Birds – Page 22 – Wandering Dawgs

Wandering Around America One State at a Time – Louisiana

March 6, 2017April 17, 2017Posted in Birds, Louisiana, RVing, Tourist Attractions, Wandering around AmericaTagged Cafe du Monde, Cajun, Chef Paul Prudhomme, Duck Dynasty, Lake Bistineau, New Orleans, Poche's, Tabasco18 Comments

State 16:

Welcome to the next post in my series highlighting states we have visited throughout the years. I hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride!

I will be featuring the states alphabetically. The next state is

Louisiana

Louisiana became the 18th state on April 30, 1812 and the capital is Baton Rouge.

Ever since I started working on this post about Louisiana the following lyrics from the Hank Williams song “Jambalaya (on the Bayou)” have been going through my head.

Jambalaya and a crawfish pie and fillet gumbo
‘Cause tonight I’m gonna see my ma cher amio
Pick guitar, fill fruit jar and be gay-o
Son of a gun we’ll have big fun on the bayou

Each time we visited Louisiana we tried as much of the delicious local food as we could get. We sampled everything – boudin, crawfish etoufee, gumbo, dirty rice, cracklins, shrimp po’ boys and more! Chef Paul Prudhomme’s K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen in New Orleans served up one of the most amazing meals I’ve ever had. Is your mouth watering yet?

Acme Oyster House in New Orleans

Poche’s Meat Market and Smokehouse

Ralph and Kacoo’s in Bosier City

Lunch was delicious Boudin from the Tabasco food truck

Our meal at Poche’s – Crawfish Etoufee, Dirty Rice and Slaw – Sooooo good!

We’ve visited New Orleans three times – twice to watch our Georgia Bulldogs play in the Sugar Bowl and once to take our children when they were young. We wandered around the French Quarter, attended a performance of New Orleans Jazz at Preservation Hall, rode a streetcar to the Garden District, took a riverboat ride on the Mississippi River, chowed down on amazing Cajun food, and of course had coffee and beignets at Cafe Du Monde.

There is so much more to Louisiana than food and music. Our lake front campsite at Lake Bistineau State Park was perfect for watching the wading birds search for food among the huge cypress trees on the banks of the lake.

The rain didn’t stop us from enjoying our campsite on one of the ponds at Poche’s Fish N Camp. After a delicious meal at Poche’s Meat Market and Smokehouse I stocked up on Cajun goodies like homemade boudin, Andouille sausage and tasso ham to take home.

Pavilion at Poche's Fish N Camp — Poche’s Fish N Camp

We are one of the families who always has a bottle of Tabasco sauce on the table along with the salt and pepper. A visit to the Tabasco Factory on Avery Island was a must for us.

The world's best known hot sauce — The world’s best known hot sauce

We even took a tour of the Duck Commander headquarters in West Monroe.

Duck Commander Headquarters, about 3 blocks south of I-20 in West Monroe, LA

I started writing this post right before Mardi Gras and have been hungry for Cajun food ever since. On Fat Tuesday I made a big pot of Shrimp and Andouille Gumbo using Alton Brown’s recipe (I added okra ). Yesterday I made Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Jambalaya (I left out the oysters). Now if I could just find some crawfish tails I’ll make that crawfish pie.!

To read previous posts about the states featured in this series just click on the state name: Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky

Wandering Around America One State at a Time – Hawaii

February 9, 2017August 3, 2017Posted in Birds, Hawaii, Historic Sites, Lighthouse, Wandering around America, WildlifeTagged Bali Hai, Diamond Head, green turtle, Kauai, monk seal, NeNe, Oahu, Pearl Harbor, USS Arizona Memorial, Waikiki12 Comments

State 9:

Welcome to the next post in my series highlighting states we have visited throughout the years. I hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride!

I will be featuring the states alphabetically. Time to travel across the Pacific Ocean to

Hawaii

Aloha! Hawaii became the 50th state on August 21, 1959 and the capital is Honolulu on the island of Oahu.

Obviously we didn’t take the RV to Hawaii! We spent two weeks in paradise exploring Oahu and Kauai.

I’ll just let the pictures speak for themselves.

Green sea turtle on the beach at Turtle Cove, Oahu

Hawaiian Monk Seal on the north shore of Kauai

View of the Na Pali Coast from the beach on Kauai

Kilauea Point Lighthouse on Kauai is the westernmost lighthouse in the United States

We hiked to the top of Diamond Head for this view of Waikiki

Diamond Head Lighthouse from the top of Diamond Head

We could see surfers in the water from this overlook on Oahu — We could see surfers in the water from an overlook on Oahu

Mahalo for stopping by!

To read previous posts about the states featured in this series just click on the state name: Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Florida Georgia

Wandering Around America One State at a Time – Georgia

February 4, 2017November 1, 2017Posted in Birds, Georgia, Historic Sites, Lighthouse, RVing, Wandering around America, WildlifeTagged America the Beautiful, Athens, Azaleas, Cockspur Lighthouse, Dogwoods, Savannah, Tybee Island20 Comments

State 8:

Welcome to the next post in my series highlighting states we have visited throughout the years. I hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride!

