Resting Sunrise to Sunset

Today we had decided to be at the campsite all day.  We were not going to get in the car and go anywhere.  We did that.  The car was only started and moved one time and that was when we loaded it on the dolly.  The morning started with a walk on the beach at sunrise.  

After walking on the beach, we went back to camp and I fixed breakfast for the first time in a week or two.  It felt good to relax and not have an agenda.  We sat outside in our lawn chairs enjoying the sunshine and cool breeze.  

  

It was another day that there was not a cloud in the sky.  The sun shimmered on the Gulf and water that runs in front of our site.

Last night the air was filled with the "singing" of birds as they settled in for the night.  Carol and I had never heard anything like the sounds that we heard after it got dark and lasted well into the early morning hours.   It was so beautiful and restful.  I don't think these crows took part in the serenade but they have been flying in and out of our site fore the past two days.  I just happened to catch three of them resting on the three posts at the end of a parking lot.

This may look like a picture of wild flowers but there is a Monarch butterfly in the scene.  We have seen so many Monarchs.  I wonder if this is where they winter.

We found this little creature on the beach.  He was tiny and scurrying along the sand.

 He didn't bother us and we didn't bother him.

I brought a selfie stick to take pictures of Carol and I on this trip but I haven't used it very much.  I am not very good with it.

This evening the beach was filled with all kinds of little birds.  They always managed to stay ahead of the tide.

I thought it was appropriate to take a picture of the motorhome and car for our final beach day. 

The final sunset at Sea Rim State Park.  We really enjoyed camping here.  We had the perfect spot.  The weather was perfect.  We managed to find some shells.  We got exercise as we walked the beach.  The final day we totally relaxed before we have to drive north tomorrow.  What a beautiful way to end the day.

Enjoying Coastal Texas

I have been identified....I am a Hispid Cotton Rat.  I originally came from South  America but now I live in Southern Texas.

 

It was a cool night.  We had to use an extra blanket and turn on the space heater.  We were not in a hurry as we had no big plans for the day.  First thing we did was go to the beach to see what shells may have washed up on shore.  This is what the sand looks like in the morning.

It looked like it would be a beautiful day and it was.

We decided to visit a national wildlife refuge and while driving there I saw this purple house.  I have never seen a purple house so I wanted to document it.

The town nearest Sim Rim State Park is Sabine Pass and this is their high school.  It looks like a new building.  What I like about it is the center building in the complex looks like a lighthouse.  It is so appropriate because Sabine Pass sits on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

This is the National Wildlife Refuge we visited.

We were hoping to see alligators and we were not disappointed.

This was the largest one we saw.  We think he is probably at least six feet long.

This one was sunning himself on some lake debris.

Another one enjoying the sunshine.  It was a beautiful day to be outside.  Temperatures were in the mid-70's.

Besides alligators we saw lots of ducks like these.

We took a couple of hikes on boardwalk trails.

Saw this large turtle.

We saw lots of blue and while heron.

There are three turtles on this log.

This alligator was camouflaged very well but we still spotted him.

Another boardwalk trail we took.  The trail had several places in it where it bypassed  a tree.

After we left the refuge, we drove to Port Arthur to get an early supper and scout out the routes we will take on Monday through Port Arthur.  It is so much easier to find lanes and turns with the car rather than the motorhome.  We had never eaten at a Saltgrass restaurant.  

Carol ordered the chicken-fried steak and mashed potatoes.  Believe it or not, he had to use a take home box.

The beach in Sea Rim State Park is packed hard sand and can be driven on even if your vehicle is not four-wheel.  Here we are driving on the beach.

We got back to camp around 4:00 and settled into lawn chairs for a nap and rest.  We think site #12 is the best one in this campground.  We have a view from our site of the Gulf.  Our little Cotton Rat friend visited us again.  He must live in the grasses close to our site

About 6:15 we headed for the beach to shell and watch the sunset.  We were not disappointed in the sunset.  It was beautiful.  This blue heron was looking for his supper.

This is the way we both walk on the beach...with our heads down.

We left the beach just in time to avoid those pesky mosquitoes.  We played our usual game of Skip-Bo and relaxed the rest of the evening inside.  We have decided that we will not get in the car tomorrow  We will stay around the campsite and relax.   I don't think there has been a day this whole trip that we did at lest get in the car to go somewhere.  Who knows how many times we will go to the beach.  It doesn't feel as cool as it did last night but it will be cool enough to sleep well.

Beginning the Northward Trek

We all were up by 7:00 in order to be on the road by 8:00.  We had over 300 miles to drive to Sea Rim State Park near Port Arthur, Texas.  It was a coordinated effort on everyone's part that made it possible to pull out of their driveway at 8:00.   After hugs and multiple thanks to Bob and Renita, the motorhome pulled in behind their Buick and off we went.  They were navigating the streets and highways in front of us until we got to Odem, Texas which is about 45 minutes from their home.  It was so appreciated.  It was a great stress reliever to be able to follow them and not have to think about what lane to be in and when to turn.  We did tell them that the next time we visit, we won't bring the motorhome.  We took US 77 to US 59.  US 59 runs east and west and the wind was blowing against the motorhome.  Carol was using all his arm strength to keep us on the road.

