Padre Island National Seashore, TX

Padre Island National Seashore lies a few miles offshore in south Texas approximately 20 miles from Corpus Christie. Unlike the ever popular South Padre Island, North Padre Island is the longest stretch of undeveloped barrier coastline(70 miles) in the world with it's sandy beaches, dunes, grasslands, and tidal pools. Established as a national seashore in 1962, it consists of 133,918 acres of protected land.  On the west side is Laguna Madre which happens to be one of only six hypersaline lagoons in the world.

The first permanent settlement on the island was on the southern tip by a Spanish priest, Padre Jose Nicolas Balli in 1804.

Prior to the Spanish, the only people known to inhabit the island were nomadic hunter-gatherer native Americans.

From 1804 to 1972 as Texas grew in population, the island once known for isolated wilderness changed to ranch land. Water on all sides made this land ideal for open grazing.

Texas wouldn't be Texas without the exploitation of gas and oil. Padre Island National Seashore is one of 13 national parks in which the NPS regulates nonfederal gas and oil development. The first well was drilled in 1951 and produced a dry well. Since 2005 there has been 78 oil and gas operations on the island. As I travelled down the road I saw zero evidence of their locations.

As always I started my exploration of the park at the visitors center. There was no short film but some interesting displays and a volunteer more than willing to share his knowledge on events and what to see and do.

I had to check out the campground because you never know when one wants to camp with no hook-ups. Like that will never happen if Susan has a say. There are 48 sites in total, 42 for RV's, 6 for compact vehicles, and 25 for tents. A fresh water filling station and a dump station is located just outside the campground.

Being 100 yards from the beach there were a number of RV's on site. The campground does have hot showers and flush toilet facilities.

A nice boardwalk leads you to the beach where I found several people fishing, birding, and just plain old walking the shoreline.

As I continued down the paved road I rounded the corner and came to an abrupt stop. In front of me was one of the most beautiful beaches. Yes, you can travel on the beach in a vehicle. However, beaches in Texas are considered public highways meaning all vehicle have to be street legal and the person driving the vehicle has to be licensed.

This beach can be very remote. The first 5 miles is normally suitable for 2 wheel drive vehicles. South of milepost 5, a four wheel drive vehicle is required. Getting stuck with an incoming tide is not on mine nor Precious bucket list. I did not venture any further than that.

Imagine camping in this solitude. Nothing around for miles. You can camp on the beach or the edge of the dunes for free.

According to the park services, most of the garbage on the beach washes in from the Gulf of Mexico and not from park visitors. Somehow I found this difficult to believe. Vacated campsites where riddled with garbage. People cannot help but leave a carbon footprint.

There are 380 species of birds documented on Padre Island at different times of the year. Before leaving this beach paradise I stopped to shoot some birds that were just hanging out. A Long-billed Curlew and a Royal Tern were both keeping an eye that I didn't get too close.

Just as I was packing up to leave, a vehicle flew by me scaring all the birds and me. I called him/her a few choice words than realized who it was.

Border patrol. Yep that would be them. I forgot how close we are to the border. 

As I was leaving the park I saw an old building that needed to be checked out. A sign indicated that you couldn't enter, so I didn't. There are plenty of rattlesnakes in this area. The Novillo Line Camp is the last historic place within the National Seashore that reflects human use and occupation on Padre Island. This camp was the northernmost line camp used by the Dunn Cattle Ranch in the late 19th and early 20th century.

There's talk about restoring it for historic purposes but that has not happened yet. For now it sits as a reminder of years past.

Port Aransas, TX

We left Galveston behind and arrived in Port Aransas, TX a few days ago. The trip here was uneventful. The scenery was typical Texas, flat with either oil rigs or cattle in the fields. 

Port Aransas is located on the northern tip of Mustang Island and is the only established town on the island. Mustang Island is north of Padre Island, the longest barrier island in the world and south of San Jose Island, which is renowned for its shelling.

There are two ways to get to the island by vehicle. From Corpus Christi, the island is linked by the JFK Causeway which spans high above Laguna Madre. The second route is from Aransas Pass and is the more scenic way. The free ferry which runs 24/7 and 365 days a year, is the route we chose. There are a total of 8 vessels which bring passengers and vehicles across. The maximum height is 13'6", we are 13'2". Just made it. It takes 5 minutes once boarded to get across the shipping channel. We saw lots of dolphins as we crossed.

We arrived at the park and was escorted to our site. The young lady escorting us could back up any rig into any spot on the first try. She definitely knew what she was doing. With one zig and one zag I got it on the second try. With the rig set up it was time to explore. The following morning we were rewarded with a wonderful sunrise.

