A Long Ride

It's been almost two years since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita destroyed much of the Gulf Coast, and there are still many areas that look like disaster zones. There is a lot of rebuilding, and it typically looks like this: a bare foundation from the old house, a trailer for temporary living quarters, and a new home being built on stilts right next to the old one.



There are many homes and businesses that aren't being rebuilt, however. I can't count how many thousands of empty foundations I saw... just front steps leading to nothing.



It seems crazy to rebuild in the same spot, knowing that a bad hurricane season would start the cycle all over again, but I can definitely understand the allure of the area. The wildlife in the area is like nothing I've seen before. We came across these odd birds in a mangrove forest... after looking them up, I believe they are Roseate Spoonbills.



A turtle sunning itself under the tree where I stopped to take a nap (too many bugs biting, so I took a photo and kept going).



And finally, a picture of Elena and I after I took a half hour nap on the beach and woke up ready to ride another few hours.