Day 15--Arriving at Seminole Canyon State Park

Seminole Canyon is amazing and we haven’t even seen the pictographs yet. Our drive today was pretty long and mostly unremarkable. We stopped along the way for a picnic by a dry creek bed. The sun was out, it was breezy and the temperature was in the mid-60s, so it was a bit cool in the shade. We passed within 3 miles of the Mexico border at Del Rio and so, west of there, we went through our first Border Patrol inspection. They had the dog sniffing out the truck in front of us pretty carefully before it drove on, but they just asked where we were going and if we were both U.S. citizens and we were on our way. The vegetation became increasingly sparse, with more yucca, Spanish dagger and prickly pear cactus. We were setting up at the canyon by about 4:00 and loved what we were seeing. The Ranger chuckled when I asked about safety, sighting the warnings we had gotten. He said they hear that all the time but they are so remote it is really no problem. The camp ground is on a plateau about half a mile from the visitor center, which overlooks the canyon. There are only 31 sites and we are on the outside of the second loop, overlooking miles and miles of desert high country. It was oppressively windy and we were warned not to put up our awning. It was sunny and still mid-60s so we sat and enjoyed the view for a while. Then we hiked along the Rio Grande Trail for about 3 miles or so. We didn’t take it all the way to the River because that would be about 7 miles and we wanted to be back for the sunset. And it was magnificent, with just a few clouds above the mountains in the far distance, so the sun set into the clouds, peeked out again and then set behind the mountains. Afterwards we enjoyed leftover chili and were grateful for the warmth of the camper as the temperature dropped into the 40s. We have electricity here but no phone service, TV reception or even much radio. But, incredibly, we have Wi-Fi and so we can check email and update the blog from here in the wilderness! That’s all the good news. Now, for the bad: This big wind is bringing in a cold front. The temps could drop to freezing for a few days. We can do OK with that, but it may bring rain, sleet and/or snow, too. One can only see the canyon petroglyphs with a guide and they only do the tours Wed. through Sat. at 10:00 and 3:00. They will not do them if there is wetness because the rocks become too slippery. So we will stay here for two nights, close up the camper and hope that we can do a tour at 10:00 Wednesday before we leave the park. Keeping our fingers crossed!!

Day 14--Full day at Choke Canyon

After a nice breakfast of French Toast and maple syrup (with Bob Gibbs’ picture on the label) we repacked the back seat of the truck, which had gotten a bit junky in two weeks’ time. Then we set off on our bikes to explore the park. The reservoir appears to be about the size of Elk Lake in Michigan. The campground hugs the shore and there are also cabins to rent and a large recreational facility with a gym, nature center, swimming pool, and basketball and tennis courts, all of which are closed in the winter. There are many trails honeycombing the area, mostly for bird watchers. They were wide and pretty smooth, which meant that we could bike and look around as we rode. We passed many deer, which were clearly quite comfortable with people. We also saw a large flock of wild turkeys. Along one path we saw copious amounts of scat and well worn paths, which were riddled with rooting holes—a clear testament to the javelinas that live here. We rode to 75 Acre Lake and found 4 or 5 groups of people with high powered binoculars trained on one area of the shallows. When we asked, a woman told us it was a very rare Mexican bird called a Northern Jacana. (Interestingly, when back at the camper where I was reading Barbara Kingsolver’s La Lacuna, she mentions the same bird when the boy explores the sea cave’s hidden world!) Later we got some good pictures of a large bird roosting in a tree and figured that it was meant to inhabit the many large dome-shaped bird houses we saw along the trails. In all we rode over 6 miles within the park. We got out our chairs to do some reading after our ride. Cloudy skies, a breeze, some drizzle in the air and 64 degrees seemed much colder than yesterday’s sun and 70, but it was still nice to be outside. While we read two javelinas came through the campsite, about 20 feet from us. A little while later there was a deer munching the grass between us and the next site for about 30 minutes. Later in the afternoon we drove into Three Rivers, the town about 10 miles from the park. We parked next to their county administration building and found that we had a nice strong connection through the county’s access there to check email and update the blog. It was also near the grocery store we had been seeking. And it was across the street from The Rialto, the old, restored movie theater in town. They were projecting the Super Bowl beginning at 5:00 for free! We thought that sounded better than a smoky bar filled with drunken fans. We got a couple of chili dogs, drinks and a bucket of popcorn from their concession and watched the New Orleans Saints beat the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 with about 20 other fans. Most people were pretty quiet for the first half but there was a bit more cheering and partiality shown in the second half. It was a great way to see a Super Bowl.

