Louisiana Girls head West

This year for Mardi Gras, my daughter and I decided to do something a bit different and (gasp) leave the state of Louisiana for some  girls-only adventures. 

After checking Google Flights, and debating over various locations, we decided that the best choice for us was to fly from IAH to Denver, Colorado.  Because of the location of the Houston airport, we stayed in a nearby hotel the night before.  On the way there, we had a layover in Phoenix, AZ; and on the way back, we had a minute layover in Dallas, TX.  Once in Denver, we rented a car and headed to Manitou Springs. 

As soon as we had decided on Colorado, I turned to Pinterest to search  kid-friendly places to visit.  We'd had a decidedly mild winter here in Louisiana, temperatures, rarely dipping near freezing, and my daughter, 7, had no real memories of snow.  I wanted to change this.  One of the best sites I found on Pinterest was that of the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo's giraffe cam.  I was able to check the weather in real time. 

When we got to our hotel, Comfort Inn in Manitou Springs, we checked in, headed back out for some allergy meds (the altitude was messing with my sinus pressure), and picked up a pizza at Domino's.  Then we made the most of the cozy hotel room and inside pool and hot tub. 

The next morning after breakfast, we headed out to the Garden of the Gods.  This is a Colorado park and costs nothing.  The land was donated with the specification that it would always be free to the public.  And it is a magnificent sight to behold.  Start at the visitor's center.   We were surprised that with few exceptions (like the bighorn sheep and the buffalo (bison), there were several native Colorado animals that were also native to Louisiana.  We explored the visitor center and the gift shop before driving across the road to the garden.  There are a few places to rock climb, but overall, most of the rocks are off-limits, especially to novice climbers.  Here's a tip I didn't know:  there are several parking lots around the garden.  I parked in first one I came to.  We walked around for about half an hour before heading back to the car. We did not realize the incline, and there may not have been much of one, it just may have seemed that way to us.  I say that because we were going from a home elevation of  sea level to 6,358' elevation.  Also, because an elderly man was pushing his wife in a wheelchair ahead of us with no problems, but my very athletic daughter and I were huffing and puffing.

Remember I wanted to make sure my daughter saw snow? I needn't have worried about this.  There was snow on the ground in several places, but I had wanted to make sure, so I had booked the only train that runs during winter, the Broadmoor Cog Railway.  In the winter, the railway only goes as far as they can go, that is, as far as the track can be cleared.  We were able to go a bit past the halfway point and were able to stop and get out at one point.  We were able to play in the snow, which my daughter and I both enjoyed.  We could see Pike's Peak, but we did were no able to summit the mountain, however we knew we wouldn't be going to the summit well in advance.  We literally stopped when we met a wall of snow.  The train ride was very informative, as well.  Did you know that America the Beautiful was written by a woman?  I didn't.  Turns out Katharine Lee Bates wrote the lyrics after being inspired by the sights that lay before her from Pike's Peak.  And I can see why.  When we came to a certain area, an entire side of the train collectively made a sound of awe.  Seats are assigned randomly, but if you happen to be on the side with 3 seats, you're on the side with the best view.

We headed back into Manitou Springs for a quick, late lunch at Sahara Café.  Now, the first thing my daughter noticed was that one of the employees went into the basement.  Again, we live at sea level, which means, she's never seen a basement before.  She was ah-mazed.  The café has Greek food, coffee, and ice cream.  It doesn't seem like that should work, but it does.  The  best part, other than the food, though, was that our server ended up being from our general area.

Then it was time to head to the Cave of the Winds for our 4:00 tour.  I think our tour guide's name was Sara.  She was really entertaining.  I'd seen stalactites and stalagmites before, around San Antonio, when I was around 4, so it'd been awhile.  Seeing remnants of explorers' ladders and tunnels and one of the darkest places on earth were all amazing things to share with my daughter.  By this time, I'd also exhausted the battery on my phone and left my camera in the car, so at the end of the tour when w were given the option of buying a USB with our picture (taken at the entrance of the caves) that included other pictures and videos), I jumped at the chance. This was probably my favorite souvenir.

The next day I woke up not feeling well, so before we went anywhere, we headed to an urgent care in Colorado Springs.  One thing about driving in Colorado:  roads are well marked and signs are easy to follow.  One thing that was truly baffling for a state where marijuana is legal and mountain roads are plentiful:  the lack of guardrails.