Many years ago the only occupants of the island where the Karankawa Indians. In 1519 Spanish explorer Pineda sailed through the narrow Aransas Pass into Corpus Christi Bay. The island was first named Wild Horse Island and then Mustang Island after the wild horses that were brought to the island by the Spaniards in 1800's.

By 1830's several ships were travelling the pass to deliver goods to various areas around Corpus Christi. During the 1950's a few settlers made the area home. In 1888 Elihu Ropes purchased Mustang Island for $25,000 and called the new town Ropesville (how creative). In 1896 it was changed to Tarpon because of the abundance of Tarpon fish in the area. However, in 1912 the town finally decided on the name of Port Aransas. 

Modern day Port Aransas is a fishing, beach, and resort village with summertime populations reaching 60,000+. Normally the population is 3,500.

With a gorgeous day looming we decided to pull a Marilyn and Dave(friends from Canada). Which is going to the water, setting our lawn chairs down with some lunch and a beverage in hand, and watch all the comings and goings. We were soon rewarded with a ship coming into port. The small boat is a pilot boat. The arrow is pointing at the pilot Captain climbing the ladder to get on board. Just like I blogged before. 

The birds fly so close you can reach out and almost touch them. This pelican almost took my head off. I moved just in time.

It seemed that everything was out flying. The Coast Guard flew by at least four times while we were sitting there.

Susan decided that she wanted to try her hand at being the pelican whisperer. God only knows what she was saying because the pelican sat there for a long time listening to her. Must be that soothing voice.

Stay tuned for lots more on Post Aransas and the surrounding area.

RV Parks Scoop - Jamaica Beach RV Resort, Galveston TX

To all that know us, you know that this has to be the longest time we have ever spent in one park. Nope, not because we love the park nor is it because we are bored of travelling. Bingo, we wanted or should I say that Susan wanted to try something different this year, staying in one place for an extended period. And the verdict is, we haven't decided. I guess if we hated the park and there was nothing to do then it would get boring. Like every park we've stayed there's good and bad, this park is no different. Here are my thoughts on this park.

Why did we choose this park! I always check out RV Parks Review when choosing a park. I look at the general comments then I choose one based on our needs and of course price. This park got great reviews. It's relatively new (9 years old), across the road from the beach, and located near birding hot spots. A must for me.

All houses are on stilts because of flooding

The park is located in Jamaica Beach which is approximately 10 miles from downtown Galveston. There are soooo many attractions in town, I only blogged on a few. Across the road is the Gulf of Mexico. The sound of the waves crashing into shore can be heard from inside the rig. It lulled me to sleep each night. One downside was the road between the park and the beach which can be quite busy and very noisy. At night you can hear a car/truck racing down the road at 100 mph, then you wait for the crash. That didn't happen thank goodness, but still it's unsettling.

The Office

The park, the road, the beach

There are 111 sites with a 70 site expansion happening as we speak. The cost was $596.27 for 32 nights working out to be around $18 per night. We stayed on site 26 and included water, 30/50 amp service, sewer, free cable, & free high speed wifi. The wifi was one of the best we encountered in any park. With over the air digital antenna we received about 40 stations all out of Houston area. Lots were Spanish but the important ones ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox were great.  

Expansion sites

All sites have concrete pads, most in good shape. There are 3 types of sites. I'm not sure what the difference is because they all looked the same to me. The interior roads are concrete although uneven in many places. All the sites can accommodate the largest rig out there including it's tow vehicle.

Our site after the rain, the ducks are enjoying it

At least they try to get rid of the water

The park has several amenities and activities for those who chose to get involved. Included are, a large rec hall with pool table and exercise room, 2 large pools (not heated), a large indoor infinity hot tub, 2 laundry facilities, a pirate themed 18 hole mini golf, event planning, a giant chess set, free daily paper, an outdoor theater, and 2 dog parks.

Large Rec Hall

Free Mini Golf

Large chess game

One of two resident tortoises

Pool with swim up bar not heated, not open

Infinity hot tub

What we really liked about the park was how friendly people were. Many introduced themselves to us, didn't care if we were staying a month or a few days. Then we met our stocker friends who walked up and down the road several times looking at our rig. Long story short they are from Houston, camping in the park, want a front living room rig, saw ours loved it, spent many hours talking about everything, went out for dinner together, now we are friends forever. You have to love the RVing life. We do it just for this reason alone.

We will be moving on tomorrow further south towards Port Aransas. Had a great time here. Have to admit the time went by so fast. Maybe I can get use to staying at a park longer. The verdict is still out. Mind you, I can get use to sunsets like this.

