the city of Lake Charles and even found an ATM to get some cash for that possible trip to the casino (L'Auberge du Lac).  The casino has a beautiful golf course and the tower I thought belonged to the casino indeed did and took a couple pics from the "self parking" lot to show.  The casino has its own exit off of I-210 and is only minutes from I-10 as well.  I continued on I-210 over its bridge with the Calcasieu River below and then onto I-10E to climb that towering bridge I had seen from the north shores of Lake Charles -- both seemed okay to me (and hopefully the Winnebago too) when it comes time to head for Texas.

After getting back to the RV in the afternoon, I discovered a crack in the passenger side of the Winnebago's windshield courtesy of a stone that hit just a half-inch into the glass (of course, if it hit an inch over it would have hit the metal divider between the two halves).  Now I have to check on getting it replaced and whether to get it done in Texas or extend my stay here in Louisiana.  Waiting for a quote from rvglasssolutions and where/when I can get it done -- obviously insurance doesn't cover this since I didn't have a collision with another vehicle (just the stone).

Had the neighboring couple (James and Liane) over last night for Bonita steaks from the grille and they brought baked potatoes and all the fixings to go with the steaks and salads I had prepared (I think I cooked the steaks a litle too long and will adjust the time when I cook the last two -- maybe in Texas).  The couple is from Leesville, LA just an hour up the road (SR171) and this was their maiden trip with their new camper/trailer -- first of many they are thinking with retirement some 7 to 8 years away.

Earlier I had watched the Masters to see Mickelson fail on his attempt for his 4th green jacket but, still pleased to see Bubba Watson come away with his first.

Lake Charles - Bayous and Casinos

Well, the stay here at Twelve Oaks RV park thus far has been like being on a "Lazy River" -- somewhat restful as I ponder the next few legs of my journey to Denver and think about doing those yearly taxes.  This park seems to be more of a place for transient workers and their families, not the usual retirement park with pool and permanent single-wide trailers parked for the "Golden Years" of their lives.  The row I'm parked in has been reserved for the weekly and nightly drop-ins on their way east or west -- the latest exit this morning was a retired state trooper from Alaska with his wife and dog (only stayed two nights and now gone heading to Texas and then to Seattle to leave their RV there before continuing in their towed vehicle to their home).


Lake Charles and "Bridge"

Seems whether you go in any direction here, you're bound to go over another bridge above the mud laddened waters of another snaking Bayou -- all at or near their yearly highs and creeping to get over their banks (if they have any).  My treks to the nearest post office in Moss Bluff to the north and then to the banks of Lake Charles to the west and southwest didn't produce any vistas of beautiful lakes or beaches -- luckily no gators either.  I did see a few people swimming or wading in the waters of Lake Charles yesterday as many families had gathered on the shores and little parks there -- kids going crazy on an expansive climbing structure near the marina near the convention center.

Calcasieu River bridge

I also had a glimpse of the bridge on I-10W that crosses the Calcasieu River which feeds Lake Charles and am thinking I will have to "put the pedal down" as I skirt the north side of the lake knowing it is a steep climb to the top (or so it seemed as I took the Lakeshore Drive under the east approaches).  My next exploratory trip today will probably take me to the Ivory Tower of the L'Auberge du Lac Casino and Hotel at the southwest tip of land on Lake Charles shores -- maybe a stop on Shell Beach Drive to see what's there too (after a stop at the nearby BAC to get some cash from the ATM for a little playtime before dinner).  The tower should be quite a sight from the top of that bridge if I can chance a glimpse to the south as I head like a screaming Banshee down the other side on my way to Texas (that's what I'm thinking anyway).

While driving through the city of Lake Charles, I did see some beautiful Victorian style homes and snappee a few pics to show what's on Broad Street.

Four Months in Florida

Last sunset in Florida

Finally have left Florida and now in Lake Charles, Louisiana after a lengthy day of driving (for me anyway).  Had a later than planned departure from Navarre campgound -- it was around 9:30 when I hit the road west with the Jeep in tow mostly due to the driving around looking for a fueling station that would accomodate this big rig.  The day before my departure, I had scoped out the nearest station at the nearby Walmart to the east and had seen another RV with vehicle in tow having a bit of a manuevering problem getting through the station so, I thought to drive just the Winnebago there and breeze right through (before hitching up the Jeep).

Well, I breezed right through alright as a tanker truck had pulled in there just before me and they had closed all the pumps while he filled their tanks so, I drove the other direction on 98W and then up 87N before finally finding an Exxon station west of 87 on 98 -- then, they only let me purchase $100 of diesel because AMEX thought there might be a fraud occuring and denied my second attempt at getting another $100 of fuel (probably needed $300 of diesel).  So I decided to hit the road and hoped to find something on I-10 -- maybe a Loves truck stop (and did -- luckily AMEX didn't deny this charge and put another $150 in the tank -- still wasn't full though).

