Magnolia Beach

Sunday we left Padre Island and drove North to Port Aransas where we had to cross the water on a free ferry. It is a very short ferry and they have lots of ferry boats so there was no line. The ferries can accomodate any size RV.

We drove to Magnolia Beach which is a free camping spot listed in Day's End. There are only a few RV's here, but we are told that it can get pretty crowded. Most of the people that are here are fishing, but they are not catching like the fishermen at Padre Island.

When we got here there was nobody next to us. Then on Monday two RV's pulled in on each side of us. We are the second RV in this picture.

The highlight of the stay here (again food?) was going to Bubba's in the little town of Seadrift. We ordered their special - crab, shrimp, sausage, and potatoes. We had three meals on this order and it was all good!!

Today is our last day here. I have been working on the computer and watching this small fishing boat out the front window all morning. It is dwarfed by this large tanker. The main catch is oysters and we did buy some from a local plant on Monday. Across the bay is a large aluminum plant so there are big tankers coming through everyday.

Tomorrow we are going to Clute, Texas and try to see Galveston from that location.

Padre Island National Seashore

North Padre Island National Seashore is a protected stretch of 70 miles of beach. There is one paved developed campground and places where you can drive on the sand and camp. We, of course, opted for the developed campground, Malaquite, because we didn’t want to dig this big rig out of sand. We are staying here a week and loving it. We have done walks on the beach each day, biked to the campground on the bay side (which is not as nice, sorry Guy Gibson), and today we are going into Port Aransas and Mustang Island.

The campers here are pretty much winter residents. They stay for 14 days then the rules say you have to leave for 48 hours. They go out for the 2 days and return for another 14 days and do that all winter until they have used up their 56 day limit/year. There are campers that have been coming here for 20 years.

This is also a big shore fishing area. We have watched fishermen set up their long poles and fish off the shore of the campground. One guy with Dean’s help caught a 35 lb stingray yesterday only to loose it when the anchor it was tied to came loose in the sand. They say stingray is like eating scallops.

Harlingen, Texas

It is hot and humid here in Harlingen, Texas, but we love being in shorts and having the fans on. Chica is too hot though (she is sleeping in the bathtub because it is cooler). Today we are having her hair cut really short.

Here is a recap since my last blog. We spent 2 nights at Falcon State Park where we met up with Kent, Peggy, Jeff, and Carol, whom we had met in Zapata. On our second night there we got out the wampum sticks and they came over for hot dogs cooked on the fire. Falcon Lake state park is another fishing destination and the campground is divided into hookups and dry camping. The dry camping sites were spaced far apart, had views of the water and had fire rings. There was lots of wildlife. The armadillo pictured above was in our camp the first night did not seem afraid of us. We enjoyed this campground very much.

Wampum hotdogs on the grill at Falcon State Park

After Falcon State park we came to Harlingen. We are staying at the Elks Lodge ($8 per night for full hookups). The RVer’s here are very friendly and most have been here all winter. The Elks is centrally located in Harlingen and while we were here we did some work on the rig– installing a new digital TV in the bedroom so I could watch local channels, namely American Idol. Of course, we did not get FOX as one of our channels here, but we will down the line. The highlight of our stay was a day trip to South Padre Island. It was not what we expected. There are a lot of high-rise hotels, restaurants, gift shops, and lots of people. I did like the county parks where they had full hookups and close to the beach (maybe next time). We had a fantastic meal at Dirty Al’s where shared one pound of grilled shrimp and some wonderful fries.

Judy and Chica on the beach at South Padre Island

A pound of grilled shrimp and seasoned fries at Dirty Al's

Judy and here new friend at Port Isabel with the causeway bridge in background going to South Padre Island

Tomorrow we are moving to North Padre Island National Seashore close to Corpus Christi.

Zapata, Texas

It is warmer now!! We are in Zapata, TX, which is located on the border west of Brownsville. This is a destination for fishermen from Kansas, Oklahoma, South Dakota and other Midwest states. The town is located next to Falcon Lake, which is a large expanse of the Rio Grande.

Earlier in the week we stayed three nights at Amistad Lake near Del Rio but it was so cold and windy that we didn’t experience the lake or the area. We stayed at San Pedro Flats campground and only paid $2 per night so that was nice. But we still had to use buckets for our water and could not shower since we were still winterized. We did go into Del Rio one day but it was so cold that we shopped, ate Mexican food, and came home.

It is much nicer here in Zapata. We are staying at the New Harbor Lodge and RV Park. It is not a beautiful park but the people are very friendly. When we got here we flushed out our tanks and got rid of the RV antifreeze and took long hot showers. Oh, the joy of full hookups!! We have meet some very nice people from South Dakota (Betty and Marty) and last night the four of us went to see a performance by the Alaska String Band – a family of 5 (mom, dad, and three kids) who play almost all of the string instruments and sing. They were very talented and we all enjoyed the performance.

When we arrived on Thursday, we met some brand new full timers from Kansas, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania. In fact, one of the guys went to Emporia State when Dean was a student there. They left for Falcon Lake State Park and tomorrow we are going to join them for a few days.

The Alaska String Band out of Juneau.

Falcon Lake: fisherman's paradise

New Harbor Lodge and RV Park.

Big Bend, Boquillas Canyon and Rio Grande CG

After two days of staying in the RV we finally ventured out and saw some more sites of this beautiful national park. On Friday we drove over to Boquillas Canyon and did a short hike. The Mexicans come across the river here and place trinkets and walking sticks on the ground for sale. Their signs say that buying these items will be a donation to the school at Boquillas, Mexico. This town is across the river from our campground, has no electricity, and is located a long way from any town in Mexico. Of course, the national park service has signs posted if you buy anything from the Mexicans the item you purchased will be confiscated and you may be prosecuted. It is a pity that these hardworking Mexicans cannot sell their products. On this hike, we were serenaded by Victor, the singing Mexican. He has a tip jar on our side of the river and he sings on the Mexican side at the entrance to the canyon.

Back at camp we did the Rio Grande nature hike adjacent to the camp. We have taken pictures of coyotes, javelina, and roadrunners around our camp.

On Saturday, we drove to Chisos Basin, which is in the mountainous center of the park. There is a campground there but the road in not recommended for trailers or vehicles over 25 feet. We hiked the Window View trail and the Basin Loop trail (which had a lot of snow on it). The Window is the areas big highlight – a cut in the mountains with a fantastic view to the west. Our next stop was the Hot Springs. After a short hike, past many historic buildings along the Rio Grande river, there is a hot pool (105 degrees). We soaked about 20 minutes and then returned to our campground for showers at the store and one load of laundry. The washers and dryers are so cheap I returned on Sunday to do another load.

Sunday was Dean’s birthday. Last year we spent his birthday at Ajo with the boondockers. This year we are spending it here in Big Bend. And it is a beautiful day. Tomorrow we leave for Amistad National Park outside of Del Rio.

Friendly coyote at Rio Grande Campground

The Window View at Chisos Mountains and the campground

Dean walking the Basin Loop Trail at the Chisos Basin area (in snow).

Hot Springs with the Rio Grande river in background

Dean in warm hat on Nature hike with Rio Grande Campground in trees.

The little town o Boquillas, Mexico across the Rio Grande from our CG.

Entrance to Boquillas Canyon

Victor, the singing Mexican

Trinkets and walking sticks for sale by Mexicans.