For our last full day in Colorado, we spent a few hours at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.  Remember the link I posted earlier?  We sent it to several family members, found the camera, and were able to wave to them over the world wide web.  Not only were most of the exhibits unique, but everywhere we looked there was a simply stunning vista. There is also a ride that looks like a ski lift that was only open on the weekends ( I missed this online or I would've gone the day before). You can also drive into the zoo up to the Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun, which I didn't know either, and honestly I wasn't feeling well at this point.  If they upgrade the parts of the zoo that are still in the "old-school" style, this zoo will truly be one of the best in the country, along with being the only mountain zoo. 

After leaving the zoo, we headed to Denver, spent the night near the airport, and spent the next day exploring Denver before flying out at 4.  Around 2, it really started snowing, so not only  did we get to see snow on the ground, we also got to see it coming down, as well.  Denver and the general airport area were both easy to navigate, everyone we encountered was friendly and welcoming, and we had a wonderful time.  Honestly, it felt a bit like Louisiana in the mountains. 
-Till next time, Colorado!

A different list about Louisianians...

So...lots have been written about being from Louisiana. Much of it true, but much I'd never heard of:
1.) We're not all from New Orleans.
2.) Some of us have never (gasp) even been to New Orleans.
3.) We don't have to go to New Orleans to celebrate Mardi Gras.
4.) However, if we're talking about Saints, it's usually not the Catholic kind.
5.) We don't have to have gone to LSU to like the Bayou Bengals.
6.) Most of us have survived at least one hurricane.
7.) We don't all speak French, but we can all pronounce French last names. Silent "T's" really aren't that difficult.
8.) We don't do snow. Stop making fun of us because we can't drive in it. None of us have snow tires. It only happens every few years.
9.) We do have festivals for darn near everything.
10.) Back to Mardi Gras--if you're from SETX, don't bother coming to shop on Mardi Gras in Lake Charles. Stores close early. Also, check out Creole, Mamou, and Lafayette for some awesome Marsi Gras celebrations.
11.)Most of our state is very natural and there's lots of water. We like it that way.
12.) Until the first hard freeze, bug spray is the perfume of choice.
13) Even with the mosquitoes, and muddy water at the coast, we still love living here.
14.) Because, hello, you can get it shipped, I guess, but you can't get fresh crawfish or king cake anywhere else. And...
15.) If you've ever had real Cajun or Creole (and yeah, there's a difference) food in Louisiana, you'll be able to recognize how it's not REALLY the same thing out of state.
16.)We know not to mess with alligators. Because if you don't mess with them & their babies (btw, like one of the only reptiles who do that) they don't mess with you. They're afraid of you. We also know not to feed them. Because when you feed them, Florida happens. That's why we've had not a single human killed by an alligator in Louisiana History.
17.) We are usually friendly people and will respect that you have your opinions, please listen to the reasons we have to support ours. For instance--hunting. Most hunters are also big conservationists. They want healthy wildlife. They want the ecosystem to survive. However, that only applies to native species. The nutria rat was a mistake import. It was brought in because beavers were being hunted too much--we learned our lesson, sadly with both animals. While they've both prevailed, the nutria has destroyed much of our shore protection. Protection we need for hurricanes. And our native animals' numbers are dwindling because nutria are eating their food. So, yes, there's a bounty on nutria.
18.) We are a strong, resilient people. We like our home state.
19.) Different areas of the state are DIFFERENT. I went to college with some women from northwes Louisiana. They don't close anything for Mardi Gras and had never heard of boudin (they were missing out!)
20.) We are very welcoming people. It's not uncommon to be invited in for lemonade, tea, or a cup of Community Coffee.

Gator Country

This past weekend, these Louisiana girls decided to go west and get touristy in nearby Texas, specifically Beaumont. My family is a fan of a show on PBS called The Daytripper. After watching the episode on Beaumont, we had a new found respect for Jason's Deli and a desire to check out Gator Country.

So, here's the thing about Gator Country:  There's a website. There's even a FB page. There is not, however, a sign to tell you which exit to take when you're traveling eastbound I-10. It is, however, right off the interstate, and if you pass it up, you'll see it just north of the interstate--if you're paying attention. I'll confess right here that I've traveled this particular stretch of I-10 countless times and never noticed Gator Country.

To get to Gator Country from Louisiana, take I-10E to exit 838. Take a right (head north) after you exit. Then keep an eye out on the left. It's not far, and there are signs where you turn.

Here's a tip: bring swimwear & towels, especially for any children. And be aware there's a gift shop with stuffed animals, soft drinks, and various Gator Country memorabilia.