Made it through Alabama by noon (driving in the rain most of the way) and another hour plus to get through the narrowest part of Mississippi -- skipped the short drive down I-110 to New Orleans and switched to I-12 heading for Lake Charles above the northern shores of Lake Pontchartrain.  Happy now to be west of the Mississippi River with no worries of flooding like last spring when I crossed through Tennessee on I-40 amid the flurry of tornadoes -- including the one that hit Joplin (when I was parked just southwest of Little Rock at Lake Catherine).

The 20 plus mile drive across Basin Bridge (with its snaking/winding, muddy rivers and swamps all around) made me think how tough some of those early settlers were in making their ways through this snake and alligator infested country.  The mid 1800s brought some of the earliest settlers here just 6 miles east of Lake Charles -- how did they do it?  Makes me wonder and wish I had some of their journals to read about their trips (will have to check that out while I'm here -- and some Cajun cooking as well).  Hopefully, I'll avoid the lure of the casinos and instead enjoy some fine dining (other than that offered at all the truck stops along the way).

Too bad it's not May so I could enjoy a meal on the deck at L'Auberge du Lac Casino -- Touloulou's sounds nice enough for me but, maybe another one of their restaurants will be worth checking out.

The Fishing Day wasn't over yet

I didn't get back to the RV until after 2:00 p.m., had some lunch and layed down for a bit -- after showing Tiger the two big Bonita and 5 of the Mingo Snappers -- assured of having fish in the freezer to go with some half-dozen or more of the Spanish Mackerels.  I also came back with three nice chunks of fillets from one of the King Mackerels (shared by all who were onboard) but, no Grouper.

Around 4:00 p.m., I walked down to the fishing pier here at the campground and took my binoculars to see what might be happening at the bridge and causeway to Santa Rosa Island -- and check the windy conditions for possibly fishing off the pier here or the causeway.  The wind was whipping "white-caps" on the waters here as it blew hard from the southwest so, I thought the nearside of the causeway might be shielded some and provide some better evening fishing there near the bridge (and, I could put on my "Grouper Rig" and give it a try with a bag of cut-bait I still had in the fridge).

On the way back to the RV, I stopped at Marge's camper/trailer to see if she and her daughter Sharon wanted one of the Bonita and a couple of the Mingo Snappers.  Sharon is a really fun person I had met on the fishing pier here one day and we fished there one afternoon and a bit of the evening.  Sharon came up from Ft. Lauderdale to help her mother as she is having a tough go of it recently, with her husband in rehab and more recently cracked one of the vertabrae in her back.  They were pleased to have the fish and even invited me over for some dinner later but, I still had fishing on my mind.

There weren't but a few cars along the causeway so, I took the wide open spot on the east side nearest to the bridge and parked my cooler near the seawall.  The sun nearly showed signs of dropping to the water and giving me a chance for that long anticipated "Green Flash" but, the clouds soon took any hope of that away -- as I cast a half dozen times toward the channel under/near the bridge.  Seemed like nothing but, bait stealers were there cleaning the giant hook meant for Grouper so, I decided to change up and put on a bottom rig with steel leaders and smaller hooks -- maybe try the grassy areas to the east and see what might be biting.  After one cast, I had a little silver trout -- put him back.  Then, I caught two small catfish (put them back too) and then another, slightly bigger silver trout -- kept him.

Whiskers Longer than the twins.

Darkness had decended earlier so, I had my little LED night lights with me to help in my rebaiting of the hooks and shine at the waters and the big heron that stayed during the evening and darkness hoping for handouts (which he got from me).  A little later, something hit harder than the others and this tme I fought and caught this nice sized catfish -- it tore off some line as it neared the seawall so, it gave up a pretty good fight.  In the darkness, I feared it might have been a shark, even as I brought it over the seawall.  With its nasty spikes making it harder to handle, it kicked up sand in my face and on my wet, overly fishy smelling clothes.

Two young guys came down in the darkness to see the catfish and were delighted to hear the fish were biting there as they had been fishing the other side of the causeway and not having any luck.  While they were there (taking up my earlier position of the evening), I caught a couple more smaller catfish in the twelve-inch range and put those back.  I gave them my last two pieces of bait and left with only the wish I could have caught one of those keeper Spotted Sea Trout or that Grouper.

Maybe I will have to come back to Florida later this year, before that saltwater license expires.

Destin - World's Luckiest Fishing Village

Sunrise on the Anticipation

That's what it is called and it has the largest charter flishing fleet in the state of Florida -- so, why shouldn't I take a charter before leaving this state after 4 months of travelling and fishing its beaches and piers?  Call me (and the others on our boat) lucky as well, because it is raining this morning and some thunder and lightning woke me at almost the same time I had to get up yesterday morning to make the 6:00 a.m. departure from the dock's of Pelican Adventures.

We (me and 9 others) were on the "Anticipation" and we were the first boat to pull away from the dock yesterday so, they had to call and have the bait boat run out to catch us before we passed the jetty to open waters.  As soon as we passed the choppy waters above the near shore sand bars, the first mate (Travis) put out a couple lines with lures as big as some of the "keepers" I have struggled to catch.  The captain (Bo) weaved us in "S" turns as we headed for the deeper waters offshore and before long it was "Fish On" and the fun was underway.