Day 13--Leaving Goose Island, arriving at Choke Canyon

This is what we drove all this way to find! It is quarter to 6 and I am soaking up the last of the rays of a brilliant sun at 70° and enjoying a discreet beer; public consumption of alcohol seems to be prohibited in all Texas State Parks. Since we awoke to such a beautiful day we decided to take our time and enjoy it at Goose Island State Park until we had to check out at 2:00. We rode our bikes to the fishing pier and walked all 1500+ feet of it. There were a few fishermen and some other folks just walking it, like we were. Back at the camper we sat in the sun and read and planned how we would proceed from here. In reading about Granger State Park and Choke Canyon State Park we became concerned that either or both of these popular parks might be full on a Saturday night. Back we went on our bikes to see if the park office could give us any information on them. They couldn’t, but we found we had enough of a signal to call Choke Canyon. They said they had plenty of sites available so we decided to go there since it was closer. We made a picnic lunch and rode our bikes back to the pier to enjoy it by the water. It was fun to watch the pelicans diving for their lunch just off shore. As we rode back we stopped to take a picture of the pelicans and gulls begging for scraps at the fish cleaning station. The guy cleaning his catch called to us and asked if we’d do him a favor. He had run out of his zip lock bags and couldn’t leave the table long enough to get more out of his car for fear the gulls would take the whole catch. We laughed and stood in his place for the five seconds it took him. When I asked what the fillets were, he told us they were trout and offered us a bag. How could we say no?!?! Back at the camper again, we folded up and put away everything and left the park at 1:54. J We drove two-lane and divided highways the whole 2½ hours to Choke Canyon and watched the Live Oak, Black Jack Oak, and palm trees give way to Live Oak, Mesquite and prickly pear cactus. The land went from being at or below sea level on the GPS to slightly rolling hills. Our camp site backs up to the Bird Sanctuary, from which comes a symphony of calls and whistles, and we can see the very large reservoir beside the loop across from us. There isn’t much in the way of shade trees here, but since we don’t need shade, it really isn’t a problem. As the sun sets and the air is quickly cooling, I am ready to go inside and cook those lovely trout fillets for dinner. This is truly the good life!

P.S. As we prepared to fix dinner a “herd” of 6 javelinas walked through the back of our site!

Day 12

When we stopped by the front gate office to add another night at Goose Island they told us that 10 Whooping Cranes and a couple of roseate spoon bills had been seen near “The Big Tree”. Since it is just a mile or so from the campground we decided to check it out. The Big Tree is a thousand year old Live Oak. It is well worth seeing by itself. There was a woman working there who said that the cranes were down by the pond, so we left the truck and walked the direction she had pointed and towards a group of vehicles and people. Although some of them thought they were seeing Whooping Cranes in the distance, we think they were mistaken. We drove slowly around a wet area across from St. Charles Bay and on the other side we saw another group of people. We went there and, sure enough, we found four Whooping Cranes in the field not far away. They are apparently drawn to the area by a cattle feeding station that throws corn out the bottom. It wasn’t as thrilling as seeing them truly in the wild, but it was good to see them so much closer. We left there and drove south, towards Padre Island. Just as we came off the causeway that is near the campground I saw a flash of pink to the right. We circled back and found a wading group that included a Great Blue Heron, a Great Egret and a Roseate Spoonbill. After taking plenty of pictures we continued south. We took the ferry at Aransas Pass and drove on to Mustang Island State Park. The park is situated right on the beach, with no trees or anything taller than the grass on the dunes. One can camp in the paved lot on the back side of the dunes or by pulling over anywhere along the beach. One of the roads was still flooded over but the woman at the gate told us that the other road had just opened 15 minutes before we got there. We drove to a mostly flooded parking lot and got out to walk up the beach. By then the sun was blazing in a brilliant blue sky and it was about 60°. (It is amazing what a completely sunny day can do to ones mood and outlook!) We walked along the beach as the tide receded, picking up shells and marveling that there were no other footsteps in the fine white sand. After sitting/laying in the sun for a while we decided to return to the truck and drive farther down the beach. We found a secluded spot and enjoyed our picnic lunch in the warm sun. After lounging a while longer we got back in the truck and drove about ten more miles south to Padre Island National Seashore. There is a modest visitor center there with a short video about the area. The most exciting thing about the Seashore is their successful efforts to save the gravely endangered Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtles. In 1978, it was feared that the Kemp’s Ridley would become extinct. Padre Island is now its primary nesting site and they have gone from identifying 42 nests along the Texas coast in 2004 to 197 in 2009, with 117 of those found at the National Seashore. We walked the beach for a ways, took their short Grasslands Nature Trail and, since it was 4:30 decided to head back to the campground. We stopped on the way at the Rockport Library to update the blog and check email. Arriving at the trailer about 7:00 we fixed chicken and couscous for dinner and fussed around the camper until bedtime.

