Back at Anahuac after Livingston TX

After staying in Livingston for a bit we did some sight seeing in the area and came across this Reservation.

As it turned out they have a really nice camp ground around a large lake that is just beautiful.

A turn around Shovelers Pond at Anahuac was just so cool as it was covered with all manner of Water Fowl.

And of course it has been a little to cool here and this poor Heron  just looks miserable .

This Black Belly Whistling Duck beat the cold by sunning on one of the bulk heads.

Still one of my favorites , the Red Faced Vulture.

One of the thousands of Hawks in the Refuge right now.

The spotter  Float Planes the Refuge uses to do bird counts on the area where hunting is allowed to help regulate the amount of birds in the area.

While driving to the Refuge we were side lined by one of the many cattle drives that go right down the main roads in the area.



You just have to love their faces.

An Ibis looking for some lunch.

An immature Ibis on the left, they are black for the first year and then turn white and an Egret searching for a snack.

Vicksburg MS

We managed to spend a rest day during our travel from the Outer Banks of NC to Texas visiting the Vicksburg Battle Field. Time spent there always brings back the thoughts of those who fought and died to make this Country what it is now.

On this special day for all who have served our Country it's always a sad reminder when you look out over a National Burial Ground that each stone is a reminder of a person who served and fell in service to this Nation. We should never forget the price of freedom.

The Gates to the National Burial Ground.

One of the smaller Monuments to he Texas Brigade at the Vicksburg Battle Field.

Just a great picture .

The youngest Medal of Honor winner at the age of 14.

One of my favorite stops on the Battle Field .

The last time we visited here was 5 years ago and it still amazes me at the size of this Navel Vessel and that we meet the man who found the wreck in the river. We meet ED Bearss on the Gettysburg Battlefield by accident and ended up with him giving us a tour of the portion of the field where the 20th Maine had fought. It really is a small world.

As you walk through the restored portion of the Cario you can only imagine what it must have been like to serve below decks on the Mississippi River in the summer. I am always in awe of the bent railroad track that was used as armor on the bow of the vessel.

One of the boilers. When she was steaming on the river each boiler consumed a ton of coal per hour. Imagine the heat given off from the two boilers.

One of the viewing ports from the armored Pilot House.

Some of the 10,000 artifacts found in the vessel when it was raised. When the Cario hit the mine in the river she sank in 12 minutes.

Because she went down so fast , no one had a chance to remove any of their own items. Amazing that no one died when it sank.

The Ships Bell

A better shot of the bent rail armor.

The large Texas Monument. My focus on Texas is that as I write this we are now Residents of Texas. All the vehicles and our Driver ID's are all Texas.

Some pictures of the Windsor Mansion ruins along the Natchez Trace in MS. It was and unusual building for the head pieces were all cast iron and the second floor railings were also cast iron.

What made these ruins special were the Wrought Iron head pieces and the fact that the building survived the civil war to only burn down years later when someone smoking in bed set the place on fire.

We visited the small town of Grand Gulf as here is where all the Union Supplies for the Vicksburg siege arrived by river boat. Not much to see as when the great flood of 2011 happened all the historic buildings were destroyed by the flood waters.

As we left Grand Gulf we followed the route the supply wagons used and I can say the road hasn't been improved much since the battle.