This is part of my Along the Way collection of posts I made last year following our 50-day road trip from Flagstaff to southern Arizona, across Texas to New Orleans. North through Tennessee, North Carolina, and Ohio before heading to Nebraska, Denver, and home. The following are some of the animals we encountered…along the way.

Our journey began with three nights in Portal, AZ in the southeast corner of the state. The friends we stayed with were caring for a property with horses, a big black lab, and…

…a deer population that looked for food regularly. This Red-Tail Hawk was seen on our way home from feeding the animals.

Our next stop was South Llano River State Park outside Junction, TX.

As the afternoon shadows grew longer I heard some rustling in the bushes. Lo and behold out waddled this little guy. They can’t see well but seem to figure out where to go with their noses.

The diets of armadillos consist mainly of insects, grubs, and other invertebrates. Some species, however, feed almost entirely on ants and termites.

They are prolific diggers. Many species use their sharp claws to dig for food, and to dig dens. Armadillos have very poor eyesight and use their keen sense of smell to hunt for food. They use their claws for digging and finding food, as well as for making their homes in burrows. 

Being out in the Springtime allowed us to watch this squirrel family practice their tree-climbing skills under Mama’s watchful eye.

On to Galveston after a few days in Houston. The beach of Padre Island was beautiful. However, after one night of crazy winds, we left and went to Harlingen.

My favorite bird is the pelican. The fossil record shows that the pelican lineage has existed for at least 36 million years; the oldest known pelican fossil was found in late Egypt. I love how they line up along the shore waves and fly in formation only centimeters above the water. 

On to New Orleans!

These two shaggy mutts were enjoying the first jazz parade down Bourbon Street since Covid.

The horse-drawn wagons were up and running again as well.

At our campground in Fountainbleau State Park, across from NOLA, on the causeway that spans Lake Ponchatrain, in the bathroom stall, I found this little fella. You just don’t see that in Arizona.

In Mississippi, we visited Ellen’s sister who was staying at a home that had this guy out in the yard.

I had to Google what this was. A crawdad home.

While staying at Davis Lake Campground, I got to witness the hunting adventures of this Great Blue Heron. An appetizer of snake followed by a main course of fish.

In Tennessee, Henry Horton State Park provided us with some bird and reptile life.

Walking around the neighborhood at our friend’s house near Asheville, North Carolina found these feathered friends.

My cousin’s home in Hillsborough, NC had some characters.

It also had a snake keeping an eye on the local rodent population.

Our final two stops were the family farm in Nebraska where we had the great fortune of learning the finer arts of beekeeping.

We donned bees suits, pulled the honey frames, and spun them to extract the pure, golden, delicious honey,

Last stomp, my brother’s home in Denver where he has created a bomb-proof pen to protect these birds.