Birds, Armadillos and Farl Cats

Farl is LA speak for feral. We are at Lake Fausse Pointe State Park in the bayou area of the Atchafalaya Delta. We drove along the levees for many miles to get here. We had a couple of armadillos in our campsite last night which were absolutely unconcerned about our lights shining on them. Snuffle, dig, rustle, shuffle. What wonderful works of nature they are. Also loud hoots from a barred owl. We have camper neighbors from LA who invited us to share their campfire last night, friendly and chatty. While still in TX, we drove through Aransas Wildlife Refuge and saw two Whooping Cranes in a low tidal flat. We have seen several birds for the first time on this trip. Padre Island NP, we saw white tailed hawks, snow geese, and snipes. An amazing birding location helped along by two knowledgeable volunteers on a bird sighting drive and walk. Other sightings include: kestrel, falcon, myriad ducks, geese, herons, pelicans - both brown and white, northern harriers, many caracara. Although I gave up biking across the USA due to unsafe road conditions, I still try to include lots of activity time. This trip into the delta area is a bonus that we would not have been able to take the time for, as I would still be biking in TX. I am going to re entertain the goal of doing the east Coast, Canada to Key West. The Eastcoast Greenway is an organization and a route. Approximately 30% of the bike right of way is on green space dedicated to bike and pedestrian use. Several years ago, I completed from Bar Harbor to Portsmouth, NH about 350 miles. A couple of advantages: Much of the route is close to home and can be accessed in a day or two. We head south in the winter and I will be able to bike from NC to Key West in January and February depending on current conditions. And, a biggie, the speed limit will not be 75 MPH. in West Texas, some of the cars were going a tad faster, I suspect.