Gators and Fishing Poles - Louisiana

Kayak, gator, pictures...what could go wrong?

After leaving the Lonestar State, Louisiana was up next in our eastward migration and continuing quest to leave the space heater and warm clothes packed away. All we really “knew” about Looseeanna previous to our meandering was “N’Awlins, crawfish ‘n’ swamps.” While we did hit two of those three (Sorry, Bourbon Street fans), we discovered there’s a bit more to the Creole State.

After camping on a few lakes/bodies of water and talking to a lot of folks fishing, we started to get curious. We took the opportunity in Shreveport to shop in the Barksdale Air Force Base BX and grab the adult version of “snoopy poles” (and a haircut since the only cut we seem to know between us is a mohawk). Luckily, we bought the poles AFTER our first big dinosaur (aka gator) adventure or there’s a good chance we would've hooked the sunning beast and made it an even more dramatic experience. But...let’s back up a second.

There’s some crazy stuff in the woods at Barksdale.

We got into the Barksdale Famcamp and got on the mountain bikes for a quick exploration. A few miles away we found the access points to Flagg Lake. It looked like a great spot to explore in our kayaks - especially since there were lots of trees in the water and places to duck in and out and escape the wide open lake. So, the next morning, we set out in our boats. As we were launching, we talked to a nice guy who was teaching a couple of teens to fish (this chat might’ve been tilted the balance in favor of the snoopy poles). He informed us that it was still too early in the year to see any gators, but maybe keep an eye out for snakes if the sun made an appearance.

Paddling off, we were playing in the cypress trees (they grow out of the water) and near the shore - snake country - but luckily we didn't see any. We got to a section of slightly more open water near the northern side of the lake...and promptly saw a good sized gator sunning on top of some downed trees, perhaps keeping an eye out for some deer that might want to take a drink. Someone (who might have been in a red boat) had to get a closer look and a good photo and hence drifted close, like really close, to the dino’s perch. After sending a Snapchat or two, the gator decided he’d had enough of that nonsense and startlingly quickly slipped into the water. That was like a starting gun at a triathlon for Dean. He zoomed away paddles flying like hummingbird wings. As he passed Dawn he hollered "don't have to beat the gator...only have to outpaddle you!" Thankfully the giant leezard left us in peace and not piece(s), but gave some adrenaline-infused fun. To celebrate our first gator sighting we decided to cast our doubts away and get hooked up with some beginner fishing poles since the south was looking like fishing country with its frequent lakes/bayous/rivers.

Next we jumped sites down to Kisatchie National Forest campground on Lake Kincaid. Cool site - right on the Wild Azalea Trail, on a lake with fishing piers and a boat dock...winning. This site was tailor made to lure us into tackling our first attempt at kayak-fishing. Yea gawds.

No fish caught, but we’ll just settle for the scenery.

It took some time to figure out how to string a pole; let’s just say that neither or us are good with knots and there was much sharing of the reading glasses/magnifying glass. We finally launched the boats and cast our lines into the water. Dawn promptly made a bird’s nest of her fishing line (bad cast), but after we got that resolved we spent a lovely morning drifting in the boats “trolling” for fish. Don’t ask what type of fish or what lures (we have no clue). Still, it was a nice day out there, even if we didn’t get a single nibble (assuming submerged logs don’t count). Glutton's for punishment, that evening we walked to the campground fishing pier to toss our lines out again, and again the fish eluded us, but we enjoyed a gorgeous evening. And to all those fish that were jumping and frolicking all around where we were casting? Well, grumble, grumble, grumble.

A campground neighbor told us about some mountain bike trail options, so the next day we hopped on the mountain bikes and rode a great loop trail that tagged part of the Azalea Trail. There were ups and down, some muddy wet spots/water crossings, scenic views of lakes and swamps, dogwoods and azaleas and wildflowers starting to do their thing. All in all, a great day in the Louisiana woods. We were just at the early side of mosquito season, so that was a win as well. Gotta love a ride that required us to hose off both bikes and ourselves!

We weren’t quite done with the Looseeanna gator pursuit, so we headed further south to Palmetto Island State Park near Abbeville, they have a magnificent canoe/kayak trail that leads between ponds. We paddled between trees and palmettos watching out for snakes (still none!) and gators (saw several!) and just listening to the sounds of a new (for us) environment. On a rainy day we toured the Tabasco Factory (on Avery Island, the only place in the world where Tabasco is made) - much fun and wow was it tasty. There’s a Jungle Garden scenic loop on the same Avery Island. We hiked instead of driving the loop, partly to stretch our legs and partly as payback for the gluttonous Cajun dinner we had the night before! Seriously, if you’re ever in or near Abbeville, go to Shuck’s. We recommend the oyster sampler, the shrimp and grits, the crab cake, the etouffee, the crawfish, and you simply must get the bread pudding. Just sayin’.

As we coddiwample further east (closing in on crossing back over the mighty Mississippi and eventually to the Eastern Time Zone), there are waaaaay more roads, “civilized” areas, and pay-to-camp options and much fewer opportunities for boondocking/free camping. This is cramping our free-wheeling no-planning-ahead style of just trusting that we’ll find public land or a state/national agency campground. So we’re adjusting fire as we go. We still try to wing it as much as possible, but now find ourselves planning a few days in advance now (sooo much pressure and stress!). And, horror of horrors, it means we occasionally have to know what day/date it is now! We still try to let chaos rule our adventures as much as possible.