 

Texas Seaport Museum

On a gorgeous sunny warm morning we headed back into Galveston to check out the Texas Seaport Museum located on Pier 21 at the harbour front. Our first thought is parking which can be a problem. This must have been our lucky day... got one. Next we had to decide on all that we wanted to see without getting to overwhelmed. Oh, don't forget about food. Where are we going for lunch? Luckily, a wonderful person at the museum made it all so easy for us. We decided on the 3 fer ticket. You get to tour the Elissa, entrance into the museum which included a video on the Elissa, and a one hour boat tour of the harbour all for 20 bucks. But that's not all. The lady at the museum also gave us a coupon for a free appetizer or dessert at the Fisherman's Wharf Restaurant which is right beside the museum. Our day is planned. Let's get started.

After Hurricane Ike, millions and millions of dollars went into the harbour front to revitalize it.








We started with the video on the Elissa. Who and what is the Elissa. Built in 1877 in Aberdeen, Scotland, the Elissa is a three-masked iron-hulled sailing ship. She carries 19 sails that cover almost a quarter acre of surface area. Tall ships are classified by their configuration of sailing rig, the Elissa is a "barque". She measures 205 ft from stern to tip of her jibboom and is 99 ft 9 inches tall at the main mast. The amazing part is the Elissa is not a replica but a fully restored fully functioning vessel.

After touring the Elissa we decided on some lunch. Our boat tour was at 1 pm, didn't want to go out into the harbour on an empty stomach. With the appetizer coupon in hand, the Fisherman's Wharf it is. We picked a seat down by the water, the view was fantastic. Lots of boat coming and going.

 






Dolphins are very smart. They swim behind the shrimp boat because the boat stirs up the bottom making an easy meal for the dolphins. We got so caught up in watching the boats coming and going we forgot to order. Down to business. We decided on the crab and cheese queso appetizer and a crab cake sandwich. It was soooooo good.

While having lunch there was a couple of young ladies working on the Elissa's rigging. That would be a cool job.

Lunchtime is over, its boat tour time. I thought they said this was the tour boat.

Not this one either. It's suppose to be a one hour tour not three hours on the SS Minnow.

Back to reality. There were only 12 people on the tour including the Captain and his mate. Once the Captain gave us all the safety stuff we were off. Susan and I chose to go up top. We were the only ones up there for the whole tour.

Our boat

Our Captain and Susan just 
hanging out

As we travelled out the channel toward Galveston Bay, the Captain explained all the things we were seeing. These smaller shrimp boats stay in the channels.

The larger ones like the one we passed go out into the gulf to catch the large jumbo shrimp.

Opening in 1891, the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) is one of the economic backbones behind the rebuilding of Galveston. The schools focus is on medicine, nursing, health professionals, and graduate biomedical sciences. With a view of the harbour, I would have spent most of my time looking out the window during nurses training.

Next we passed Seawolf Park which is located on Pelican Island. The park was built on the site of one of United States' largest 19th and 20th century immigration stations. Between 1835 and 1935 more than 200,000 immigrants from all over the world entered the US via Galveston. Now it's home to two World War II vessels, the submarine USS Cavalla and the destroyer escort USS Stewart. Both can be toured inside and out.

As I was photographing Seawolf Park a Pilot boat went by. I have seen many of these boats in the past. Not knowing what they are, I placed that one in the back of my brain to ask when the tour ends.

As we moved out into the shipping channel the water got a little rougher but not bad at all. You can see the ships in the distance either waiting to come into the channel or anchored out there waiting for cargo.

Sitting in Galveston Bay is the SS Selma. Some say it's an eye sore others say it's part of Galveston history either way it's there.How did it get there? Well, first of all the SS Selma is a 7500 ton reinforced concrete tanker built in Mobile Alabama in 1919. Steel was in short supply during the war effort so studies showed that concrete could work. In 1920 she ran aground in Mexico, creating a large hole in her hull. She was towed to Galveston for repairs. Unable to repair the vessel, in 1922 she was scuttled just offshore of Pelican Island.

This was the furthest we dared to go out into the shipping channel. As we turned to head home, a monster ship was bearing down on us. OMG! Now remember that pilot boat I was talking about earlier. Well large vessels have to be piloted by a local Captain. So these pilot boats take a Captain out to the arriving vessel and the local Captain steers it into harbour.

This large ship is called a RoRo which means roll on/roll off. They transport large vehicles like cranes, bulldozers, etc. around the world. Cargo ships are not the only vessels that dock in Galveston, cruise vessels make frequent appearances. It just so happened that Disney was in town.

Back on land we decided to finish our day with the museum. It's not large so half hour later we were on our way home. There was a couple of interesting things. Cotton was the source of Galveston's wealth. By 1911, Galveston exported more cotton than any other American port.

Before the days of two-way radio, ships communicated with each other by way of a series of flags. Each flag has a specific name and meaning. When a ship needed a pilot they would raise the blue and yellow flag representing the letter G.

Our time here in Galveston is coming to an end. I have only touched on a few of the wonderful things to see and do. The boat tour is a must.