Spring Beach Day

Sandy had Saturday off, so we decided to take Alex to the beach.  We left around 630 in the morning and made it to Fort Fisher State Recreation Area a little after 9.  First, we got Alex's passport stamped at the visitor center.

Then we set off on the Basin Trail, starting off through a maritime forest.  The dense trees, stunted by the harsh environment made a tunnel to hike through.

The trail then popped out at an open beach area adjacent to where 4WD vehicles can access the beach.  It was really windy in this open area and kind of a relief when the trail headed back into the woods.  The trees and shrubs really made a difference.  We passed through a beautiful salt marsh, traversing much of it on a long boardwalk.

After the second boardwalk, we made it to the WWII bunker.

From 1956 to 1972, Robert Harrill, the Fort Fisher hermit, lived in this bunker, surviving off oysters and other food he could scavenge and his death is still a mystery.  Right past here, Sandy spotted some yaupon holly with its bright red berries.

Continuing on, we had more nice views of the salt marsh.

Several birds were flying over head, having some difficulty in the strong winds.

It was another quarter-mile or so to the end of the trail and an overlook into Zeke's Island Reserve.

We enjoyed the view from here and then started making our way back.

Heading out onto the beach, it was really windy, but aside from that, it was a really beautiful day.

It was close to high tide, so we walked close to the water.  Alex had fun chasing the waves - he tried not to get his paws wet, but got as close as possible.

He also tried to catch some sea foam whipping about in the wind.  We went about 2 miles down and then turned back as it was so windy.

Back at the car, we made the short drive to Carolina Beach State Park.  Again, we stopped at the visitor center to get Alex's passport stamped and then parked at the Flytrap Trail parking.

It was really crowded here as the weather was beautiful.  We started out on the Flytrap Trail and I took Sandy to see the Venus Flytraps as she had never seen them here before.

Also made a quick stop to see the pitcher plants.

Then we took Swamp Trail to Sugarloaf Trail to start a big loop around the park.  The trail was really sandy and it was a beautiful white sand.

Soon, we passed three aptly-named limesink ponds.  The first was Grass Pond and this one was more grass than pond.

Shortly after, we came to Lily Pond.  This pond had more water though most was covered in water lilies, through it was too early for blooms.

Next, we came to Cypress Pond, which was more of a swamp with many cypress trees.

All three were close to one another yet very distinct.  After passing the ponds, we continued a ways and turned onto Sand Live Oak Trail, the newest trail in the park.  This looping trail had some surprisingly steep sections heading up and over the dunes.  There were several spots with nice views of the river and I spotted some young longleaf pines with candles growing out of the top.

They'll soon hit a growth spurt and really gain some height.  Near the end of Sand Like Oak Trail, we went out to a nice spot on the river.

Looking upstream an old barge had washed up against the beach, perhaps in one of the recent storms.

Then we climbed up to the top of Sugarloaf Dune.

Heading back, we continued on Sugarloaf Trail and made a detour on Oak Toe Trail.

This short trail leads out to Marsh Overlook on Cape Fear River.

Continuing on, where Sugarloaf Trail intersects with Swamp Trail, we turned left and followed the combined trails past a beautiful tidal swamp.

Right past here was another scenic spot on Cape Fear River and we took one last little break here to enjoy the view.

We continued towards the marina and saw some yellow jessamine flowering.

From here, it was just a short walk from the marina back to our parking area.

On the way home, we stopped for dinner at Rucker Johns in Wilmington and had dinner outside with Alex.

Bike Trails at Medoc Mountain

For St. Patrick's Day, Sandy and I took Alex for a hike to Medoc Mountain State Park.  We left around 730 arriving a little before 9.  The visitor center wasn't open yet, so we did a short loop around the Air Awareness Trail.  By the time we finished, it had opened and I got Alex's passport stamped.

From here, we crossed the street and picked up Bear Swamp Trail.  It starts out in an open area next to the road then descends gradually to a crossing of Bear Swamp Creek on a big bridge.

Past here, the trail led to a split at the Saponi Mountain Bike Trail.  This trail is one way for bikers and the opposite direction for hikers, so we went right.  The trail then joined with Dam Site Loop and we came to the old dam site shortly after.

The bike trail continued on for another couple miles, coming to a bridge, where Pyrite Trail picked up on the other side.  These biking trails are new since the last time I visited, so we crossed and followed this long and windy loop for about 5 miles.  We stopped and sat at an old dead tree for a snack and gave Alex a treat.  Then we finished up the loop, crossing the bridge to finish up Saponi Loop.  Before we headed back, we took Dam Site Loop Trail where it split away from Saponi Trail and then came to Summit Loop Trail at Little Fishing Creek.