Day 11

This was a pretty laid back morning for us. Drizzle continued for most of it, and the temperature stayed in the high 50s. We walked back to the park entrance and paid for our site then went on to a spot where they thought we might see Whooping Cranes. We didn’t see them there but we saw a small herd of deer, which seemed pretty undisturbed by our presence, and a pair of Great Egrets. After getting things done around the camper and eating yesterday’s leftovers for lunch, we drove down to Rockport to look around. We found the Public Library and spent some time updating the blog and checking email. We drove slowly north along the shore and then took off for Aransas Wildlife Refuge. We arrived about half an hour before the Visitor’s Center closed at 4:30. Then we took the 16 mile loop to see the wildlife. The sun came out in time for some nice sunset color. We walked on a few of the short trails they have and read all the interpretive signs. One trail wound through Live Oaks (including one estimated to be 500 years old), then along a boardwalk through a salt marsh and ended with a raised platform/lookout. Along the driving loop we saw a raccoon, two wild pigs, a feral pig, several Great Blue and Little Blue Herons, Great Egrets and snowy Egrets and innumerable deer. But best of all we saw either two pairs of Whooping Cranes, or the same pair twice. These endangered and awesome birds winter in the Refuge and then return to Canada for summer breeding. We considered ourselves very lucky to have seen them since there are less than 300 in the area. Back at camp we had a late supper of chili and did the dishes, as totally unpredicted, heavy rain began to fall. Will it ever stop raining?!?!

Day 10

The wind increased overnight and at some point the rain began. So we considered ourselves lucky that we woke up and had a window of time with no rain in which to take down the camper. We pulled away from Lake View Resort before 9:30, never having had a chance to try out either the indoor or outdoor hot tubs. L We drove in a light rain part of the time as we sought out the George Ranch Historical Park. This working ranch of over 20,000 acres was left by the Georges, the fourth generation to live on and work the ranch begun as a land grant from Steven Austin. The Georges had no heirs and so the entire operation is now run by a Foundation in their memory. We found large, empty parking lots, somewhat like what we found at the Space Center. Although the temperature was in the mid-fifties the strong winds made it feel much colder. We probably wouldn’t have known about nor bothered with the Ranch, but it was one more item on our Houston Day Pass, so we decided to make the best of it. Our visit began with a private roping lesson given by a laconic cowboy who fit the stereotype in every way. But he did manage to teach us both well enough that we could twirl the lariat over our head and then drop it around the horns of the straw bale “calf”. He brought out a couple of horses to show us and then we went through the tack room and the leather working room in the barn. By then 4 other people had shown up (they got a roping demonstration, but not a roping lesson) so the 6 of us were given a tour of the “1930” house, which was built by the fourth generation on the same site as the first two houses were built. It is a Prairie Style Ranch house and was the last home of Mamie George, the final owner of the ranch. From there we walked out to the (rebuilt) log house which was built by the Jones family, who were the original settlers. They raised 11 children in the small two room cabin with a second story for the in-laws and the kids to sleep. When it burned they built a much bigger Federal-style home on the same site, but Mrs. Jones died before it was finished. Polly, one of the daughters, and her husband ended up living in the bigger home as she bought out as many siblings as she could and expanded the ranch. She was smart enough to have a pre-nuptial agreement drawn up so that, when Texas became part of the U.S. her vast holdings weren’t given over to her husband, who was happy to just run the farming operation on the ranch. We were shown through the replica of that “1860” house by a young man dressed as the master of the house. Polly’s daughter, Susan, married a banker and they built a beautiful Victorian mansion “in town”, where they had two children. Susan died of tuberculosis when the children were just 5 and 7. Susan picked out her cousin Belle to be her husband’s second wife and step-mother to her children. An older man looking very much the part of the southern gentleman showed us through the “1895” house, which was moved onto the ranch in 1971. It is just gorgeous, but like all but the “1930” house, had no indoor plumbing. It really was a fascinating look at a family who passed down the huge ranch through four generations and always with a daughter becoming the heir and expanding the ranch. We climbed back in the truck and headed towards Corpus Christi, hoping to warm up soon. As we passed through a small town we found a Mexican taqueria and had the special of the day, a large chicken fajita platter. It was good and a lot of food. There are no freeways to get to Corpus Christi from Houston so we continued the whole way on mostly two lane highways that occasionally were divided for a short way. The countryside was totally flat and had vast fields that we guessed were cotton at other times in the year. There were live oaks hung with Spanish moss, which made us feel like we were getting somewhere as the rains continued off and on and the temperature reached 60°. It was nearly 5:30 when we arrived at Goose Island State Park, which is on a protected bay of the Gulf of Mexico north of Corpus Christi and at the bottom of the Anasas Wildlife Refuge. The friendly and talkative host for the campground came by while we were setting up and told us the mosquitoes are fierce when it warms up a bit and the birding is what draws visitors. We had to set-up in a slight drizzle and dodge the many puddles under the big live oaks. There is no phone service and no hope for Wi-Fi connection here, but it looks like it will be an interesting place to spend a few days.