We stopped for gas at Buc-ees.  We love Buc-ees.  The gas bays are large enough to accommodate larger RV's without a problem, and on top of that, the store is great.  Of course, we had to go inside to look around.  We brought a sandwich and pudding for dessert.  There is a rest area on the other side of Houston in which we wanted to stop and eat a late lunch.  So with a tank full of gas and some rest, we headed toward Houston.  We have managed to avoid driving the motorhome in Dallas/Fort Worth and San Antonio but Houston was unavoidable.  Bob had talked us through making all the highway switches which helped tremendously.  We started on the west side of Houston.  Took US59 to I-69 to I-610 to I-10 on the east side.  The traffic was heavy but we made every lane change and turn that we needed.  Carol did a wonderful job (again)!  It took a little over an hour to go from the west side to the east side.

We stopped at the rest area, ate lunch,  and relaxed a bit.  A nice grove of trees sat in the middle of the rest area.  The restrooms were in a building that looked like a home that would be in the middle of the grove of trees.  There were no sidewalks; only boardwalks to and from the building and picnic areas.  Walking on the boardwalks through the trees was a great way to relax before getting back in the motorhome.

We exited I-10 and took a four-lane divided highway to Port Arthur.  It was another 20 miles from Port Arthur to the park.  The road took us right through the middle of the oil refineries south of Port Arthur.

We arrived at the park about 4:00 p.m.  The ranger told us that if we wanted to avoid the mosquitoes that this park is famous for, we should stay in our motorhome between 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 a.m.  Mosquitoes love me so I plan to heed the warning.  She did say that the mosquitoes may not be a bad because the wind is blowing and it is cooler.  I sure hope so.  We are in site 12.  It is a long, paved, pull-through site and our front door faces the gulf.  The spots are well-spaced.  We like where our site is.

This is the view from our site.  This boardwalk leads to the beach.

We walked the boardwalk to the beach to do some shelling.  We found several small shells.

Carol found this shell buried in the sand.  He dug it up and put it in his pocket  As we were walking, he felt the shell moving his pocket.  He pulled it out and found that the creature who owns this shell was still living in it.  He put it back on the beach.

This is a picture of our site and Carol enjoying the sunshine and being outside with grass and a view.

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While we were sitting outside, this little creature paid us a visit.  We don't know what it is.  It sort of looks like a rat but it has fur and I think rat's fur is slick and short.  He didn't bother us as he nibbled on the grass and we left it alone.

I was able to get a couple of sunset pictures before going inside for the evening.

We plan to spend three nights and two days here.  It has cooled down and we are not using the air conditioner and have shut most of the windows.  I think we will enjoy this park.  I know that we plan to walk the beach more but not sure what else we will do.

This and That in Corpus Christi

Bob and Renita had appointments this morning so Carol and I went to HEB, Walmart, and got gas for the car.  We all arrived home about the same time.  After talking a bit, They decided to take us across "The Big Bridge."  Actually, it is the old bridge across Corpus Christi Bay.   A new bridge is being built to replace the old one but it will be awhile before it is completed.

This is the Big Bridge.

 

The USS Lexington is anchored in Corpus Christi Bay.  We choose not to take the tour of the ship but we were able to walk the gangplank to the top.  The USS Lexington was named "The Blue Goose" by Tokyo Rose.  It was the only carrier painted this color blue.  She had reported it sunk many times but was always wrong.

Although it was never sank, it was hit by a Japanese Kamikaze plane in November, 1944.  The Japanese flag indicates the exact location the plane hit the Lexington killing 49 sailors.

There were planes on display on the deck of the ship.  I took this picture because it shows a Navy plane with "Fly Navy" on its tail beside an Air Force plane.  Military branches working together.

For supper tonight we ate at the Ginger Cafe.  It serves Middle Eastern food.  Carol and I have never eaten Middle Eastern food.  We both agree that it was very good and would eat it again.

This was my plate.  I got chicken smaaerah.  I am sure that is not spelled correctly but it was very good.

Carol is not sure what his was called but the meat is lamb and it also had stuffed grape leaves.  Again, it was very good.  The dip had yogurt in in so he didn't eat that.  Both were huge servings so we brought some of each home for a meal tomorrow.

After supper we spent the rest of the evening talking.  We have had a   time visiting
with Bob and Renita.  They are very good hosts.  They gave us the grand tour around Corpus Christi and introduced us to many of their nice friends.  They love to travel too but Bob has some health problems that keep them closer to home.  When Bob retired from Firestone, they bought a motorhome and lived in it for 10 years traveling the USA   They even drove it to Alaska.  We had fun swapping travel stories.  Tomorrow we will be up early to pack up.  They will drive in front of us to show us the way out of this city.  We are thankful for that!