Road Trip Wrap-Up

We spent a few days with friends.  Nothing really of note to blog about!

On the Thursday our friend wanted to take us to a local Cajun place in Port Neches that she had not take us to before, Larry's French Market and Cajun Cafeteria. (the site says Cajun Restaurant but the signon the building says Cajun Cafeteria :-)  )

Larry's French Market and Cajun Restaurant

http://www.larrysfrenchmarket.com/?nomobile=1

As we pulled up, we saw a parking lot filled with workers' trucks, usually a good sign.  The place is huge.  Three parking lots, a big dining room, stage and dance floor.  Several nights a week there is live music and dancing, and it looks like the place is hopping.

Unfortunately, our lunch there got mixed reviews.  5 of us went, and one of them because he heard we were going to Larry's and decided to wait a bit before going back to work so he could join us.  

The first thing was that we were definitely misled about whether it was a buffet or not.  We could have ordered off the menu, but they presented the buffet as a buffet so we thought we could try some different things.  There were no signs explaining the lunch line.  As it turns out, it was not truly a buffet. The salad bar was extra, the gumbo was extra, the etouffee was extra, the drinks were extra.

The second thing was that the food itself was really inconsistent.  The gumbo and dirty rice were delicious.  Someone had cornbread that they said was good.  The mashed potatoes were awful.  Some of us got shrimp, and some of it was really spicy and some of it was not.  There was some corn mixture that a couple of people had that looked awful and they reported it was not good.

So would we go back?  Well, I would but I would just get the gumbo and a salad and be done.  Steve and John would not because they felt we were deliberately misled.

The Schooner

Usually the last night in town we go to a local seafood restaurant, so Friday night found us at The Schooner.  The Schooner is old school, nothing fancy, and consistently good.  Steve for some unknown reason ordered the Captain's Seafood Platter, which was far too much food even for him!  I went with the fish Pontchartrain, which was broiled fish topped with crab and shrimp, in a white wine cream sauce.

Other items at the table included gumbo, catfish, and fried oysters.  It was a nice final evening before hitting the road.

http://theschoonerrestaurant.com/main/

Driving Home

The weather continued to wreak havoc with our plans, and icy rain was predicted for Sunday through much of the route we would have to travel.  So, we made the decision to leave Saturday instead.  We were on the road by 7 am.

We drove through Texas.

Most of East Texas, bordering on Louisiana, is covered in pine.  We crossed rain swollen creeks and lakes, and eventually crossed into Arkansas.  We drove through the Boston Mountains and Ouchita National Forest.

We passed many frozen waterfalls.

And made it home a little past 8.

Deja vu deux

We walked into the Holiday Inn Express in Falfurrias to be greeted with a "you're back!" and the next morning the breakfast room lady said "you're back!"  It's nice to be remembered.

After a mostly uneventful stay (except for trying to enter someone else's hotel room-- oops) we headed back to the Brooks County Rest Stop.  After a cool start the sun came out and was much nicer than predicted.  Since we knew this was our last chance for sun for awhile, we ended up staying until 3.  The Painted Redstart was cooperative, as were the bluebirds and golden rumps.

I know I go on and on about these rest stops, but I am fascinated by how much they have beautified them.  Here's a small section of the wall in one of the bathrooms.

We then decided to road trip up to our friends' place in Nederland, TX, arriving about 9 pm.  Nothing notable about that drive beyond how glad I am we got the TxTag before we went.  We were able to skirt Houston traffic by taking the Sam Houston Tollway, and not having to stop to pay tolls.

It's Deja vu all over again

Nothing much new to report here.  We got up the next morning and went back out to Salineno.  I decided to count cop cars and counted 15 between Rio Grande City and Salineno.

We had missed the Audobon's Oriole the day before and being there early gave us a better chance.  We thought we had missed it again, but eventually not one, but two, showed up again, and we got great shots of it.

