After two nights in NOLA, we rented a car and drove east – through eastern Louisiana, Mississippi and into Alabama. We spent the next three nights on Dauphin Island, AL in a condo that was a three minute walk to the beach. We loved this quiet little island with white sand beaches, live oaks and magnolia trees. We saw lots of birds, turtles, crabs and…biting insects.
View from #307 – our 1 bedroom condo at The Inn on Dauphin Island.
The water was a little cold for swimming, but just right for jumping waves.
And the sand was perfect! We all had so much fun playing in the sand.
A group effort!
A view of the beach – check out the Great Blue Heron! It was very used to people and so cool to see it up close. The beak on that bird is terrifying!
Lily is a brave soul! And so is Jon who swam everyday in the ocean.
That’s our condo behind us.
We had a picnic one day but it didn’t last long – the biting insects in the woods were ferocious.
We took a lovely hike in the Audubon Bird Sanctuary. Surprisingly, there were not many bugs here.
We saw magnolia trees….
…and live oak trees. They were both so beautiful!
Freshwater lake full of turtles.
Quite a different understory than we are used to in Iowa!
The girls had so much fun playing in the heated pool. Equipped with goggles and face masks, they are getting more comfortable in the water.
We ate amazing fresh snapper and SHRIMP! Caught that day! In the middle was crawfish pie – we just had to try it. Girls ate mac and cheese. 🙂
My favorite thing to do – walk along the beach.
After 4 days on Dauphin Island, we drove back to Slidell, LA, just outside New Orleans. The reason: a swamp tour of Honey Island. The tour was great, but Jon and I wished we were in a canoe instead of a big power boat!
Cypress trees and and a few Cypress knees – parts of the root that stick out from the water.
Moss hanging from all the trees.
We saw one alligator. He ate a hotdog off our guide’s stick. 🙂
Feral pigs. They are pretty destructive and kind of aggressive. I’d be more scared of them than the alligators!
Last morning in NOLA before catching the train back home. We walked along the river to the Old Mint – the only mint that made both Confederate and Union money.
Taking a break from all the walking and the heat.
The French Quarter is pretty unique – we enjoyed all the iron work and balconies.
Driving back home from Chicago…
Over 9″ the next day! Welcome home!
SylLy Acres 