We were awakened at about 4:00am by the rain and wind. The van was being buffeted about and the rain was intense. This kept going for the next 3 hours as we lightly drifted in and out of sleep. At 7:30 I ventured outside during a quieter period of rain to disconnect the van from the pedestals, heavier rain would return and I didn’t want to get completely soaked ahead of our planned 4 hour drive.
We took our time getting going and having breakfast and waiting for the rain to subside enough so as not to be a hazard when driving. We finally were away shortly before 10:00am. The rain was still falling but really now just as showers although there was lots of water laying about along the sides of the roads.
Texas, USA
We stopped in Lake Jackson where we shopped for groceries at the H-E-B store (fabulous). We then drove to Matagorda beach where we had lunch in the van as the temperature was only 9C and the wind was quite strong.
Salt marsh between mainland and Matagorda Island
After stopping at another Buc-ee’s for gas, we continued on to our destination, Goose Island State Park just outside of Rockport, TX. This will be our most Southerly destination on this trip. Our site is right at the waters edge, the sun has returned and has warmed us up, the wind is mostly blocked from our site. The skies are clear and we’re hoping to starwatch tonight.
A sunny but windy start to our relaxing day on Galveston Island, TX. I decide to walk about the RV park and walk on every road and trail within the park. 6.8km – not bad. Barb goes to the beach and is almost blown back to the park by the onshore winds from the gulf. She sees a few Man-O-War jellyfish on the sand and watches seabirds dance in the wind.
Typical beach houses
Galveston Island beach
The day has been set aside for housekeeping type activities and one will be laundry. Quarters acquired for the machines from the office and laundry is done while showers are taken. No excitement here folks.
Our van amongst trailers
Early after lunch Barb decided to go and float in the lazy river pool they have here. She arrived to find nobody else in the river and so stepped into the water. Minutes later she was back at the van exclaiming that the pools are not heated !
The clouds have now taken over the sky as a harbinger of the weather that will arrive overnight. The wind prevents using the griddle and so we cook in the van on the induction cooktop. We enjoyed chicken fajitas for dinner along with margaritas. After dinner a little reading and then we settled in for a movie, tonight the Swedish version of “The girl with the dragon tattoo”. Dark, sinister and so well filmed.
Tonight we are expecting a cold front to come through with wind and rain. The temperature should be cooler tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Early rise (6:30am), cool temperature (6C), the shower will likely take a while to warm up….. Do I have to get up?
We’re off again today, further Westward. We had to make a small repair to the bike cover last evening as one of the cords that keep the cover snug to the bikes broke. With that done it left only the normal electrical and water disconnects to be done before heading out. After a shower and breakfast.
Showers here get a 3/10 for lack of privacy, security and the ‘eww’ factor. The shower buildings are great, and kept very clean but the showers only have curtains (lack of security for belongings), are open to each other top and bottom (privacy concerns) and because they’re open at the bottom water and filth from your neighbour can spray your way. Thus we showered early when everyone else was asleep. Unfortunately that meant that we warmed the water for all who followed. Brrrr again.
Breakfast was light (coffee, banana & yoghurt) and before we knew it we were pulling out of the site. Farewell Palmetto Island State Park! If back this way we will probably stay here again.
Our route zig-zagged us across country towards I-10. We saw thousands of acres of flooded fields and couldn’t figure them out. The water levels were at times higher than the roads we were driving. Google solved the mystery, they are rice fields from which the farmers harvest crawfish (crayfish). Evidently commercial crawfish farming began in the 1980s when a farmer could make a good living on several hundred acres, now at least 1000 acres is needed to make a go of it. The farmers bag the crawfish in 40lb bags which is the most commonly purchased size.
Crawfish farming
Texas!
Our first stop of the day was at Space Center Houston (SCH) located adjacent to the Johnson Space Center where all NASA astronauts train and all space flights are managed and monitored.
Problem: we retirees forgot that it is March break and the place was crawling with kiddies and their families.
As we had previously visited the Kennedy Space Center in Florida some years ago, many of the exhibits described the same events. There is of course new items and stories from the ISS, JWST, Artemis and the future Mars program so it was easily still worth visiting. We also got to see a Space-X Falcon 9 booster up close which was cool as was the tour of the 747 that ferried Space Shuttles across the country after they landed in California.
Space Center Houston, Houston, TX
We were scheduled to take a tour of the astronaut training facility but the stupid mobile/online registration system unexpectedly cancelled our reservation and it was too late in the day to book another.