It's about the only place in the US to get reliable looks at it, and one of the few places in the US you would see it at all.  Here's what it looks like:

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Audubons_Oriole/id

I went to the car and got a fleece blanket we had there, came back, wrapped it around myself, and settled in.  In addition to the three types of orioles, there were all the usual suspects -- green jays, great kiskadees, golden-fronted and ladder back woodpeckers, crested titmouse, plus a bunny and a squirrel.  

A juvenile Cooper's Hawk would swoop through and all the birds would scatter, providing opportunity to refill the feeders.

I pet Jake as much as he would let me.

A trip down to the Rio Grande didn't produce anything new, and when we hit the mid-afternoon lull we decided to head out.

We found the World Birding Center at Roma Bluffs!

Between Rio Grande City and Salineo is the town of Roma.  There is an International Bridge at Roma, to the sister city of Ciudad Aleman.  Although Roma is hanging on, it is a city of many vacant and derelict buildings and closed businesses. We have been stopping there for years at the overlook at the Roma Bluffs.

We have watched the banks of the Rio Grande on the Ciudad Aleman side as it went from busy with people fishing and picnicking to the desolation after the river flooded to people returning and salvaging wood debris from the floods, to today.

There were people fishing, and as one man fished on the banks his young son played with his Tonka truck on the sand spit.  There was the lone horse staked out on the shores, and all the debris has been cleared out.  We could see into the back yards of the homes where people were rebuilding and had gardens, chickens, and pigs.  It looks like it is coming back.

In all this time, we could never find the World Birding Center they told us was in the area.  There was supposed to be a really nice butterfly garden as well.  This time we found it!  At last someone had thought to put up a large banner identifying the location.  

On this cold gray day there were neither birds nor butterflies, but now we know for the future.

Back to the Edinburg Wetlands, then Falfurrias

We had decided that with the upcoming weather, we might as well cut the valley time short and head up to our friends on the upper Gulf Coast of Texas for a few days at the end of this road trip.  We decided to go back to the Edinburg Wetlands for the rest of the afternoon, where Steve birded and I read a book.  Then we drove backto Falfurrias to the Holiday Inn Express we had stayed at on the way down, with plans to go back to the rest stop for the Painted Redstart again in the morning.

The theme of this year's trip is cold-It's much colder than normal, and a head cold has dominated the past few days

I have a bit of catching up to do.  Last I left you, I was in a hotel room with a cold.  I stayed in that hotel room for three days.  Not really how I planned to spend my vacation, but there you go.  It was also chilly (for South Texas) rainy, and gray, so with a cold smacking me about, I really didn't want to go outside.  

The comped hotel room suite ended up being a huge benefit since I had a little room to spread out in my misery.  Steve went out birding a few times, but wasn't very lucky.  I lost a few brain cells to mindless TV.

But, we had to check out on Sunday January 4, so I threw back some Dayquil and we were on our way.

Jake the Dog!  And State Troopers

I-2/Hwy 83 on a Sunday morning is a whole different thing than on weekdays!  We made good time, but after Mission, TX we started noticing a plethora of cop cars. City, County, State, plus Border Patrol.  Many of them were hanging out in huddles of three or four cars, but plenty were on the sides of the highway, waiting to pounce.  There was no speeding on that highway.

We were headed for Salineno, TX.  There is a birding area there on land owned by the Valley Land Fund.  It was given to them with the (not in writing) understanding that the bird feeding would continue.  Not in writing is a bad thing.  A couple of years ago the VLF got cold feet about liability and shut it down.  They got such bad press that they have allowed it to re-open again under an agreement with US Fish and Wildlife (I think).  All the birders are thrilled it is reopened, and good for them that they recognized the error of their ways :-)

It's a prime spot for Altimira, Hooded, and Audobon's Orioles.  It's where we saw the Brown Jay a few years ago.  The volunteers who man the place regularly put out seed, fruit, and peanut butter mix and there is a nice seating area.  Best of all, there's Jake the Dog!

