Lake Charles, Louisiana

Crossing over the Mississippi River

Crossing over Lake Charles on the Calcasieu River Bridge.  The bridge has a vertical clearance

 of 135 feet 

The Calcasieu River passes by the RV Park

Wood Ducks nest in these 55 gallon drums

 

From prairies and coastal marshlands to the sunbaked beaches of Louisiana’s Gulf Coast.  Stretching along 26 miles of scenic shoreline south of Lake Charles, past scenic lakes and through three national wildlife refuges, the Creole Nature Trail offers an all-in-one route to birding, crabbing, fishing, shelling, and wildlife watching. 

Gulf of Mexico

You can still see signs of all the massive destruction from the past hurricanes.  Seems like the hurricanes happen faster than they can rebuild.

Near the Gulf, the combination of fresh and saltwater provides a unique habitat with intertwining ecosystems of coastland and marshland.

The Cameron Ferry crosses the Calcasieu Ship Channel, which connects the Intracoastal Waterway to the Gulf of Mexico.  Be on the lookout for porpoises playing!

Drive your vehicle right on board...50 foot maximum length per vehicle.  

As we waited on the ferry we were entertained by the porpoises.

Birds and a porpoise in the distance

Cold, rainy lunch at the beach

We didn't get any pictures, but we did see lots of different birds, porpoises, beaver, nutria and small alligators.

Lake Charles

Thanksgiving dinner at Landry's Seafood.  They offered a traditional turkey dinner, but we opted for seafood.  Dave had the Mixed Grill which was tilapia, crawfish, stuffed shrimp, broiled shrimp, scallops & a crab cake over dirty rice.  I had Fettuccine with blackened shrimp & a creole alfredo sauce.  Everything was delicious.