There were four chairs on the deck of the 42 foot boat and I took the second from the stern on the starboard side as three other guys had taken the other three.  The first fish caught was a nice King Mackerel and the second was also a King Mackerel -- the biggest fish of the day caught by the next to smallest guy on the boat -- what a memory maker for him.  We bottom fished at a spot some 15 miles offshore and were catching lots of nice Red Snapper (which we couldn't keep) so, the captain moved us over to another spot and we started catching lots of Mingo Snappers, White Snappers, Triggerfish and a Porgy or two.

While we were fishing and catching fish off the bottom, Travis had put a "floater" line out as well and that is when I had my most fun trying to land a big fish on the lighter spin casting rig -- fought him for 5 or 10 minutes as he charged left and right then, toward the boat (causing most on the starboard side to reel in their lines).  Two or three times, the fish started tearing line off the reel (so I let it) as it dove for the bottom and on its third dive, it got off -- first mate said I did everything right and it turned out that the fish had bent the hook straight to get off.

Travis and our catch

A little later, I did catch my biggest fish -- the biggest Bonita of the day.  While reeling in my line to clear the stern of the boat for another guy with a "Fish On", the fish hit hard when I was about two thirds of the way up -- probably a small school running through the shallower water.  The other guys fish got off which may have been a Bonita too.  On the way back to Destin, another nice King Mackerel got on one of the trolling lines but, spit the hook just as it was brought up to the stern.  A bit later, another "Fish On", this time on the smaller top running lure and this was the second Bonita caught by the smallest kid on the boat.

Everybody caught fish and we lost a few other nice ones -- a reeling fun day.  Hardy, Har! Har!

Destin Harbor - Waterfront

Navarre Beach -- Pompano Fishing

Friday morning sunrise.

The morning before last, sunrise on the fishing pier here at the campground started with lots of clouds that prevented the sun from making an appearance -- no dolphins either and a couple with two granddaughters were having about the same results I had while fishing off the end of the pier (may have caught that same catfish).  Later, the weather turned worse as the winds picked up in intensity -- not good for fishing as the spray from the waves blew over the seawall and combined with blowing sand through the afternoon and into the evening.  That was only an indication of what was to come.

Navarre Beach

During the night and most of the following morning, we were pounded with heavy rain, lightning and thunder but, the clouds finally disappeared around noon and the sun and beach beckoned to me and my fishing rods.  I had checked some during the morning on how to catch Pompano from the surf as I didn't feel like giving the $6 to the fishing pier for another day of not catching a thing or getting a bite -- besides, the beach looked really more inviting too.

I first went over to the beach in the state park to check out the conditions and had on my jeans and sandals and a long-sleeved shirt because the wind still blew right off of the ocean.  I made the left at the stop sign after going over the bridge to Santa Rosa Island and pulled into the first set of buildings where there seemed to be a bridge over the sand dunes (and some public restrooms and showers).  After walking the beach briefly and checking with the only fishermen to the far right of the beachgoers, I decided I might have better luck if I came back and went to the next set of buildings and accesses to the east -- which is exactly what I did (except my luck wasn't any better than the two guys I talked to).

Catching some sun anyway

When I arrived back at Navarre Beach, I headed to the east beyond any of the beachgoers and sunbathers, trying leave a safe distance between me and them as I attempted to catch some of those tasty Pompano.  You can see in the picture above that some folks were walking the beach farther to the east looking for shells and there was lots of space between me and them as I setup my surf casting rod with the three hooked Pompano rig.

To begin with, there was as much space to my right (west) and after getting the hooks baited with some frozen sand fleas, I cast it out and set it in my rod holder as I attempted to locate some signs of live sand fleas (these frozen ones had cracks in the shells and I knew they wouldn't last on the hooks).  I checked the shallow, clear waters and the soft, white sand for signs of the little critters but, didn't seem to locate any so, I decided to use the tougher, dehydrated shrimp and some "Fish Bites" -- with no results but, who can complain when you can just sit in a chair and enjoy the surroundings.

Navarre Beach -- Fishing Pier west.

Later, the families with small children began to appear and fill the empty spaces, which I had hoped would remain as a buffer between me and those looking to jump in the inviting waters.  Well, I fished the incoming tide as recommended and only wish I had found some of those live little mole crabs to see if they could have changed my luck.  I did see one angler come with a group to my right and he had one of those wire mesh nets with him and he seemed to get a few of the preferred bait from the sand in the surf -- I didn't see him catch anything either as he joined others in his group to swim in the surf.

I also noticed a guy that showed up a little later and positioned himself to my left and he brought one of those same metal nets for collecting sand fleas -- no fishing poles though (just his girlfriend or wife).  He also put on a wet-suit and went into the surf and tried to collect some fleas but, ended up putting on a snorkel mask and swam through the surf and out onto a sandbar a little farther east of where I had been fishing.  My thoughts are that this sandbar may be the right spot to try if I go there today -- maybe more distance between me and the swimmers too.

As I left (in time to come back and watch the NCAA semi-finals), I noticed a wedding being set-up on the beach just below the access point to the beach -- beautiful setting for somebody's special day.