Upon walking through a plywood cutout of a gator's mouth, we walked onto a boardwalk. Alligators were abundant in the water below. On the front porch, there's a large, fake gator, perfect for taking pictures--just be sure not to sit on its head. There are also a couple of, well bored-looking, raccoons. They had a pool, some food, and an LSU hammock for the raccoons. And their keeper may have been hanging out just out of view, but they really did look bored and like they were trying to get out.

Once inside, we paied--for 2 adults & a 4-year-old, and a small brown bag of dog food to feed the gators--it was a little over $40. This seemed a bit high to me, especially considering you can visit a zoo and see a live animal show for considerably less. However, they did have a snake collection to rival any zoo. They had several albino snakes, including a very large Burmese python. Gator Country is also home to an African Rock Python, one of the world's most aggressive snakes. Theirs is around 3 years old and was probably under 6 feet--they grow up to around 20 feet. They had two venomous snakes that I saw--a copperhead and a water moccasin (cottonmouth), several lizards, and alligators (of course) and two crocodiles. Their labeling could use some attention as not everything was labeled, though. They also had a couple mammals, namely hedgehogs & a chinchilla.

We missed the beginning of the 2:00 show, but did see most of it. The volunteers that were doing the show seemed very knowledgeable about and comfortable with the snakes they handled. I noticed a few bits of information they were probably misinformed about, namely the largest alligator on record (it was, in fact, 19 feet, caught in Louisiana in 1890s and not weighed). But on the whole, the show was very entertaining, educational, and informative.

After a brief intermission, the volunteer led us out to the pond to see the famed Big Al---the biggest alligator on property. I believe he also stated that Big Al is the heaviest alligator in captivity in Texas. Once again, the volunteer was entertaining and informative. And Big Al was Big Al. He's pretty impressive.

Once Big Al's part in the show was over, we headed to a concrete pool. This is the part that you need a swimsuit for; it's also the part we knew nothing about.

You can swim with alligators. Yes, you read that right. You can swim with alligators. The gators are small, probably 3-4 feet, and their mouths are taped shut. They seemed to only be used for one group of people and then returned to their inside enclosures. We were going to let our daughter join the throng of kids in the pool, right up until we saw that the pool was at least waist-deep for children who looked around 5' tall. They all got soaking wet--Gator Country does sell t-shirts if you want to dress your child in dry clothing once they're done swimming. But I had no desire for my child to get soaking wet and drive back to Louisiana. Swimming with alligators did make the entrance fee seem less steep. I mean, where else can you do that?

In between the inside and outside sections of Gator Country, there's a large playground. However, it was so hot the day we went, I was worried that the slides would be too hot for little legs.

We stopped along a couple of the raised walkways and threw dog food to the alligators. Once again, where else can you legally do this? The gators were used to this and, though there didn't seem to be any confrontations over food, they were all very interested in it. I can definitely see why this is illegal in the wild.

All in all, it was a pretty good experience, save for not knowing about the wet activity. Gator Country really should put some funds into a brochure or pamphlet for the Texas Tourist stops in Beaumont & Orange. It would definitely increase their traffic.

Now, just a word about alligators. If you want some reputable information about them, visit or contact a wildlife refuge, specifically Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge in Grand Chenier, Louisiana. The gators in the Baton Rouge Zoo and the world famous San Diego Zoo all came from Rockefeller.

Alligators in the wild are typically not aggressive to humans. The exception is a female with babies around. If a baby feels threatened and calls for help, any female around will respond. This is unusual for reptiles. The lesson here is that if you see a baby alligator, assume its protector is around and leave. Even Big Al, who clearly could've taken the volunteer, should he choose to, simply didn't choose to. The Houston Zoo has even managed to clicker train their white (leucistic, not albino) alligator Blanco. They feature a neat video featuring their training sessions in the reptile house. Blanco is pictured above.

Here's the link to Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge.
Gator Country's website
Gator Country's Facebook Page

Moody Gardens--Palm Beach & the Aquarium Pyramid-- Galveston Island, Texas

Going to Galveston for the weekend means a visit to Galveston Island's newer landmarks, the pyramids @ Moody Gardens.  We found out that when you stay at the Hotel at Moody Gardens, you get passes for Palm Beach, which was awesome, since I'd planned on bringing my daughter there anyway. 

