Places Visited:

Texas: Rockport, Aransas Pass, Port Aransas, Mustang Island, and Refugio

April 10, 1007

On Tuesday we were on the road moving the motorhome from the County Park at San Luis Pass on the Island south of Freeport, to Refugio. On the way we dropped the motorhome for a few hours in the small town of Wadsworth and took our Saturn to the famous fishing village of Matagorda. A travelogue of that area is here: Matagorda

After touring Matagorda we continued on in the motorhome until we stopped in the City Campground in Refugio.

April 10 & 11, 2007.

Jeffey City Park also known as Lions Park in Refugio has about 20 full hookup sites with 30-amp for $12 per-night located on West Empresario Street. You can call the city for information 526-5361 (sorry no area code) or you can just find a spot and someone from the city will be around to collect the $12. It is a real nice park as far as we are concerned but it may not have bathrooms and showers if you need that.

This yellow flower was on a vine and growing on most of the trees in City Park. The vine would grow to the top of tall trees then bloom in the top of the trees making it look like the tree was blooming. If anyone knows the name of this vine I would appreciate them letting me know. It was blooming in mid-April in south Texas if that will help.

On Wednesday, April, 11 we visited the coastal towns of Rockport, Goose Island State Park, Aransas Pass, Port Aransas and Mustang Island. The terrain between Refugio and Rockport is a flat coastal plain that is almost 100% planted in corn. I say almost because there are a few highways and a river flowing through the area. Otherwise it is corn fields.

Giant corn fields start a few miles inland and stretch for miles. The land is flat, so flat you can see the curvature of the earth. And all this land is simply covered with newly planted corn.

More corn fields stretching to the horizon.

We stopped to take a picture of this solitare live oak beside the road with nothing but corn fields nearly as far as the eye can see in every direction. The strong coastal wind has shaped this tree just as it does live oaks and plants that grow on the coast 10-miles south of here.

The trees that you see in the distance are a thin line of trees that border the Mission River that flows through Refugio on its way to Mission Bay, Compano Bay, Aransas Bay and finally into the Gulf of Mexico. Virtually every inch of soil, except for that thin strip of land bordering the Mission River is cultivated in corn.

Cornfields rapidly give way to a coastal lifestyle in Rockport and Aransas Pass.

Baitshops in Rockport are an integral part of coastal ambience.

One thing about Rockport bait shops is the paint jobs. Gaudy seems to be in style but I like it. VBG

Whooping crane tours are available in both Rockport and Port Aransas during the winter months when whooping cranes winter in this area.

A stand of live oaks on the waterfront in Rockport. Note how they have been shaped by the onshore wind. This is very characteristic of coastal oak groves.

From Rockport we headed east across the Copano Bay Causeway to Goose Island State Park where the state of Texas has preserved an ancient live oak tree. Our sole purpose of heading across the causeway was to view this champion live oak.

This is the big oak on Goose Island. In fact it is the Texas state champion live oak.

The diameter of that trunk averages 11-feet with a 35-foot circumference. Tree experts say this tree is over 1000 years old.

These live oak trees are related to that big oak. They are in a pasture several hundred yards to the west.

This large oak is also a relative of that big oak. It is located less than 300 feet from the big tree. If it weren't next to the "big tree" this oak would be impressive. Joyce is standing next to a limb that is about to touch the ground.

Meanwhile, back in Rockport the easy life goes on.

Docks around shrimp boats offer a great opportunity to view birds like these great blue herons. The smaller white bird is a snowy egret. Notice the snowy egrets yellow feet.

Great Blue herons are a part of the ambience of seaport villages like Rockport.

Great egrets like these make good subjects when visiting seaport docks.

The back of this shrimp boat offered a wonderful opportunity to photograph a number of birds. On the left is a brown pelican in the water and a snowy egret on the back end of the boat. In the picture to the right is a majestic great blue heron.

A wide variety of plants are beginning to bloom with the beginning of spring in south Texas. We are seeing them everywhere.

A lone coreopsis and the first bloom of a prickley pear cactus. I say the first bloom, it is the first bloom we have seen this summer.

White prickly poppy.

Wine cups.

The yellow flowers on the right are coreopsis the blue flower on the left has not been identified, at least by us.

From the coastal town of Aransas Pass we headed south across a causway to Mustang Island and Port Aransas.

To reach Port Aransas (Mustang Island) from the bayside town of Aransas Pass requires a ferry ride. Four or more ferrys like the one pictured here transport automobiles to and from Mustang Island. It is a short ride and only takes a few minutes.

This is the eastern jetty protecting the pass into Port Aransas and Aransas Bay.

This RV'er appears to be dry camping on the beach at Port Aransas. That is Aransas Pass behind the RV.

Automobiles drive on this stretch of beach as do RV's.

Royal terns doing what royal terns do at the beach.

A snowbird with a sting ray that he just caught while surf fishing. You can see the both the sting ray barb and its tail. The tail is the long thing while the barb is the much shorter "barb" that is pointed down where the tail meets the body. It is that barb that was thrust into the Crocodile Hunter not long ago by a much larger sting ray.

This looks like purple clover but it is probably something else. Does anyone know?

Until next time remember how good life is.

Mike & Joyce Hendrix