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Carlsbad Caverns

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Cave, swallows at Carlsbad Caverns. 

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Destination:Tucson Carlsbad Caverns, NM

Getting to Carlsbad Caverns was a lesson in patience. But I finally got there. The area right before the park is designed for the tourists. It has a very Old West feel to it. There is a line of stores with an old timey facade, and a cool looking hotel across the street. Of course I stopped, I love souvenir shops, and the one here had some beautiful knives , decorated with local stone, by NM crafters. Most of the wares were Native American, pots, jewelry, baskets etc. and very well done. I got some great pics. 

Then , on to the caverns. 

Once inside, they had a visitor center, with educational kiosks for kids, and more gifts, and a cafe. You can take an elevator down, or walk it . I walked it, but it’s definitely long and smells like bat pee, which is putrid. But only for the first leg, then you either get used to it, or the smell goes away. The bats are only there until September, so I didn’t get to see them. I hear it is amazing. I did see a lot of cave swallows , which were very active, and fun to watch. 

The walk down is great, and you get close enough to touch many of the formations. Also, most people take the elevator, so it is very quiet, and you are mostly alone to enjoy. Once you get to the main cavern, they have several loops. It was a truly awe inspiring day. The caverns far exceeded my expectations. I stayed until almost closing. One of the most beautiful places I have ever been....

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Destination:Tucson Texas (sigh)

I’m not going to lie. Texas is a bit difficult for me. Taking I-10 across the almost 900 miles of interstate is mind numbing. That’s why I get off the interstate whenever possible. This trip I decided to visit Carlsbad Caverns. It was a side trip that added about two days onto my trip, but was well worth it. But first you have to make it thru Texas.....

The drive across Texas is dusty, and monotonous. Desert, scrub and oil pumps are almost all you see. And cotton of course. It is a ubiquitous crop in the South, and as soon as you leave Florida , cotton farms start dotting the horizons. Since there are no interstates leading to Carlsbad Caverns, and because this was a bit spontaneous, I ended up driving thru Pecos, Texas. Hands down,  one of the bleakest places I have ever been thru. Oil boomtown, new style. Acres of RVs, semis and 4 x4s, and about a 1 to 100 female to male ratio. No real town, but thousands of people. Shudder. I was very glad to see it in my rear view mirror....

PS..sunsets are amazing here, I imagine because of all the crazy chemicals in the air....

Random cool bridge....

Cotton fields...

Lake front property in Pecos....

Sunset at the rest area....

Road, road, road....

Windmill farm...

Smoke break....

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Destination:Tucson

Biloxi Lighthouse in Mississippi....

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Destination:Tucson Mississippi Miscellaneous

The Biloxi Lighthouse is hard to miss. It is literally in the middle of the road. It is a rather small light, and hard to get to without dodging traffic. But the welcome center is right off the road from it, and there is a historic beach on the other side. The welcome center has a nice gift shop if you need tchotchkes, and there is a historic FRENCH Colonial gravesite on the grounds, the Moran Site, with a pretty little garden, and archaeological information if you are interested. Biloxi Beach (across the street), was the location of several civil-rights era wade-ins to protest the beach segregation in Biloxi, and in the South. Also on the grounds of the welcome center, is a sign commemorating Hurricane Camille and Hurricane Katrina, two of the deadliest and most damaging hurricanes in our history. Next to the sign, is a pole, showing the high water marks from both storms. Having been thru so many hurricanes myself, I found it powerfully moving. Driving the Gulf Coast, you see how the storms have shaped the environment, the architecture and the people......

Biloxi Lighthouse, with welcome center in the background....

Biloxi Beach, site of historic civil rights era wade-ins, protesting beach segregation....

Roadside America, literally.....

Historic FRENCH Colonial cemetery ....

High water marks of Hurricanes Camille and Katrina, on the pole to the right of signs...

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DESTNATION:TUCSON

BILOXI, MISSISSIPPI 

A strange encounter with monarch butterflies....

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Destination:Tucson Biloxi, Mississippi  Strange Encounter in a Weird Place

So, as I was driving along the beach in Biloxi, I saw in the distance what I thought was a lighthouse. As I got closer , I saw that it was in some sort of giant square park, but it had no clear signage, or obvious way in. I could see cars, tho, and some people fishing in the distance, so I knew there had to be a way in. Finally, I found a dirt parking area off to the side, that had access. Holy shit. I am so glad I stopped . It was like a bubble universe in the middle of Biloxi. I saw people fishing, smoking , having sex, living in their cars, drinking, etc. It was crazy. I also saw more monarch butterflies, than I’ve ever seen in one place, in my life. And the tower I thought was a lighthouse was actually....I have no clue. Nor did anyone else I asked thru the day. But I spent the next few hours happily running around, entertaining everyone there with my antics. I took hundreds of photos and quite a few vids...

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Destination:Tucson The Ohr-O’Keefe  Museum of Art Biloxi, Mississippi

Once you leave Florida, the drive thru Alabama and Mississippi is fairly quick. 

