A new adventure

Hi everyone! Well we have had one of our dreams come true. We have always wanted to take off on the motor cycle in the dead of winter and go somewhere warm and stay for a month.

We were finally able to do it. Bry took off on Christmas morning with his new GPS christmas present that we couldn't have lived without... it has saved a lot of cussing! The trailer was heavy, but his spirit was light! He went to Dallas and spent a few days with Nick. They went to 6 flags a couple of days and just had a good time. He then took off for Houston and met me at the airport a week after he left. It was raining when I landed, but it was just a really light mist and pretty fun to ride in. We went to the Houston temple the next day. It was a very special experience. Then we were off again for Baton Rouge for another temple session . That was one of the smaller temples so we had to have reservations. It was really nice. We took off again. We were going to go to NEw Orleans, but the Mardi Gras had just started. Bry said the only way to tolerate a bunch of drunks is to be one so we didn't go!


We went to Gulf Port Mississippi next. We kept calling hotels, and kept getting a recording. We couldn't figure out why until we got there.... they were all GONE! KAtrina wiped them all out. The one hotel we stayed at was the only one not completely destroyed. They had just barely reopened it and it was very beautiful. Walking down the street was hard, as most of the homes were still boarded up and smelled of mold so bad. Debris such as mattresses, hangers etc was all over the beautiful beaches. This was from a year and 1/2 ago. For us Katrina is just a memory, for them it is still a very stark reality, and they are still trying to put their lives back in order. We went to church there, and it was very interesting.



We stopped at a Cajun village that was reconstructed. The cajuns were french immigrants that were kicked out of Canada when the English took possession. They were sent to Louisana. They didn't know the climate, the customs, the weather or anything. They were amazing people who adapted to a harsh climate they weren't used to with no resources other than theirself. They had restored one of their villages on the Bayou and had people showing how they made thread from cotton, made cloth, cooked etc. HEre is a sweet old cajun man who told us stories and played for us.

Our next stop was Florida. We took this picture below as were went for a walk on the beach in the morning before we left to get to the everglades. The beach looked like someone had dumped powdered sugar out for sand. I have never seen sand so white.





We went through the Everglades where we would stay for the next 3 days. It wasn't enough time to see all of the wonders there. A million and 1/2 acres of untouched wilderness. It was amazing. We went on a platoon boat ride through the Mongrove forests, and then the next day we went Canoeing through the everglades. What a thrill that was. This is what it looked like when we got there early in the morning to head out. There were 3 canoes and a guide. I was in front and Bry in the rear. He was in charge of steering, and we almost hit the largest Crocodile known in the everglades! We asked the guide if we could go closer and he told us to go ahead. We started paddling, and couldn't stop, the wind was blowing us straight towards him. He looked up at us like we were crazy, and then came toward us and slipped in the water right next to us... I about had a heart attack. We were withing a yard of him. He isn't the one in the picture. He was about 3 ft. larger than this one. There are only approx 500 Crocodiles left in the world, they are endangered. There are over a million alligators. That is a alligator below. They are darker in color, their eyes lower, and you can only see their top teeth. Crocs you can see both top and bottom.





The birds were amazing! Flocks of Ibis, HErons, (above) egrets, comorants, (below) wood storks... they were as common as our sparrows. Well we have loved sharing our adventure with you. We will write more later. We about 1/2 through our vacation time.... Really glad we are missing the cold spell back home. We will write more later. Love to you all.