By: Damon Robert
I woke up early this morning, begrudgingly, after a long night of drinking at the Blue Moon. Anyone who lives in the Lafayette area knows how deadly those $3.00 beer and shot combos known as “Gunslingers” can be. Not thinking, I slapped on the heaviest of my corduroy dress shirts, laced up my converse and grabbed my camera and notebook. I was on a journey to a very unique place in Lafayette: The Nature Station.
The locals will tell you getting to the Acadiana Park Nature Station is easy, “Just shoot straight down University, take a left on Pinhook and drive down 4.5 miles until you hit the corner of Alexander street, take a right and voilà! Natural beauty nestled on the outskirts of Lafayette.” Funny thing is, it really is that simple. Throughout my journey curating this blog I’ve found that simple pleasure in life is very accessible, it’s just the amount of effort you’re willing to put into finding those special places.
After parking my Chrysler Seabring in the designated “Nature Station Parking” zone I looked back and around my surroundings. To my surprise the first reaction I mustered from myself was laughter. That old beat up car I’d been neglecting for years now seemed more at home among the beat up branches and Earth than in my driveway. “Maybe I could leave it here”, I thought. “Na, let me get a new car first then we’ll talk about it”. Once the initial haze wore off my attention directed towards the “Nature Station Trail” Sign situated directly to my right. I guess if my journey was to start at some point it would be here, besides I needed to start moving; my corduroy shirt was drenched in sweat already. That Louisiana sunrise ain’t no joke.
The Cicadas relentless hum was deafening in the forest. They say it’s a love song that the male sings to attract females, the loudest in the insect world in fact. I contemplated what would happen if I started belting out some Marvin Gaye lines at the trees. Let’s just say the males might have a little dry spell this year…Walking through the thickets of well-groomed trail, my path was marked by yellow poles nestled in the soft Earth. Without them one could very well get lost in this maze of twists and turns. Vines hung low overhead, close enough to grab and swing like Tarzan. Leaves crunched constantly under my feet as I tromped through the forest. The mosquitoes were quite bothersome but it was ok. Thinking about it, I almost enjoyed their blood sucking company more than the world I had just recently left. No cars, no fumes, no people and plenty of insect love. Just the way I like it.
Fast-forward 15 minutes and the heat was beginning to reach critical levels. I began to reconsider the blissful feelings from earlier on my journey. But deep down my gut told me I was close; this adventure would not be in vain. Turning a rather muddy corner littered with forest garbage (leaves, sticks) a walkway finally emerged from the corner of a large Oak. Nailed on a sign halfway down the tree was my salvation, “Nature Station Entrance”. A quick surge of energy shot through my bitten, sweat burned body and I quickly scampered up the ramp ignoring the countless spider webs dangling rather closely to my corduroy shoulders. “Never again”, I thought, “never again will I wear this shirt anywhere other than the day I journey to the farthest coldest reaches of this planet”.
‘Creaking’, is how I can best describe in one word the journey up the old wooden deck work ramp to the gates of Valhalla, I mean the Nature Station. ‘Seamless’ is how I can best describe how well this building blended in with the forest that so kindly grew among it’s wooden walls. Approaching the top I was greeted with two wooden doors similar in size and comparability to the gates of Mordor. This place was cool. This place was holy. Gripping one of the old cast iron handles, I used all my body weight to fling one of the doors open and stepped inside quickly without haste. Immediately I was greeted with welcoming but startled looks from the three research workers inside. I soon broke their gaze and stared around in awe at the inner décor of the building. It was beautiful and eclectic; fossils hung from the ceilings, snakes slithered around in glass cages and bees busily worked on their small hives situated inside. The staff asked if I had any questions, my response was the steady lifting of my camera and notebook as the absorption of knowledge began. They told me about the trails around the park, how only a small portion was actually around the station, the rest was located off a side street hidden in Lafayette. I said I’d been there before on my bike, the woman in charge quickly snapped her head at me, “Bikes should never be ridden on trails, it ruins the stability of the path”. This was duly noted. Her love for nature frightened and excited me. To know we had people with such passion for the forest in Lafayette made me have hope for a better tomorrow. About a thousand photos and a couple questions later I decided it was time to leave this Eden of the south. The staff eagerly gave me pamphlets and encouraged me to share what was learned here with the outside world. One last handshake with a college aged fellow named Matt, and I was gone.
The Acadiana Park Nature Station is a must see on anyone’s itinerary for things to do in Lafayette. In all, my journey took about 45 minutes and the staff inside was more than happy to accommodate any and every question that I had. The hours of operation are (Monday–Friday 8-5 p.m.) and (Saturday-Sunday 11-5 p.m.). They have a website “naturestation.org”, where they list upcoming events and educational material. Check them out, you may be hot, but you won’t be disappointed.
Freetown Press 