When you cross into Mississippi, you soon find yourself in Biloxi. It’s pretty typical of a gambling town, lots of giant hotels and casinos , catering to those with too much money and not enough sense. You will also see many , many homeless folks, and people down on their luck. However, gambling towns usually have great museums. Biloxi has the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art. It’s hard to miss. The multiple buildings making up the museum were designed by Frank Gehry, and are truly fantastic. A combination of red brick , and silver , it made my brain go crazy. I didn’t have time to tour the museum, but I took lots of pics of the buildings and visited the gift shop. The lady running it was really cool, and after chatting , we realized our lives had some bizarre coincidences. We both went to college at the same time in Tallahassee, and used to hang out at some of the same clubs...but I digress. George Ohr was an innovative potter from Biloxi, and the museum is known to have an amazing ceramics center. They also offer all sorts of classes. I noticed Rodrigue, of Blue Dog fame , was having an exhibition in the main gallery, but I just didn’t feel like I had the time. There is so much still to see, and I want to see it all....

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Destination:Tucson The U.S.S. Alabama Memorial Park

The first place I stopped in Alabama was The U.S.S. Alabama Memorial Park. The admission for the park is $6 (I think), and there is an extra fee if you want to tour the Alabama, which is over $20, which was out of my budget. There is a fishing dock, however, where you can get great photos of her , from the water. The rest of the grounds are covered with an amazing collection of aircrafts etc. representing all branches of the military. Overall , a great park , and well worth the entry fee. Aviation and military history buffs will go nuts in this park, so use caution.  I got an incredible amount of good pictures. They also have a beautiful series of war memorials that will make you cry, and a gift shop where you can purchase souvenirs, and tickets to tour the Alabama... 

Mobile , Alabama in the background.... 

Bell from The Alabama....

View from the fishing dock....

Entry to the War Memorials....

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DESTINATION:TUCSON

PORT ST JOE 

LIGHTHOUSE, FLORIDA

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Destination:Tucson  Port St Joe Lighthouse

The next lighthouse I came to ( that I could see) , was the Port St Joe Lighthouse, as you leave Florida and enter Alabama . I could see it from far away, and it was so beautiful , I had to stop. You can just barely see the structure beneath the lights. (I was able to stop during the daytime on my return trip, so I will post pictures of the Lighthouse, the surrounding park, and the marina, in the daylight, when I post the return trip).

#lighthouse

#florida

#roadtrip

#roadsideamerica

#travelphotography

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DESTINATION:TUCSON

Florida Gulf Coast 

Carrabelle Island Beach, training site for D-Day, World War II, on the Gulf Coast of Florida....

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Destination:Tucson  Side note: Gulf Coast Lighthouses

The Gulf Coast has many lighthouses, designed to withstand the crazy hurricanes we get down here. I am not a lighthouse expert , or an expert on anything really, but the designs of these lighthouses are (visually) very interesting. I have spent most of my life on the east coast, and I have a soft spot in my heart for them. So when I am able, I always stop and photograph new ones when I see them. The Crooked River Lighthouse at  Carrabelle Island Beach was my first lighthouse stop, but there were a few more along the way.....

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Destination:Tucson  Heading towards Pensacola

Once you pass thru Wakulla County, Florida, heading west, you come to a lonooooonnnggg stretch of beach. There is free parking , running along side the entire coastline, all the way thru to Alabama. The water is calm and relatively shallow, perfect for swimming or sunning. If you are a photographer, there are a variety of shore birds, and during the fall, there are herds of Monarch butterflies. (I was attacked by a vicious bunch of them in Alabama, but that is a later story). And if you like to fish, you will be in heaven.  There are parks and piers galore, with plenty of ramps if you have a boat....l love the shoreline of this  particular beach, Carrabelle Beach, and you can see Dog Island in the distance. They have a historical marker prominently displayed , telling of its history as a staging ground for D-Day, WWII. I try to stop whenever I see one of these types of signs, as they are a great way to learn about local history , wherever you go.... 

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Destination:Tucson The Gulf of Mexico, Wakulla and Panacea

I love the gulf coast, and having spent time in Tallahassee, I am quite familiar with the north curve. If you like to fish , kayak, or canoe, this is the place for you. Due to the frequency and ferocity of our hurricanes, it is a wild looking and often deserted area. The houses you do see, are designed for high winds, and are usually on stilts. It’s quite an interesting style of architecture, and worth the look. Be aware that the roads are a bit bumpy also, and gas stations are few and far between....

Tree on the beach ....

Under the 98  bridge , Ochlockonee Bay ...

Near Panacea, storm rolling in over Ochlockonee Bay....

Marshlands bordering the Gulf of Mexico.....

Broken turtle at the deserted Welcome Center...

Deserted welcome center in Willkillya County, my first glimpse of the Gulf this trip....

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Destination:Tucson  Fort Fanning in Fanning Springs, Florida

I am always ready to check out old forts, and anything to do with the history of  Indigenous Peoples in Florida . This one was Fort Fanning in Fanning Springs, Florida. It stood above the banks of the Suwannee River, ( I can never hear that name without also hearing my gramma singing that old song, any time we crossed over the river...) and was abandoned after the end of the Second Seminole War. It is mostly just a giant field, with a replica of the fort gate. The town itself is pretty depressing, due mostly to the “corruption” of the current mayor ( I was told this by a local gent walking his dog). Evidently all the money the town has , goes to pay the salaries of his two deadbeat offspring. My source told me that the mayor created jobs for them when he came into office.  Nepotism at its worst. The park across from the fort is neglected and shabby, and covered with bad graffiti. Very sad. But the fort is right on 19 , and easy to stop at. Good spot for picnicking or just stretching your legs....

Suwannee River and abandoned sailboat....

Gate and entrance to park....

Tag in the park across from the fort....

Oak tree in front of the Suwannee River...

Not sure what this is , but they have it on lockdown, so it must be super important....