So, thanks to Maw Maw & Paw Paw, my daughter & I were able to partake in some of the water activities Palm Beach has to offer.  Now, if I haven't said it before, my daughter is a water baby.  She loves water and always has.  We have gone to the local mini-water park a couple times a week during the summer for the past couple summers.  Moody Gardens is like a mini-water park on steroids.  It isn't Schlitterbahn or a Six Flags Water Park, but it is more than the community water parks that seem to be springing up everywhere.

It also doesn't hurt that it is on Galveston Bay, so you can also do a bit of nature watching.  We saw countless seagulls fishing, but what was really exciting was the brown pelicans we saw searching for a meal. 

For a beginning of the season Saturday, it was surprisingly uncrowded.  We did the lazy river a couple times, played in the wave pool, and enjoyed the slides for the shorter kids, as my daughter didn't meet the height requirements for the two big slides.  We also ate lunch at Palm Beach.  I'm not sure if we were just really hungry, but the shish-ka-bobs we got were delish.

After a couple hours we were ready to go.  Palm Beach isn't really an all-day thing for young kids.  So, here's the low-down.  They have bathrooms, complete with showers, so if you're not staying at the Hotel, go ahead and bring shampoo to get that chlorine out. They also have lockers for rent.  And they have free (first come, first served) life jackets for kids.  Lockers are rented and life jackets are available in the gift shop, near the entrance. 

Here's the Palm Beach page on Moody Garden's website:
http://www.moodygardens.org/seasonal_fun/palm_beach/

The next day, before heading out of Galveston, my daughter, mother, & I checked out the Aquarium Pyramid.  I was the only one who had ever been before.  Both Mom & my daughter seemed to have a really good time.

Their penguin and their seal/sea lion exhibits are both multi-storied, letting you get different views of the animals.  The animals in both of these exhibits came right up to the glass and seemed interested in the humans on the other side.

There were all the usual suspects you'd expect in an aquarium, including several species of sharks, which kids were encouraged to find.  My daughter was given a handout with all the species of shark and a box next to them to be stamped when we located that particular species.  Even at 3, she really enjoyed doing that.  Or at least, she enjoyed the stamping.

Another exhibit we both enjoyed was the touch pool.  We both got to touch a sea star, and I got to tickle a pencil sea urchin.  It was a truly unique experience and one I highly recommend.

It took a couple hours to see everything, but again, not a full day event. If you do plan to stay at Moody Gardens for a full day, there are passes available that let you partake in all that Moody Gardens has to offer.

Here's the Aquarium Pyramid page:
http://www.moodygardens.org/attractions/aquarium_pyramid/

And here's the ticket info:
https://secure4.gatewayticketing.com/MoodyGardens/Content.aspx?Kind=LandingPage&merchant=OC&CG=TI&C=Aquarium&__utma=1.1566542156.1369835063.1369835063.1370446212.2&__utmb=1.2.10.1370446212&__utmc=1&__utmx=-&__utmz=1.1370446212.2.2.utmcsr=moodygardens.com|utmccn=(referral)|utmcmd=referral|utmcct=/&__utmv=-&__utmk=264279055

Moody Gardens is a definite must-see spot on Galveston Island!

Pleasure Pier, Galveston Island, Texas

This past weekend we had a mini-family reunion of sorts.  My cousin graduated from UT Medical School.  His proud parents rented a huge house in Galveston for the event.  While it couldn't contain everyone (my parents stayed at the Moody Gardens hotel), my daughter & I stayed with the rest of the family.

The house was a couple blocks away from the Gulf of Mexico and 7/10 of a mile away from one of Galveston's newer attractions, Pleasure Pier.

Our day had already been eventful, especially for a mom & a 3 year old.  We'd gotten up early and headed over to Moody Gardens, where we'd spent the morning at Palm Beach.  Then we went back to visit with family and rest before heading to the famed Sand Castle Contest on East Beach in the afternoon and early evening.

So, it was around 8:30 that we started the walk to Pleasure Pier.  My mother came with us, and we ambled along Seawall Boulevard, stopping in a couple stores, before reaching the pier.

There were a couple rides my daughter was just too short for, but I'd done my research and visited Pleasure Pier's website.  I knew there were several rides she was the required height for, so when it came time to purchase a ticket, I bought her the pass.  Some rides I would have to go on, as well, so I bought myself a pass, too.  Here's the thing--to go on the pier, you must have at least a walk-on pass.  Walk-on passes start at $10 for adults (over 48"), $8 for kids (under 48"), and $7 for seniors (must have ID).  Rides start at $4.  But the unlimited ride passes are $26.99 for adults, $19.99 for kids, no senior discount.  We got there late, but my daughter still got to ride everything she was tall enough to ride.  In hindsight, I probably could have gotten away with a walk-on pass and tickets to ride what I need to ride with her.  Lesson learned.  However, it was much cheaper to do the unlimited for her, especially since it allowed her to ride her favorite--kid-sized bumper cars--three times in a row.

