Traveling America By Van: We Gain Texas
By: John Kumiski
We rolled westward along Louisiana Route 82. Low overcast, driven northward by a wind that carried a fresh odor of the Gulf of Mexico, scudded overhead. The fisherman in me was going crazy- I hadn't touched a rod since I packed them into the car before we left Florida, and the miles of salt marsh we passed provided a lifetime of shallow-water fishing opportunities.
Not today, though. This was a travel day. We were headed to Texas.
LA 82 epitomizes the joy of back roads. Practically devoid of traffic, it stretches across southwestern Louisiana, straddling salt marsh and prairie. If I'd been carrying a kayak and had some time I may have never left the place. As it was, a steady 60 miles per hour moved us across the face of the planet.
We came to Cameron Parrish. Hurricane Delta had left behind piles of rubble- roofs and siding torn off buildings, branches and trees down everywhere. Litter was scattered across the prairie. Construction crews scurried like ants, rebuilding. RV parks lined the road. I suspect they were full of recently displaced residents.
We came to the end of the road. A ferry would carry us across the Calcasieu Ship Channel, at the cost of a single US dollar. On the far side 82 resumed.
We wait for the ferry to carry the Sienna, and us, across the Calcasieu Ship Channel.
An hour later, a high bridge carried us across Sabine Pass. From the top of the bridge the view of Port Arthur reminded me of a scene from a post-apocalyptic thriller. Oil refineries stretched to the horizon under those low, dark clouds. Squat and grey and ugly and yes, even terrifying, the refineries appeared to go on forever. I know that the trip I'm on could not happen without those refineries, but I'm sure glad I don't live near them.
Texans drive fast! The speed limit was 75 miles per hour on Texas 69. Large tractor trailer trucks passed us constantly. Yikes!
We took a short lunch break in Beaumont. Katherine and Company supplied us with some fresh greens we hadn't had in a week. Katherine even came over and chatted with us for a bit.
Susan about to cross a short bridge along the Kirby Nature Trail. Photo by: John Kumiski.
A short drive from Beaumont brought us to Village Creek State Park. We found our campsite and went for a walk, always nice to do after a long driving session.
Campers at Texas state parks can fish from shore in the park without a license. I checked Village Creek for an opportunity. The bank on the side of the creek we were on was very steep, difficult to spin fish, next to impossible to fly fish. The rods once again stayed in the car.
In the morning we headed to Big Thicket National Preserve. This part of Texas once was the Big Thicket. Most of it has been bulldozed into oblivion- only three percent of the original habitat remains. The Federal government protects most of that remnant with the Preserve, which has many small units scattered over a large area.
The pitcher plants were thick along Pitcher Plant Trail. The yellow flowers are all pitcher plant blossoms. Photo by: John Kumiski.
After a stop at the Visitor Center, which to my surprise was open, we took a walk on the Kirby Nature Trail. Splendid specimens of magnolia, beech, and loblolly pine made up the forest on the higher ground, and large, old growth cypress graced the sloughs. It was as nice a walk as one could ask for. If you wanted more, the Turkey Creek Trail offers a 17-mile trek.
We wanted more, but not quite that much. A short drive brought us to the Pitcher Plant Trail, where thousands of pitcher plants were flowering in a bog. It was amazing! I'd never seen that many pitcher plants before, never even seen photos of them. We had no idea such a place existed, and here we were, standing on a boardwalk in the middle of it.
Will the fly become the pitcher plant's next snack? Photo by: John Kumiski.
The human body demands certain things of us, though. While our brains were being amazed by pitcher plants, our stomachs were demanding, "Feed me!" After a while the insistence of one's tummy becomes impossible to ignore.
One way we find lunch spots while traveling goes like this- "Hey Siri- best lunch in [your location here]. Siri invariably picks a great spot if one is available. This time she led us to Elsa's Greek Grill, which we would have never found any other way. Thank you, Siri!
Village Creek State Park had no room for us for the weekend. In the morning it was once again time to move on.
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