It rained all night our last night in Goose Island. Our 40 miles trek south to our next Gulf Coast destination included a ride on the Port Aransas ferry. After departing the ferry in Port Aransas we drove south about 12 miles to Mustang Island State Park. Despite rain, fog and overcast skies we enjoyed our stay there.

Port Aransas Ferry, Texas

Beach at Mustang Island State Park

Blondie going after a sand crab

Fishing Jetty at Mustang Island State Park

Parked on the beach at Mustang Island State P

Sand Dunes at Mustang Island State Park

The first morning the fog was thick as pea soup when I took Blondie for a walk on the beach. After doing laundry there was still no sign of a clear sky so we decided to drive to Port Aransas. We had heard there were some good birding opportunities there and Henry needed to pick up some supplies from a hardware store so he could repair our steps (there’s always something to fix on an RV).

First stop was Charlie’s pasture, a nature preserve. I spied a lone white pelican and a couple of roseate spoonbills across the marsh. The next stop was Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center where we hit the jackpot. Spoonbills perched in trees, many varieties of ducks, cormorants, American Coot, tri-colored heron, a green heron and many I couldn’t identify. We even saw some turtles.

Tri-Colored Heron

Roseate Spoonbill

Northern Shoveler

American Coot

Spoonbills and ducks

Red eared slider

Red eared sliders

Green Heron

The next day was still overcast and foggy but we made the drive to Padre Island National Seashore anyway. The park is 60 miles long and extends all the way to the southern tip of Padre Island. The paved road ends shortly past the Visitor’s Center. From there on vehicles must drive on hard packed sand on the beach. Camping is allowed on the beach and we saw some interesting campers as we drove along for a few miles. A picnic table at the windsurfing beach (waterfront campsites with no hookups are available here) was a perfect place for lunch.

Big sand dunes at Padre Island National Seashore

We saw this rig from Alaska camped on the beach at Padre Island NS

Wildflowers at Padre Island National Seashore

Signpost at the windsurfing shop at Padre Island National Seashore

We camped in site 17 at Mustang Island. The campground, located just behind the dunes, is a large, rectangular paved parking lot with back in sites on two sides. There is a grassy area between most sites. Each site has water and electric, a shelter with picnic table, and a grill.  There was standing water in some of the sites after a big storm the night before. The water drained overnight and everything was fine the next day. The beach access is a short walk or drive from the campground. There is a large area on the beach with picnic shelters where no driving is allowed. Driving and parking is allowed on the beach on both sides of the beach picnic area.