Palmetto Island State Park

Our poodles have devised an evil trick. They have learned to change their poop to match the exact color of the ground here. They then pretend not to watch as we unknowingly wipe our feet (with attachments) across the floor mats.

At night Cooper violently charges at the palmetto brush around the RV barking at an invisible foe. Carol disagrees with me when I suggest that there are feral pigs out there at night. This is a swamp and almost anything can be out there in the swamp. It doesn’t help that I looked up feral pigs and discovered feral pigs are omnivores and a danger to animals and crops. I swear I hear big bodies moving against the brush. Maybe even swine-like sounds. I’m ever alert for a pig attack.

At night we hear the cries of “swamp birds” and the hoots of owls in the darkness. I learned from a Swamp Tour guide that swamp water doesn’t move but bayou water does move.

Palmetto Island State Park can hold at least 100 RVs in a well thought out park. This park has trails, canoe rentals, and all the silence and utter darkness one could ask of a swamp. This time of year there few visitors.

From Swamp Tour ,Edge of Swamp
Duck Blind

Its said bad things happen in threes or maybe its elevens. I-10 from Beaumont has had its top layer of asphalt removed leaving monstrous holes and bumps. The brakes on the truck broke from the road, the kitchen island cabinet inside the RV collapsed and we’ve heard from other travelers about tires being blown out from the road. In San Antonio our propane line clogged, TV receiver broke and we faced our first freezing rain storm at Stockton ,Texas. So it goes. AT&T actually delivered a new receiver to Palmetto State Park, Fed Ex, amazing. The locals said of the road problem, “That’s Louisiana, they’ll get to it.”

Bamboo at the Rip Van Winkle gardens in New Iberia, La..

Our swamp tour guide said Lousiana has some of the best heart surgeons in the world. You can see why here, shrimp Po-Boy.

Ute Lake

                                                         March 2017 , Trip To Ute Lake

Carol and I made a large detour from I-25 southbound to Ute Lake and Conchas Lake.

 

Ute Lake is primarily a fishing and boating lake with nice RV facilities.  Ute Dam near Logan is fed by the Canadian river. The Ute Dam provide municipal water for the area and is 20 miles from Tucumcari.

Ute Lake State Park

This allowed me to get to the remote NM town, and county seat, Mosquero, N.M. (Harding County seat) where there are more cows than people.

Facebook to Mosquero, NM

Conchas Lake another fishing and boating lake seems to serve Las Vegas, NM because at direct state road between the two.. There is zero Verizon service at Conchas. Either you have ATT or nada.

Conchas Lake - The Hidden Treasure of New Mexico

Conchas Fishing Report