During Christmas Break my son said he wanted to go camping. After research on his part we selected Chicot State Park near Ville Platte for this Louisiana Tour. On the way I introduced him to the awesome “Pepper Jack Boudin Balls” from Billie’s in Krotz Springs.

Chicot State Park

We arrived before noon. It was predicted to be a cold that night – 20 degree cold.  Our tent was a 3 season tent. Winter wasn’t one of the seasons.  We decided to tough it out though, set up our tent and got a small electric heater. While my son went for a run I scavenged wood for our fire. When he got back we lit the coals and wrapped our potatoes. It was already starting to get cold. When the pit was ready we buried the potatoes in coals. Thirty minutes later he laid our steaks on the grill.  Our supper of potatoes baked in the coals, steak and baked beans was great.

Long Leaf Vista

That night we decided to go stargazing at Long Leaf Vista – about an hour from the campsite. Located in Kisatchie National Forest near Natchitoches this area is rated as the best place in Louisiana for star gazing. As hoped, the view was stellar. It was cold, cloudless and awesome. Driving back to Chicot we heard on the radio rain was predicted for the next night. We planned to stay two nights. I can do cold but not “cold and” wet so we decided to pack up the next morning and head home – the long way. The night proved to be as cold as predicted – however the heater kept the tent bearable. The next morning water in the coffee pot was frozen solid and I had to take the liquid fuel tank from the stove to the bathroom to warm up before it would light.

After breakfast Thomas went for a run on the path by the lake and I broke down the camp. He returned from running with an excited report of seeing deer and wild hogs. This little piece of our ongoing Louisiana tour provided lots of “different” experiences.

The Long Way Home

 

The long way home took us west to the area between Pitkin and Fort Polk; resuming the search for Wolf Rock Cave. When my wife and I searched for the cave in December we stopped by a newly constructed kiosk in the area with history and information about the cave – but no instructions. My web search instructions said “an immediate left and around two curves.” To me “around two curves” indicated a short distance – maybe half a mile. When my son and I reached the same area we found a new sign leading to “Wolf Rock Cave” – 2.25 miles.

This time it was easy to find (well duh). There’s a parking area and a very clear trail. As we were arriving there was a trio coming back to the parking lot. Busy day at Wolf Rock. The hike was very short. The overhang really does look like a wolf’s head with the cave entrance into the mouth. There were icicles hanging from the entrance and a trickle of water flowing out of the cave. On our hands and knees and getting very muddy we entered the cave and crawled about 50 feet. Mission accomplished. I’ll try to reach the end again in warm, dry weather.

By now we were “adventured out” for one day. The drive home took about 3 hours . Create a Louisiana Tour for your family or group. Any road trip can a group memory with a mini-bus from Riverside Limousines. Remember, “we drive …. you have fun!”