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I promised the boys giraffes and herds of eland, alligators and rare birds. Naturally, they didn't believe me. They think Gramma is slightly nutty, but, knowing the advantages of staying on my good side, Sam, Zach and Dustin humored me.
Joyce Wildlife Area swamp walk
Following the pattern of a real African safari, we started at dawn - animals stir at sunrise and sunset. Our adventure began and ended at the Joyce Wildlife Area. We started with the swamp walk, two miles south of Ponchatoula, which is open to the public at no cost. We missed the swamp walk sign on the old, abandoned U.S. Highway 51 and had to backtrack. "Be careful crossing the railroad," I said. The boys responded by giving me that "don't treat us like babies" look.
The wooden walk extends 1,000 feet into the swamp. The quiet, leisurely stroll set the mood. We noticed the colors, textures and shapes of the plants. Scanning the brackish water for alligators, we saw snakes, frogs and water bugs. At the end of the walk, we sat on a wooden bench overlooking a wide stretch of swamp and watched the sun rise. A long-legged white heron extended its wings and glided away. "Remember the flamingos?" Sam asked, and our minds went back to Lake Manyara in Tanzania, where thousands of pink flamingos arched their graceful necks searching for food.
Global Wildlife Center
"Now we're going to see zebras," I said.
"Sure, Gramma." Zach didn't believe a word of it until we turned into the Global Wildlife Center at 26389 Highway 40 in Folsom and he saw the black and white striped animals with his own eyes. The 900-acre center is a wildlife nature preserve, home to 3,000 free-roaming hoofed animals from all over the world. We bought cups of feed, boarded a covered wagon, and spent the next ninety minutes taking a guided tour and feeding the addax, elands, sables, wildebeests, bison, camels and zebras that came right up to the wagon. In the distance we spied tall giraffes with their heads in the trees.
The grandsons' excited shouts drowned the tour guide's informative spiel. They were impressed. My credibility rating soared.
The wagon tours start at 9 a.m.; the schedule varies. Christina Cooper, education and development director, recommends calling first for tour availability, especially in the summer.
Kliebert's Turtle and Alligator Farm
Our next stop was Kliebert's Turtle and Alligator Farm, 41083 Yellow Water Road, Hammond. Finding Kliebert's was tricky, but the route is well marked. Exit I-55 at Springfield, drive north on the west service road, turn west onto Hoffman Road, then north at Yellow Water Road, and follow the signs.
We took the 45-minute guided walking tour around the pond. By now the boys had dropped their skepticism and become believers. Gramma had promised and produced. "Ohmigosh!" Zach pointed at the reptiles floating like a logjam in the pond.
"We never saw this many crocodiles in Africa," Sam said.
"These aren't crocodiles," I explained to the Chicago natives. "They're Louisiana alligators." At feeding time, the attendant climbed a tower and tossed down chickens. "Look! Look!" the boys cried excitedly. The alligators unhinged their big jaws and snapped up their lunch with one big chomp. Sometimes they fought over a breast or a thigh, their big, scaly tails thrashing and roiling the water. We stopped to gawk at 50,000 turtles. The bird sanctuary where egrets and herons nest above the alligators and turtles was anti-climatic.
The Kliebert family has raised alligators since 1950. The alligator population on their farm totals about 8,000; the 250 in the breed stock pond are fifty years old. Kliebert's is open Mar. 1 - Nov. 1, noon to dark, seven days a week. Tours start at noon and are conducted periodically until sunset.
Tickfaw State Park
Our two-day safari included an overnight stay at Tickfaw State Park, 27223 Patterson Road, Springfield.
To reach the park, turn west on La. Highway 1037 (downtown Springfield) and drive seven miles to Patterson Road, a parish lane with an ample share of potholes.
The park's nature center has three education pavilions, an outdoor amphitheater, an introductory video presentation, interactive learning exhibits and a big aquarium. Guides lead nature walks; rangers describe plant and animal life. Richard Parker, the park manager, told us the park employs 20 to 25 people, including three rangers, housekeeping and maintenance personnel, and the nature center staff. He says summer weekends are busy, and advises reservations.
Park roads wind around 1,200 acres of preserved nature. The RV and tent camping area has 50 spaces with electricity, water, fire ring, and a picnic table for each slot. Four sites are handicapped-accessible. Campers have bathhouse and laundry facilities. A dozen RVs nestled under the trees.
The group cabin has two dormitories, a commercial kitchen and cafeteria, and sleeps 48 guests. We had one of 14 individual cabins, which aren't cabins at all, but spacious, air-conditioned buildings. Each sleeps eight comfortably. The living room had a fireplace, the kitchen was completely equipped, and a wide screened porch overlooked a cypress swamp.
In the afternoon, we joined one of the guided tours and strolled the boardwalk. Later in the evening, we fished, using salamanders for bait. No luck!
That night we sat on our cabin's screened porch, shrouded in darkness. We listened as owls hooted, frogs croaked, crickets chirped, and other weird shrieks came from the lagoon. The boys grabbed a flashlight and walked into the inky blackness. The beam danced around in the night, sometimes reaching up and touching a star.
The next morning we opted for a canoe ride on the Tickfaw River. Canoes can be rented by the hour or the day. The rental-shuttle package drops off the canoes at the northwest corner of the park in the pine upland area. We paddled down river through pine slopes, hardwood bottomlands, cypress sloughs and swamps - a five-hour trip.
North of La. Highway 22, the river is a quiet stream, narrow in places, with a gentle current; the water is clear and cool like iced tea. Only the chirping of birds or a paddle rippling the water disturbs the quiet. "Look at that big snake!" Zach cried excitedly. The creature coiled around a tree limb. River birch, ash, catalpa, hackberry, cypress and tupelo shaded the river from the hot sun.
Mockingbird Swamp Tour
For the grand finale of our Florida Parishes safari, we drove across the Manchac bridge, turned into Gator's Inn and boarded the Mockingbird Swamp Tour at 194 Old Highway 51 South, Manchac. The covered pontoon boat holds seven passengers and leaves daily at 10 a.m., noon, and 2 p.m. The 11/2-hour tour goes down Galva Canal between North Pass and Lake Maurepas. We saw alligators, raccoons, nutria, native egrets and herons, water snakes and exotic swamp plants. The 6,235 acres of swamp under the supervision of Joyce Wildlife Management is not accessible by car, making it the most private of all retreats. Until the advent of cell phones, communication was lacking. There are no hotels, restaurants, discos, or nightclubs along the way. We returned to civilization on Sunday evening, tired and happy. Zach ran into the arms of his waiting father. "Wow!" he said. "Gramma really did take us on another safari!"