Day 9--Houston

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning and so we have 6 more weeks of winter coming. No surprise there! But it was in the low 50s when we woke up and was predicted to hit 60° and be sunny today so we weren’t too worried. Three things really struck me today. One was how really huge the Houston area is. Herb told us it’s the 4^th largest city in the US and that was easy to believe as we drove around. Another was that we really had chosen a good location for the camper to be close to everything we wanted to do in this large metropolitan area but still be able to stay in our camper. The last was to marvel once again at how easy traveling in unfamiliar territory can be with a GPS. For the most part, all we have to do is input an address and “Mabel” tells us exactly how to get there. She is sometimes thrown by new construction or unexpected U-turns (especially along the freeway here in Houston), but can usually recalculate and find a way. We used it many times today as we found a CVS Pharmacy, a Kroger store for groceries, two museums, Betty and Herb’s for a second time, and then finally home again. After running our errands we went to the Museum of Natural Science. This was one of the passes we had on our “Day Pass” booklet. Had it been a beautiful, sunny day we might not have been so interested in visiting it. But the sun never did make an appearance today and, in fact, it rained several times. The museum has an extensive paleontology exhibit, an informative area on Energy (especially gas and oil, of course), a whole floor devoted to North and Central American Native people, and a dramatic display of gems and minerals. There was a special exhibition on Faberge jewels but since it was an extra $22 each we decided to be satisfied with the ones we had seen. After manufacturing a quick and simple meal from our new groceries we walked to the nearby Museum of Fine Arts, also on our Day Pass booklets. At that point the booklets had more than paid for themselves. Throughout the museum there was a bit of a theme on the use of gold in cultures all over the world and since ancient times, including Korea, Indonesia, Africa, and pre-Columbian America. It was pretty fascinating. We also perused photographs taken by a class of high-schoolers in the Third Ward, a depressed area of Houston, with accompanying narrative of their reflections on the world in which they live. As we wandered through the American Art exhibit in the second building, we became aware that we were being shadowed by a couple of guards. We wondered about that until we realized it was moments from closing and they were securing the areas as we walked out. So we took our leave of the museum without getting to see the six hundred years of European art on the next floor. It was then time to find our way back to Betty and Herb’s for a delicious dinner of beef tenderloin, brown rice and fennel salad prepared by Betty. I did a load of laundry as we enjoyed our delightful evening and then we returned to the camper, to begin straightening up to be ready to leave tomorrow. It was still in the high 50s and was a bit windy as we went to bed.