From SCH we headed South, wait, which way? Yep, South to a Buc-ee’s in Texas City. Buc-ee’s is a chain of truck stops in and around Texas known for their cleanliness and size, Texas-sized.
Buc-ee’s, Texas City, TX
We started at the gas pumps where we got fuel for a good price from one of what appeared to be 100 or so gas pumps. Never went to see how many truck pumps they had on the other side of the building. The ‘store’ looks more like a Walmart super center when you walk in. HUGE. They appear to sell anything and everything. Lots of food from snacks to hot sandwiches, fresh baked goods, soda pop fountains, coffee (lots of coffee), housewares, camping goods, art, clothing, alcohol, tobacco, bags of ice (ice machines surrounded the building). It was reported to me that the bathrooms are also immaculate and spacious. You can also have a shower here should you need one.
Anyway, we got a few snacks and a couple of hot brisket sandwiches for dinner and headed out towards Galveston island, our stop for the next couple of nights. Barb had snagged a site at the Jamaica Beach RV Resort that became available when someone cancelled. Barb would finally get some beach time.
A cool morning awaited us, it was almost 8:00am and neither of us really wanted to get up because it was just 14C in the van. First up would power on the ceramic heater but the floor would be cold, as would the toilet. Oh well, let’s get at it. Brrrr.
We’d spent the night at Palmetto Island State Park in Louisiana. It really feels like the middle of nowhere, the park is essentially in a bayou on land just a few feet higher than the water. It has the promise of being a place of solitude and peacefulness, that would be if the Texan neighbors with the 4 dogs tied to a post directly across the road would have trained them NOT to bark at anything that moved. Instead they seem hyper-sensitive to movement and bark incessantly.
Palmetto Island State Park, Abbeville, LA
The morning moved slowly and little was done about the van. Breakfast was had, brunch was cooked and enjoyed outside in the cool air but warm sunshine. Bookings were made for the next several nights, and then it happened! The Texan neighbors started packing up! Checkout was 1:00pm and they seemed intent on using every minute they were entitled to before heading back to Houston.
Shortly after lunch the world changed. The Texans pulled out and the park came through in spades with the solitude and peacefulness a place like this promises. Although there are many other sites occupied here today, we could now hear none of them. I think everyone was enjoying that same sound of silence we were experiencing. Bliss!
We untracked our eeee-bikes and decided to ride them about the park, exploring canoe and boat launches, and the cabins that are also available for rent. In all we rode about 12km and relished the beauty and silence of the park. It has to be one of the most peaceful places I have ever experienced.
In the bayou looking for alligators
No. of alligators spotted, zero. Disappointing really as I would have thought we’d see at least one.
No. of black bears spotted, also zero. Also disappointing given the number of warning signs dotted about the park warning people that bears frequent the area.
Light rain moved into the area later in the afternoon just as I was out for my daily walk (7km today), I got wet. We grilled burgers for supper and reloaded the bikes onto the rack ready for the journey tomorrow. The rain returned and we retreated to the warm interior for the evening. Much reading was done today.
Join us again tomorrow when you’ll hear us exclaim …..
Well, the RV gathering at the brewery did not turn into ‘The Burning Man festival’ but there was a fire-pit and much communal gathering amongst some in attendance. We even had a couple of late arrivals filling more of the lot. All in all though, a good nights sleep.
On the road by 9:15am heading West through New Orleans heading deeper into Louisiana. The first stop would be Berwick, LA to look at an old lighthouse. It had been built in the mid-1800s and stood in the Gulf at the entrance to Atchafalaya Bay warding ships away from the many sandbars. Built of steel and boiler plate, the square shaped lighthouse is evidently one of only a few of that style built. A nice unique find for the day.
Berwick, LA
From Berwick we continued West on SR-90 towards New Iberia where stopped to reprovision a few grocery items. The area is quite agricultural with the Winter crop being onions, thousands of acres of onions are almost ready for harvest this month.
From New Iberia we headed a few miles westward to Avery Island. The island is really the top of a huge salt dome pushing up through the marshland of the area and is one of several. Avery Island was purchased in the early 1800s by the McIlhenney family where they established a company that produces a product for which they are known worldwide, Tabasco pepper sauce. The family stills owns the company today and all Tabasco sauces are made here in Avery Island, LA. The property houses a museum which is open to the public and a self guided tour allows you to see the entire production process. A second unique stop for today and one we highly recommend for those visiting this area.
McIlhenny Co., Avery Island, LA
Our final hour of driving took us just South of Abbeville, LA to Palmetto Island State Park where we will camp for the next two nights. Come back again for an update on how we like the park.
