Grand Isle State Park

As I slept at the campground at Grand Isle State Park a wind blew rain in from the Gulf of Mexico. My tarp was inadequate. Jay has the tent, and I won’t meet him for another week or so. Some of my clothing and sleeping bag got a little wet. Though it wasn’t a big deal, it was a little annoying.

At 6:30 in the morning a little unseen critter woke me up and I rose to greet the day. This was the first night outside and I enjoyed it. I had pleasant dreams. I went for a walk on the beach and later on a pier.

As I walked out onto the pier, I briefly saw movement in the water before it disappeared again. I thought it might be a seal. As I continued to walk, it revealed itself as a dolphin. Soon more appeared and pretty soon I was surrounded by dolphins. The ocean swells surged underneath around the pier posts and all around the fins of the dolphins sliced upwards, broke the surface and then re-submerged. Pelicans and gulls were in the air. Out to sea, were some deep water platforms that I assumed were drilling for oil. I felt connected to Louisiana with its many faces and cultures and conflicting but interconnected issues. The ocean spoke to me.

Yesterday I met another motorcyclist from Baton Rouge who was headed to Grand Isle. Her name is Erin and she was enjoying her new motorcycle. We had both taken the same “wrong” turn that was of course led us to meet. We rode the rest of the way down Rt.1 to Grand Isle State Park. After setting up camp and writing my thoughts for the day, I went over and visited her. Her parents were camped in an RV and they were all very comfortable. It was nice to make these connections.

Erin and her mom gave me the idea to visit Big Bend National Park in Texas. So that’s where I’m headed next.