Parks – Page 16 – Wandering Dawgs

Bluebonnets in Laredo, Texas

March 29, 2015March 29, 2015Posted in Parks, Road Trip, RVing, State Parks, Texas, WildflowersTagged bluebonnets, Lake Casa Blanca, Laredo, Texas Bluebonnets22 Comments

We hated to say goodbye to the Texas Gulf coast. Even with the overcast gray skies, fog and rain the whole time we were there we loved it. We knew we would miss the salt air and the sound of the waves from our campsite at Mustang Island but we had lots more of Texas to see.

Our journey from the Gulf took us across miles and miles of Texas to Laredo. On either side of the road were fields of cactus, mesquite and blooming Yucca plants. I spotted the tail of a wolf or coyote going into the brush on my side of the road. Henry and I both saw wild turkeys.

We arrived at Lake Casa Blanca International State Park on a beautiful, SUNNY Sunday afternoon. Finally, blue sky! The park was filled with families enjoying Sunday afternoon picnics.

Indian Blanket Flowers

Lake Casa Blanca

Lake Casa Blanca State Park

One of the goals of this trip was to see the Texas bluebonnets in bloom. The state flower of Texas, the bluebonnets usually reach their peak in late March and early April. Texas is the only place in the world where two of the bluebonnet species are found growing naturally.

We didn’t expect to see any blooms until we were farther north in Texas but Mona Liza over at Lowe’s RV Adventures had spotted bluebonnets around Lake Casa Blanca before we arrived. Thanks to her I was on the lookout and found a small patch in the campground and one of the park rangers told us about a patch near one of the picnic areas in the park. The small field was covered with bluebonnets! What an unexpected treat to see bluebonnets so early in our trip!

Texas Bluebonnets in Laredo

Bluebonnets in the campground

Texas Bluebonnets in Laredo

Bluebonnets in the campground

We spent 2 nights in Lake Casa Blanca International State Park. Our site was a paved pull through with water and electric hookups, a picnic table under a covered shelter, and a fire ring. There were willows and other trees around our site and we could see the lake through the trees. There is a boat launch, fishing pier, and many picnic areas in the park. The park is located near the loop road and close to restaurants and shopping.

Mustang Island State Park, Texas

March 25, 2015March 26, 2015Posted in Birds, National Parks, Parks, Road Trip, RVing, State Parks, Texas, WildlifeTagged beach, green heron, Mustang Island State Park, Padre Island National Seashore, Port Aransas, Roseate Spoonbill, Texas birding10 Comments

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.

Goose Island State Park, Rockport, Texas

March 19, 2015August 13, 2015Posted in Birds, Parks, Road Trip, RVing, State Parks, Texas, WildlifeTagged bird watching, birding, Fulton Texas, Goose Island State Park, Rockport Texas, Roseate Spoonbills, Texas birding, The Big Tree, white pelicans10 Comments

What a fabulous 3 days we had at Goose Island State Park!

We had plenty of things to see to keep us busy. The first morning I spotted these Roseate Spoonbills in the nature viewing area at the end of road in our campground.

Blondie and I spotted these Roseate Spoonbills in the nature viewing area near our campsite

Roseate Spoonbills and Egret,Goose Island State Park

Everything is bigger in Texas! A must see in Goose Island State Park is the Big Tree. This 1,000 year old Texas Live Oak is the largest of its kind on public land in the state of Texas. The live oaks here are not as tall as the ones in coastal Georgia because the gulf breeze affects their height. The tree measures 11 feet across the trunk, 5 feet around, is 44 feet tall, and 89 feet across the crown.

The tree is surrounded by a fence and is well taken care of. While we were looking at the tree we met a delightful native Texan who has been coming here all her life. She remembers when her 15 year old son could climb on the tree. She also told us a story of her grandfather or great grandfather (I don’t remember which) caught a record sting ray and has a picture of his record catch hanging in the big tree! These days no climbing on the tree is allowed.

The Big Tree

The Big Tree in Goose Island State Park in Texas is a 1000 year old live oak

Fishing is very popular here and we enjoyed going to the dock when the boats came in. We saw White Pelicans hanging around the docks waiting for a handout every day.

Some of the fishing charters go out in airboats

One group of fishermen had a great catch

Hey, you’re in our space!

Waiting for a free meal

Take off

White Pelicans, Goose Island State Park

One pelican got a free lunch.

It’s a mouth full

Yum!

Lunch!

Almost done

There was a lot to see in the state park.

Our campground is in the background as we took a walk to the pier

Fishing Pier at Goose Island State Park

Red head duck

Sandpiper with a tasty crab

The recreation building was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps out of shell crete using oyster shells

Love the blooms here

Deer at Goose Island State Park

Windswept oak

View from our campsite

Morning sky from our site at Goose Island State Park

We enjoyed seeing the sights around Rockport and Fulton. Our favorite drive was along Fulton Beach Road with homes on one side of the road with their docks jutting out into the bay on the other. Many of the homes were beach cottages with windswept oaks in the front yard. It felt like we had stepped back in time before condos and highrises became the norm along the coast.

Shrimp Boats in Rockport, Texas

Windswept oak

Big Blue Crab in Rockport, Texas

Of course we had to try some of the local restaurants. Lunch at Moon Dogs on the docks in Rockport was fun. My fried soft shell crab salad was delicious. Our last night we had a feast of boiled crab, heads on shrimp, crawfish, sausage, potato and corn cooked with a Cajun seasoning. The servers poured it all on the butcher paper covered table like we serve our low country boil back home. Delicious and fun!