I will be featuring the states alphabetically and the next state is my home state!

Georgia

Georgia was one of the original 13 colonies and became the 4th state on January 2, 1788. The capital is Atlanta where the capital dome is covered in gold leaf from the Georgia Gold Rush in Dahlonega during the 1830’s.

I was born in Georgia but did not grow up here. When I was a child, our summer vacations were spent visiting relatives in middle Georgia where my mother grew up. I first moved to Georgia as a freshman at the University of Georgia in Athens and I’ve lived in the state ever since. Even when we are wandering I always have Georgia on my mind.

I’m afraid I won’t be able to do our state justice. How I condense a lifetime of memories into one post?

With the city of Atlanta, the north Georgia mountains, National Wildlife Refuges and National Forests, The Okefenokee Swamp, peach and pecan groves, cotton fields, lakes and streams, the Grand Canyon of Georgia, Athens the Classic City, Stone Mountain, antebellum homes, historical lighthouses, salt marshes, barrier islands, beautiful beaches, friendly small towns, and many historic sites Georgia has much to offer. And did I mention the delicious sweet tea, barbeque, grits, fried green tomatoes, fried chicken, low country boil, fresh wild Georgia shrimp and blue crabs, peach cobbler, banana pudding, and all the other amazing food around the state?

Unfortunately I am missing photos from many places around the state. No matter where you go there are interesting things to see and do in the Peach State.

Georgia is the Peach State and Peach County produces many of those peaches. There is nothing in the world that’s better than a fresh Georgia peach plucked right from the tree when it is perfectly ripe in the summer time. You know it’s perfect when you bite into it and the nectar drips down your chin and all over your hands. And fresh peach cobbler is a staple around our house when the peaches are in season.

In Georgia, you can watch the sun rise over the Atlantic Ocean or watch the sunset over one of the Georgia’s many lakes.

Sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean

Sunset over Lake Seminole at Eastbank Campground

Nothing says springtime in Georgia like azaleas, peach blossoms, and flowering dogwoods.

Peach Blossoms in Georgia

Wild Dogwoods

Georgia Azaleas under Live Oak Tree

With ancient live oak trees dripping with Spanish Moss, squares, a beautiful historic district, museums, historic forts, and one of the largest St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the United States, Savannah is a popular vacation destination.

Forsyth Park Fountain in Savannah, Georgia

Steam Engine at the Georgia Railroad Museum

Ft. Puaski National Monument is a landmark visible from the highway as you travel east from Savannah to Tybee Island, GA

Historic stone steps leading to River Street

Three lighthouses protecting the Georgia Coast are accessible to the public. The Tybee Island Light Station is the tallest lighthouse in Georgia.

Tybee Island Light Station 4th of July American Flag

A trail at Fort Pulaski National Monument winds through palmettos for a close up view of the Cockspur Island Lighthouse.

Cockspur Lighthouse at Fort Pulaski National Monument

The St. Simons Island Lighthouse was rebuilt after it was destroyed by the Union Army during the War between the States.

Joel Chandler Harris, Alice Walker, and Flannery O’Connor are just a few of the writers from Georgia. The Uncle Remus Museum in Eatonton celebrates the creator of Brer Rabbit, Joel Chandler Harris.

Brer Rabbit stands in front of the Uncle Remus Museum in Eatonton, GA

Georgia also has a close connection with the film industry. Many movies and tv shows have been filmed in Georgia. Oliver Hardy was one of the stars who was born in Georgia.

Laurel and Hardy Museum at Harlem, Georgia

You know your shrimp is fresh when you see the shrimp boats that caught them.

Atlanta is the capital and the home to companies such as Coca Cola, UPS and Delta Airlines. Atlanta also hosted the Centennial Olympic Games in 1996.

Centennial Olympic Stadium 1996 - Reconstructed after Paralympics to become Turner Field — Centennial Olympic Stadium 1996 – Reconstructed after Paralympics to become Turner Field

The birds and other wildlife are abundant all over the state.

Great Egret with chicks

Wood Storks building a nest

Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin near Tybee Island, Georgia

Turtle in the Okefenokee Swamp

Baby Gator on Lilly Pad

Butterflies and Blooms Tiger Swallowtail

White Tail Deer

The Iron Horse was originally placed on the campus of the University of Georgia in Athens and later moved to the middle of a field near Greensboro.

The Iron Horse stands tall in the middle of a cornfield

We Georgians love our sports teams! When we travel in our fifth wheel, there is no doubt which college team we support! How bout them Dawgs!

As I put the finishing touches on this post the Atlanta Falcons are preparing to take on the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl in Houston. Go Falcons!

To read previous posts about the states featured in this series just click on the state name: Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Florida

Wandering Around America One State at a Time – Florida

January 26, 2017June 20, 2017Posted in Birds, Florida, Historic Sites, Lighthouse, National Parks, RVing, Wandering around America, WildlifeTagged Big Cypress Preserve, Dry Tortugas National Park, Everglades National Park, Florida Keys, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Key West, Perky Bat Tower15 Comments

State 7:

Welcome to the next post in my series highlighting states we have visited throughout the years. I hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride!