Jake is a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog owned by one of the volunteers.  We've met them several times, and Jake is the sweetest, most good-natured dog I have ever met.  I would like a Jake.  Jake is the offical greeter and the minute he hears doors slamming out in the parking area his ears perk up and he heads out to greet them.

Salineno is right on the Rio Grande.  I went down to the river to spot an Osprey and a Great Blue Heron.

Warning!  and, Don't Mind Us Javelinas

Eventually things slowed so we headed on to Falcon Lake State Park.  Usually this is one of my favorite places on the trip, but it just didn't work out all that well this time around.  It was cold, windy, and nothing was blooming.  The butterfly garden I liked to visit produced exactly one butterfly when we pulled up, and then nothing more.  There isn't currently a bird feeding program, and the rec center wasn't open on Sundays.

We saw a few pyrrhuloxia, a couple of roadrunners, and this pack of javelinas crossing the road.

There were quite a few out of sight on both sides of the road.  In this picture, if you look very carefully, you can see two tiny baby javelinas:

Before my brother Dan asks "What's a Pyrrhuloxia?"   Here's a link:

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrrhuloxia

Eventually I dropped Steve at one end of a trail and drove around to the boat launch other end of the trail to wait for him.   The warning sign of the day was this one at the head of the boat launch:

This isn't just a knee jerk warning.  Falcon Lake is a dammed lake on the Rio Grande and you could easily venture into Mexican waters. This was put up after a few incidents on the lake, including the death of a jet skier several years ago.  A couple had taken out jet skies and crossed over into Mexico to take pictures of the ruins of a church under water.  They were not supposed to be there.  The theory is that they were mistaken for spies of a rival drug cartel, and cartel members shot and killed the husband.  His body has never been recovered.   This crime took place in Mexico, so any investigation and arrest is their responsibility.  Two years later there was an arrest, but I wasn't able to find any more current updates.

I wasn't worried as I did not have a boat.

We Hang Out Near/In Libraries a Lot - More importantly so does a Vermillion FlyCatcher

One of the birds we often see at Falcon Lake is the Vermillion Flycatcher.  We had no such luck on Sunday so we headed out and up to Zapata where there is a Vermillion Flycatcher that likes to hang out in the park next to the library.  We pulled up, and there was one right away, and soon two.  I left Steve there and headed over to fill up the car and pick up some tacos and enchiladas at The Taco Company at the Valero/Stripes station.  Is it bad that I really like The Taco Company?

http://www.stripesstores.com/laredo-taco-company/about-laredo-taco-company.cms

So Steve chased birds, we ate lunch at the picnic table, and I read a book.  A truck pulled up and out spilled 5 little kids who immediately started running and I swear to you leaping for joy as they headed to the swings.  What fun to see such unbridled excitement for such a simple thing.  Eventually a couple of families were gathered to have a barbecue.

A Night in Rio Grande City and Christmas Lights in Cemeteries 

We debated where to stay as we wanted to be at Salineno early in the morning and there is no (let me repeat, NO) place to stay there or nearby.  We decided that Rio Grande City was the closer option, so headed back down the highway.

I've noted before that down here all the cemeteries are elaborately decorated at Christmas time (and may be at others times of year as far as I know).  As we drove up this morning, we saw several people putting more flowers and decorations out.  And driving back in the evening, we saw that many graves had been decorated with Christmas lights, even twinkling ones!

We knew the Holiday Inn Express there so pulled in and got a room.  We didn't feel like going out to eat, and weren't particularly hungry after our late meal from The Taco Company, and I said I would be fine with a bag of chips.  Steve asked what kind, and I said BBQ.   He headed out.  There was a gas station/convenience store right in front of the hotel so I thought he would be back in five minutes.  Time stretched.  Eventually he returned.  He had gone to three places to find BBQ Chips!  What a man.

Happy New Year! Here's your cold.

Truly nothing meandering to report today.  I started the New Year with a cold.  Nothing more fun than being on vacation, in a hotel, when you feel crummy :-(