Our main reason for coming here was to see some endangered Whooping Cranes. We saw them every day and they are so spectacular they deserve their own post. Here’s a preview of those magnificent birds. Look for another post coming soon.

We camped in site 34 of the Bay campground near the nature viewing area. There are more sites near the fishing pier The sites are on hard packed sand right on the water. Each site has water and electric hookups and a shelter with a picnic table. Many people fish right from their campsite.

A great first stop in Texas – Galveston Island State Park

March 16, 2015March 21, 2015Posted in Birds, Lighthouse, Parks, State Parks, States, Texas, WildlifeTagged beach, bird watching, Galveston Ferry, Galveston Island, Point Bolivar Lighthouse, Roseate Spoonbill, Texas birding24 Comments

As we continued west through Louisiana on I-10 we passed by many crawfish farms. After a stop at the Texas welcome center we were loaded up with maps and brochures. We also got directions to Galveston which included the instructions “follow the road to the ferry”. Ferry? We didn’t know we would be taking a ferry! What a great surprise!

As we approached the ferry dock Henry noticed a lighthouse through the fog on my side of the road. I was able to get a couple of pictures before we got in line for the ferry. The three mile crossing is on a free ferry operated by the Texas Highway Department.

After departing the ferry in Galveston we had about a 12 mile drive to the state park. As soon as we finished setting up camp we took a walk on the beach. The beach was practically empty. The sound of waves crashing on the beach was like music to my ears.

Point Bolivar Lighthouse, FL

Riding the Ferry from Point Bolivar, TX to Galveston

On the ferry to Galveston

Path to the beach

Path to the beach at Galveston Island State Park

Blondie chilling after a day of traveling

Blondie was fascinated by the jellyfish

The next day we took a drive to the wildlife viewing area in the park with hopes of spotting some Roseate Spoonbills. The hiking trails were muddy and flooded in places so we passed on doing any hiking. We enjoyed the views from an overlook and walked down a relatively dry trail to the kayak launching area. From the parking lot we stopped to watch some Egrets in a pond when I saw a splash of pink. A flock of Roseate Spoonbills entertained us before suddenly taking off.

The marsh reminds me of home

Roseate Spoonbills

Roseate Spoonbill at Galveston Island State Park

Roseate Spoonbills

Spoonbill and Egret

Our campsite was in the beach campground at Galveston Island State Park. Our site was a paved back-in with a covered shelter, picnic table, fire ring, and water and electric hookups. The beach was just a short walk from the campsite. We enjoyed the park and wish we could have stayed longer.

Good Eats, Hot Sauce, and rain in Cajun Country

March 13, 2015November 23, 2015Posted in Birds, Louisiana, Parks, Rainy Days, Restaurants, Road Trip, RV Parks, RVing, Tourist AttractionsTagged Andouille, Avery Island, Breaux Bridge, Cormorants, crawfish etoufee, Great Blue Heron, gumbo, Poche, Poches Fish N Camp, Snowy Egret, Tabasco11 Comments

After a rough ride traveling west in Louisiana on the worst section of I-10 in the United States we arrived at Poche’s Fish N Camp in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana for a couple of days. The campsites are arranged around a large fishing pond lined with Cypres trees. Most of the sites have a paved pad, full hookups, and WiFi. There are several ponds for fishing, a clubhouse, swimming pool, and laundry. The staff was great. Many thanks to them for recommending Fun in the Sun RV Repair to repair our heater and many thanks to the repairman who came out in the rain the same day we called him and got it fixed.

It rained off and on the whole time we were there so we couldn’t do too much exploring in the area. I had to do my bird watching at the campground. A Snowy Egret walked along the pond right behind our campsite in the afternoons and Cormorants and ducks were in the water every day. A Great Blue Heron even made an appearance.

Office at Poche’s Fish N Camp

Clubhouse at Poche’s Fish N Camp

Our site from across the pond

Campground at Poche’s Fish N Camp

Ducks on the pond

Picture taken through our back window of Snowy Egret behind the camper

Great Blue Heron

The rain couldn’t stop us from enjoying some amazing Cajun feasts! Crawfish etoufee, rice dressing (dirty rice), slaw, fried catfish, fried shrimp, chicken and sausage gumbo, Boudin, Andouille sausage and more! We ate several delicious meals at Poche’s Market and Restaurant. Their market has a large selection of sausages, meats and seasonings so I filled the freezer with Andouille sausage and Boudin to take with us and now my pantry has some of their seasoning mix and File powder.

It’s so good we had three meals here!

Poche’s Cajun Cuisine

Our meal at Poche’s – Crawfish Etoufee, Dirty Rice and Slaw – Sooooo good!

A visit to the Tabasco Factory on Avery Island was a must see on this trip. Henry is a hot sauce aficionado and Tabasco is a staple on our table along with the salt and pepper. We visited the factory 30 years ago when our kids were young and we both have memories of walking into the aging room with the aroma of the sauce so strong that most of the other people in the tour got out of there as fast as they could. Not Henry! He loved it! Unfortunately, they no longer take the tours through that room.

The sauce is aged in barrels that were first used to age Jack Daniels Whiskey. We watched a short video and then watched original Tabasco sauce being bottled and labeled before browsing in the museum. We had our first taste of Boudin sausage (yummy and spicy) from a food truck and spent a few dollars in the gift shop before heading back to Breaux Bridge. A stop at Walmart for some necessities and we were back at camp in time to watch the rain come down the rest of the day.