I will be featuring the states we have visited alphabetically. If you are looking for Connecticut or Delaware, we’ve never been to either of those states (except to drive through the Delmarva Peninsula without stopping) so the next state is

Florida

Florida became the 27th state on March 3, 1845. The capital is Tallahassee.

We started vacationing in Florida back in the 70’s and have traveled all around the state both before and after our RV travels began. For many years we traveled to the Florida Keys at least once a year. We’ve traveled all along the Atlantic Coast, Gulf Coast, to small towns and big cities, gone scuba diving and snorkeling in the beautiful coral reefs, caught many fish, boated to remote islands, visited museums and lighthouses, attended sporting events, tasted amazing seafood and key lime pie, explored two national parks and a national seashore, observed graceful birds and other wildlife, kayaked and canoed in the rivers, swam in the springs, watched many sunsets, and walked on some of America’s most beautiful beaches.

Florida is famous for it’s beautiful beaches and theme parks.

Micky welcomes us to the Magic Kingdom — Mickey welcomes everyone to the Magic Kingdom at Disney World

There’s so much more to the Sunshine State than it’s beaches and theme parks.

With it’s many birds, wildlife, and beautiful landscapes, Everglades National Park is one of my favorite national parks.

Pa-Hay-Otee Overlook in Everglades National Park

The only way to get to Dry Tortugas National Park is to take a boat ride or seaplane trip from Key West.

Fort Jefferson in Dry Tortugas National Park

Explore Fort Pickens and walk on miles of sugar white sand beaches in Gulf Islands National Seashore .

There are many small islands accessible only by boat. Picnic Island in the lower keys was one of our favorites.

Popular boating destination in the lower Florida Keys

Cedar Key is one of the small waterfront towns we love to visit.

I loved the Art Deco buildings in South Beach Miami.

It’s always fun to stroll along the waterfronts.

Shrimp boats on the Appalachacola Waterfront

There are interesting structures to discover. The Perky Bat Tower on Sugarloaf Key was built in 1929 to house bats to help control the mosquito population. Unfortunately, the bats flew away and never returned.

The Bat Tower, Sugarloaf Key — The Perky Bat Tower, Sugarloaf Key was built in 1929

The Spring House in White Springs on the Suwanee River was a huge tourist destination in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.

There’s a famous headstone in the Key West Cemetery.

U.S. Highway 1 goes from Fort Kent, Maine to Key West and we’ve been to both ends. The Southernmost Point in the continental United States is also in Key West.

The variety of birds never ceases to amaze me.

White Pelicans and Cormorants around Cedar Key

Green Heron with fish in mouth Everglades National Park

Red Shouldered Hawg Big Cypress Preserve — Red Shouldered Hawk Big Cypress Preserve

Tiny key deer, endangered gopher tortoise, manatees, and of course alligators are some of the wildlife to be found.

Gopher Tortoise at our campsite Silver River State Park

Aligators along the Anhinga Trial, Everglades National Park 2012 — Alligators along the Anhinga Trial, Everglades National Park 2012

Manatee in Homossassa Springs — Manatee eating a carrot in Homossassa Springs Wildlife State Park

Florida is home to beautiful springs and rivers.

Don’t forget the lighthouses.

Nothing better than freshly caught fish for dinner! We cooked up this grouper after one of our most memorable fishing trips many years ago.

Henry with the biggest catch of the day!

Many Major League Baseball teams play their spring training games in Florida.

Atlanta Braves Spring Training at Disney's Wide World of Sports — Atlanta Braves Spring Training at Disney’s Wide World of Sports

The historic Fort Gates Ferry carries people and vehicles across the St. Johns River.

Waiting to cross the St. John's River on the Fort Gates Ferry — Waiting to cross the St. John’s River on the Fort Gates Ferry

To read previous posts about the states featured in this series just click on the state name: Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado

Wandering Around America one state at a time – Alaska

January 4, 2017November 28, 2017Posted in Alaska, Birds, Glaciers, Road Trip, RVing, Wandering around America, WildlifeTagged America the Beautiful, Arctic Circle, Bald Eagle, Denali, Haines, Ninilchik, Talkeetna17 Comments

State 2:

Welcome to the next post in my series highlighting states we have visited throughout the years. I hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride! I will be featuring the states alphabetically and next up is

Alaska

Alaska became the 49th state on January 3, 1959. The capital is Juneau and it is the only state capital that can only be reached by air, boat, or birth. The largest city is Anchorage.

We spent 50 glorious nights in Alaska in the summer of 2013.

I loved meeting so many wonderful Alaskans and hearing their stories. Wildlife, glaciers, boat trips, a flight seeing tour, eagles, halibut fishing, Denali National Park, taking the RV on the Alaska Ferry from Skagway to Haines, and a train ride on the Alaska Railroad are just a few of the amazing things we experienced while we were there. Our favorite place was Haines. The most exciting thing we did was take a flight-seeing tour from Talkeetna to see Mt. McKinley and land on Ruth Glacier. The farthest north we went was Coldfoot, north of the Arctic Circle.