Nature, travel, pets, home renovation, and geekery
My recent trip to Louisiana included stopping at the Louisiana welcome station on I-10 at the border with Texas. Like most parts of southern Louisiana, it sits near a swamp and wetlands. It has a nice little trail through part of this swamp, which if you have ever driven on I-10 is a welcome diversion. Below are some photos of my visit there. 
Barataria Preserve in southeastern Louisiana is part of Jean Lafitte National Historic Park and Preserve. It is a beautiful area that includes bayous, swamps, marshes, and forests. Below are some of my photos from a recent trip there.
Yellow rumped warbler
The flight path between Las Vegas and southeastern airports such as Dallas passes over some really pretty terrain and landmarks. Flying into Las Vegas I was lucky enough to get some really good photos of the Grand Canyon. For several reasons, on the flight leaving Las Vegas, I did not as good photos of the Grand Canyon, but I did get a few interesting photos. Immediately after taking off, I got some neat photos of the Las Vegas Strip.
Then the Hoover Dam.
This is part of Lake Mead. I am fairly sure it is part of what is called the Grand Wash Bay.
Then a few photos of the Grand Canyon.
Finally this canyon that is east of the Grand Canyon, and I am not sure if it is technically part of the Grand Canyon.
Previously I posted photos of the scenery along the Las Vegas Wash. The Las Vegas Wash attracts a lot of wildlife, particularly birds, because it is an important source of water. Below are photos of some of the wildlife I saw on it.
First the small wildlife. A pretty lady bug.
I have no idea what this is.
A spider.
There was a lot of birds. Bunches of American coots.
I think these are male Gambel’s quail.
I think this is a Gambel’s quail and a Crissal thrasher (its curved bill is more evident in another photo).
Black phoebe
Male northern flicker
The following three photos are of the same bird. I think it is a juvenile northern harrier, but I would really like someone to confirm that or tell me what it is.
Of course what body of water would be complete without fish. This fish had lovely orange lips.
I don’t know about anyone else, but when I think of Las Vegas, I think of the Strip, casinos, shows, and desert. The only wildlife I think of is that of the human variety, generally in an inebriated form. Thus, on my recent trip to Las Vegas, I was surprised to learn about the Las Vegas Wash. It is the lowest part of the valley in which the Las Vegas metropolitan area sits. All storm water and urban runoff in the area drains to it, and it eventually drains to Lake Mead. The Wash has been increasingly eroded due to the increased flow into it from the increased Las Vegas metropolitan area urban runoff. In the past decade or so, the LVWCC has constructed numerous structures to reduce erosion in the Wash and increase the wetlands in it. Structures such as this.
And this weir.
They have also been removing non-native plants and planting native plants. None of which I can identify in the photos below.
Plants that can amazingly grow in the desert that is Las Vegas.
All of this has created a very pretty area, which is really nice to hike along, assuming the weather is nice. It has some lovely views of the nearby mountains.
And beautiful sunsets.
In some places, it allows some nice views of the Las Vegas Strip.
Next time you are in Las Vegas, if you like the outdoors and want to get away from the Strip, I highly recommend checking the Las Vegas Wash out. In a later post, I will be posting photos of the wildlife I saw on it.