Turning left, we made the steep climb up the mountain to the summit at 325 feet above sea level.  There's a big tree and a couple benches here for us to take a short break and enjoy the view.

Then we headed back down.  On the way back, I noticed a number of trout lilies blooming along the forest floor.

I don't know how I missed them on the way out - there were a lot.

Maybe the very chilly weather was distracting.  After some pictures, we made our way back to the car and drove home.

The Big Easy

Friday, I couldn't wait to get out of the hotel.  Since I went to bed early, I woke up early too and was able to catch the sunset from my room.

Then I checked out as quickly as possible and headed west on I-10 towards New Orleans.  I wanted to visit the French Quarter, but didn't want to deal with the traffic and parking.  So I parked at Crescent Park, with ample safe and free parking and walked into the city.  Crescent Park is a linear park, essentially a greenway trail along the river leading to the French Market.  There were a few joggers and dog walkers, but otherwise not crowded at all.  In a short ways, I passed by the rusty rainbow, a pedestrian bridge over the railroad tracks that leads to another parking area.

Climbing steeply up, the views of the New Orleans skyline were great from across the river.

Further on, I spotted some cormorants perched on posts sticking out of the river.

At the other end of the park, I crossed a pedestrian bridge over the railroad and street to the French Market and it was just a short ways further to the French Quarter.

Unlike Crescent Park, this area was extremely crowded, but it was such a nice day, who wouldn't want to be walking about?  Jackson Square, one of New Orleans' most famous parks, was a great spot to sit and enjoy the nice weather.

A statue of Andrew Jackson on horseback was in the center of the square and behind it was the beautiful St. Louis Cathedral.

A few blocks over was Bourbon Street, New Orleans most famous street.

Early in the morning, it wasn't too busy and most bars weren't open yet, but Fat Tuesday was.  Like Wet Willie's in Savannah, this bar mainly sold high-alcohol frozen drinks.  And like Savannah, drinking in public is allowed.  So I got Victoria's Secret to go and enjoyed the beautiful weather with a cold drink.  After I finished my drink, I went to Voodoo Authentica to pick Sandy up a souvenir and got her a voodoo doll.  Then I started making my way back.  There was some type of Irish festival going on, a week early for St. Paddy's day.

Heading back via Crescent Park, I enjoyed one more view of the city from across the river and then made it back to the car.

I drove south to Barataria Preserve, part of Jean Lafitte National Historic Park and Preserve.  Parking at the visitor center, I got on the boardwalk Palmetto Trail leading through the Louisiana swamp.

There was a lot of wildlife along this trail.  Near the start, I saw an otter, but he disappeared in the swampy waters before I could get a picture.  And towards the end, I watched two raccoons dart across the trail.

Palmetto Trail ends after about a mile at another parking lot and I got on Bayou Coquille Trail from here.  This trail follows a natural levee and starts dry, becomes swampy and ends at a marsh.

I spotted my first alligator here as the ground turned to swamp.

Fortunately, it's a boardwalk so they can't get the pedestrians.  There was also a lot of Spanish moss along the trees here.

Where the trail ended at Lower Kenta Canal, Marsh Overlook Trail turned to the right.

This area was more of a marsh but there were a few trees here, draped in Spanish moss.

Views of the canal were very nice.

At one point, I saw a great egret in the canal.

At the end of the boardwalk was a bridge leading over the canal at the point of convergence.  To the north, was Upper Kenta Canal.

Looking south, I could see where Lower Kenta and Pipeline Canals come together.

Across the bridge was an overlook out on the expanse of marsh.

I climbed down from the overlook to get one more view of the canals.

Then I headed back on Marsh Overlook Trail.

Right where I turned back onto Bayou Coquille Trail, I saw a little skink scurry across the trail.

At the next parking area, I took Palmetto trail back towards the visitor center.  Near the start, I made a short detour on Visitor Center Trail that leads out to a small overlook on the marsh.

Along here, I spotted another alligator, this one was missing its front right paw.

Then I slowly started making my way back to the car, stopping for a view of the swamp before concluding my hike.

I started heading back to my last hotel, but made a stop for one more short hike at Twin Canals, just up the road.  A half-mile trail runs between two canals out to Kenta Canal.  The twins were scenic in the late afternoon light.

It was a short and easy stroll out to the end where the two canals end at Kenta Canal.

On the way back, I saw some fleabane blooming along the trail.

And right near the trailhead, I spotted a spiderwort.

Back at the car, I was done with my last hike of the trip.

Heading back into New Orleans, the traffic was really bad.  I checked into the Comfort Inn by the airport and got packed up for a very early flight home.