We’ve had lots of activity in our backyard these first two weeks of July. Bees and Butterflies are frequent visitors to the butterfly garden.
Ruby Throated Hummingbirds and Northern Cardinals are two of the birds we see every summer around our back yard. Snow Egrets are frequent summer visitors to the salt water creek. Roseate Spoonbills first started coming to our area a few years ago. I’ve seen them two years in a row now so hopefully they will keep returning each summer.
I can think of many birds that begin with the letter E but for this challenge I will feature two kinds of Egrets – Great Egrets and Snowy Egrets.
We visited St. Augustine Alligator Farm in February one year in hopes of seeing the Great Egrets in their beautiful breeding plumage. They put on quite a show.
Snowy Egrets are smaller than the Great Egrets and have yellow feet.
We enjoyed walking around the marina and going on the nature trail at Stephen C. Foster State Park in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge but we wanted to be in a boat to really experience the swamp. On one of our visits a few years ago we rented a canoe to paddle into the swamp and another time we rented a boat to venture even farther into the swamp. On our most recent trip in early spring we decided to take a ranger guided boat tour.
As we glided through the man made canal our guide pointed out the baby alligators and their mother Sophie who was keeping a close watch on her babies. Her mate Zeke was no where to be found.
” Sophie the Mama Gator
As the boat exited the canal we entered the big water of Billy’s Lake where we were about six miles from the headwaters of the Suwanee River. The water here gets up to six feet deep, much deeper than the average depth of two feet.
It was a beautiful day to be on the water and we saw a few other people out on the water.
It was a beautiful day for kayaking
A kayaker goes around the bend deeper into the swamp
Which way do we go?
Our guide took us through the narrow waterway toward Minnie’s Lake. In some places the water was barely wide enough for the 24 foot Carolina Skiff. As we ventured farther into the swamp it was as if we had stepped back in time to a prehistoric age. We were miles from civilization in this incredibly wild place.
Boats had to navigate around this cypress tree
It is estimated that the alligator population in the swamp is about 20,000. We saw quite a few as we went along. It was mating season and I wondered if this gator was trying to attract a mate.
Huge alligator showing us his teeth
Another gator was behind a huge cypress tree.
Do you see the alligator behind the Cypress tree?
And there were young ones sunning on a log.
Young gators enjoying the sunshine
There are many species of wildlife besides alligators. While we didn’t see any raccoons, opossums, turtles, or bears, we did see a few birds out searching for food.
Egret in the Okefenokee
Snowy Egret in the Okefenokee
After our incredible few days in the Okefenokee it was time to return back to civilization and the real world.
After a rough ride traveling west in Louisiana on the worst section of I-10 in the United States we arrived at Poche’s Fish N Camp in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana for a couple of days. The campsites are arranged around a large fishing pond lined with Cypres trees. Most of the sites have a paved pad, full hookups, and WiFi. There are several ponds for fishing, a clubhouse, swimming pool, and laundry. The staff was great. Many thanks to them for recommending Fun in the Sun RV Repair to repair our heater and many thanks to the repairman who came out in the rain the same day we called him and got it fixed.
It rained off and on the whole time we were there so we couldn’t do too much exploring in the area. I had to do my bird watching at the campground. A Snowy Egret walked along the pond right behind our campsite in the afternoons and Cormorants and ducks were in the water every day. A Great Blue Heron even made an appearance.
Office at Poche’s Fish N Camp
Clubhouse at Poche’s Fish N Camp
Our site from across the pond
Campground at Poche’s Fish N Camp
Ducks on the pond
Picture taken through our back window of Snowy Egret behind the camper
Great Blue Heron
The rain couldn’t stop us from enjoying some amazing Cajun feasts! Crawfish etoufee, rice dressing (dirty rice), slaw, fried catfish, fried shrimp, chicken and sausage gumbo, Boudin, Andouille sausage and more! We ate several delicious meals at Poche’s Market and Restaurant. Their market has a large selection of sausages, meats and seasonings so I filled the freezer with Andouille sausage and Boudin to take with us and now my pantry has some of their seasoning mix and File powder.
It’s so good we had three meals here!
Poche’s Cajun Cuisine
Our meal at Poche’s – Crawfish Etoufee, Dirty Rice and Slaw – Sooooo good!
A visit to the Tabasco Factory on Avery Island was a must see on this trip. Henry is a hot sauce aficionado and Tabasco is a staple on our table along with the salt and pepper. We visited the factory 30 years ago when our kids were young and we both have memories of walking into the aging room with the aroma of the sauce so strong that most of the other people in the tour got out of there as fast as they could. Not Henry! He loved it! Unfortunately, they no longer take the tours through that room.
The sauce is aged in barrels that were first used to age Jack Daniels Whiskey. We watched a short video and then watched original Tabasco sauce being bottled and labeled before browsing in the museum. We had our first taste of Boudin sausage (yummy and spicy) from a food truck and spent a few dollars in the gift shop before heading back to Breaux Bridge. A stop at Walmart for some necessities and we were back at camp in time to watch the rain come down the rest of the day.
Avery Island, Louisiana
Visitor’s Center at the Tabasco Factory
Can we take this bottle home?
The world’s best known hot sauce
Even Queen Elizabeth uses Tabasco Sauce
Waiting for the tour to begin
The sauce is aged in barrels that were used to make Jack Daniels Whiskey
Original Tabasco sauce going down the assembly line
The peppers are made into a mash
Lunch was delicious Boudin from the Tabasco food truck
Wandering Dawgs 
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