2024 was a milestone year in our multi-year travel adventures. But, more on that later.
Our January began, as was pretty usual in the winter, in Florida, avoiding the cold and snow of the northern tier…sometimes. The south is also the winter home of many birds that, like us, enjoy the warmer temperatures. The ‘warm temperatures’ were only available during the day, at night it was getting down to 30 degrees.
St. Marks Wildlife Refuge is along the panhandle and a favorite stop for us; a large preserve with lots of space to find all kinds of birds. 
A few miles from the refuge is Wakulla Springs State Park, which boasts the world’s longest known marble bar in the on-site Lodge, and the site of movies like “Creature From the Black Lagoon”. The park offers a boat ride on the river where the movies were filmed, and the local critters were kind enough to pose for some photos.
Pensacola is home to a Macaw sanctuary, where unwanted birds find a permanent home. Macaws are beautiful birds, but they are large and very noisy and often do not last long as pets. They love treats, and Gail had fun feeding them.
The National Naval Air Museum is also in Pensacola and, of course, we had to visit that. Many wonderfully maintained aircraft were displayed and the highlight was an H46, the helicopter Bruce was assigned to in the Navy. We had not found one of them in a museum before this.
Along the Gulf of Mexico Coast, there are a series of RV parks that have become favorites, mostly because they are near good beaches, and where we return each winter. Biloxi, MS, is one such place. The white ‘sugar’ sand is a big draw on the coast, but interestingly enough along the Gulf Coast, storm drains dump all kinds of trash into the water. The beaches are great to walk, but the water is a bit iffy and there are frequent warnings about water quality.
Waveland, just outside of Louisiana, was the next destination. There are good walking beaches just a short drive away from the RV park; and a lot of interesting historical places right there on the coast.
Hurricane Katrina made landfall in Waveland and, as you might imagine, did a lot of damage. An artist has turned trees that were decimated into sculptures that are located around town. 
Early each year it is Mardi Gras time in the south, and we have come to enjoy the celebrations, decorations (people take the Christmas ornaments off their trees and pile on the Mardi Gras colors) and huge stacks of King Cake in all the grocery stores.
Waveland is very close to Louisiana, where a Mardi Gras parade that we enjoy is held. The ‘parade’ is along canals in a subdivision, and is entirely on the water. Smaller crowds and a restaurant where we can eat lunch afterwards has drawn us back several times.
Waveland also has their own parade and the people watching is as much fun as the parade floats. 
By now it was February and we had moved into Louisiana, just south of New Orleans, where we ventured into NOLA to watch a parade put on by the Krewe of Iris, an all-female group.
These parades feature floats that are the big and colorful, with lots of throws, sparkly costumes and many people along the parade route.
The best time to walk down Bourbon Street is during Mardi Gras season, when the balconies are strung with decorations, and the colorful people are out and about!
South of the RV Park where we were staying is Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, where there is a wonderful boardwalk through the swamp that we have enjoyed many times (except when hurricanes have destroyed it). All kinds of critters inhabit the swamp; snakes, alligators, lizards, birds, etc. and because they are used to people, and it is wintertime, it is usually fairly easy to get good close-up photos. 
At the very bottom of Louisiana is Grand Isle, a spit of land surrounded by swamps and the Gulf, and inhabited by the largest, nastiest mosquitoes we have ever encountered. Its saving grace is a wonderful beach 
where the mosquitoes don’t hang out, but porpoises and lots of birds do.
The day that we left, a huge rainstorm had left roads covered in water and a flock of Ibis flew in to get some wormy snacks.
The destructive forces of hurricanes can be seen all over southern Louisiana.
To Be Continued