Most of the rides are lit up, but the icon of the pier is definitely the ferris wheel. It's all the way at the end of the pier and definitely not something to miss. It was nice to sit down for a bit, though we spent more time hanging in the air, waiting for others to get on or off, than we did making rotations.  Because it was at night, I can only imagine how amazing it would've been during the day, over the water, that high up.  They also had a pretty good band playing (I thought it was recorded music until I saw the musicians). 

Pleasure Pier had typical carnival games--Guess Your Age or Weight, Ring Toss, etc.  We bypassed all of these in favor of the rides.  We also did not eat at Pleasure Pier, though besides typical carnival foods, it is also the location of Bubba Gump's.  They even had a Gump's on the Run (to-go orders).  You did not need to purchase any kind of pass to get food from Bubba Gump's. 

All in all, I'm glad we decided to check out Pleasure Pier. My daughter had a fabulous time. One warning--watch out for Pirate's Plunge.  Even walking too close could leave you soaked. 

Here's the website.  I definitely recommend checking it out before you go. 
http://www.pleasurepier.com/index.html

The Houston Zoo

So...these Louisiana girls packed up and headed to Texas for a couple days.  We had not been to the Houston Zoo since right before my daughter turned two...we were overdue for a trip.

The Houston Zoo has upped its prices in recent years, but with good reason.  It really is an awesome zoo.  Some things haven't changed.  The reflection pool and the lion water fountain are favorites from my youth that can still be found.  But Houston has also dome some major upgrades.

After entering the zoo and donating an extra $4 for bracelets that read LION (my daughter) and TIGER (me), we headed to the Ethel G. and Allen H. Carruth Natural Encounters Building.  My daughter had a fabulous time in here.  She got to duck into dark caves and crawl through tunnels that were surrounded by water.  Some of the exhibits were closed for "remodeling" and there was an odd front porch that was just kind of there.  But overall, it was a nice building that I am sure is very popular during the humid Houston late spring, summer, and early fall.  We went on a weekday in January, and it still had a fair number of people looking at exhibits.

Because of the temperature and because it was a weekday, we were able to see everything we wanted to in just a few hours.  All in all, it was an enjoyable experience.  Houston has a world-class zoo.  The zoo has a FB page that updates daily.  They also have a youtube channel, and, of course, a website.  This summer my daughter is going to be attending a half-day camp (they start at age 4), so I'm sure I'll post some more about the zoo then. :-)
Houston Zoo on YouTube  The Houston Zoo website

Christmas Lights in Natchitoches, LA

The Christmas lights in Natchitoches are why our camping trip took a decidedly road-trip turn.  I hadn't been to Natchitoches to see them since the 1998 Christmas Festival, and my husband & daughter had never seen them.

We missed Christmas Fest by one day.  I was okay with that.  The crowd was much thinner.  And there were no fireworks to convince our border collie that THE WORLD WAS ENDING!

We arrived in Natchitoches about an hour and a half before sundown.  After getting a snack, we headed out to Front Street with the dogs.  We parked down by the water, walked around, and waited for the sun to go down.

Let me tell you, Hodges Gardens has nothing on Natchitoches.  The water towers have Natchitoches labeled as the City of Lights, and with good reason.  Cane River Lake's two bridges were decorated.  There were light displays on the banks of the lake opposite Front Street, and some light displays right where we were. And they were magnificent. 

Something that was rather new to me was the fact that the carriage house was open, and there are now horse-drawn carriage tours of Natchitoches, though I'm not sure whether this was just for Christmas Fest or something being done year round. 

Natchitoches is just beautiful any time of year, and after dark, the light display during the month of December is just amazing. 

One note--if you bring your dog(s), be prepared for the fact that it seemed like more food hit the ground than made it to people's mouths the day before.  We had to constantly make sure none of that food was making its way into our pups' mouths. 

If you've never been, the drive to Natchitoches is definitely worth it.  Just don't forget to visit Lasyone's and get a meat pie!

http://www.christmasfestival.com/
Also, the good hotels book up, so if you don't live in reasonable driving distance, make your reservations early!