Now at Dauphin Island, Alabama

Our site at Dauphin Island Campground

We left Hammond, LA this morning around 9:15 a.m. under mostly cloudy skies and 61F (16C). The temperature did make it to 77F (25C) on our travels.

Dauphin Island is a barrier island located three miles south of Mobile Bay in the Gulf of Mexico. Entry to the island is made by crossing a three mile long high rise bridge which was opened in July 1982 after the original draw bridge was destroyed by Hurricane Frederic in 1979. Many attractions are located on the east end of the island including Fort Gaines, the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Dauphin Island Campground (where we’re staying), Audubon Bird Sanctuary and numerous boat launch sites. There are beautiful beaches of white sand (but not as white as Mexico Beach, FL) public golf course and parks are added attractions located on the west end of the island.

Today after getting set up at our site, we did some exploring around the island and spent some time at the Audubon bird sanctuary. We didn’t see a lot of birds but it is a beautiful spot and below are a very few of the photos I took. Too bad it wasn’t sunny. Dauphin Island is the first landfall encountered by many birds as they migrate north from South America, and as a consequence many species can be found resting there before continuing their journey.

We also took some photos at the fishing pier at the western side of the island and had a bit of a sunset. This guy was out parasailing and I just happened to catch him as the sun was starting to set.

There are lots of places to explore on the island and plenty of things to see in Mobile itself including antebellum houses.

We are officially here until Friday but the weather is not supposed to be too good tomorrow so we may be staying here until Monday (yet to be decided).

Tickfaw State Park

Wow, did I ever sleep last night. I don’t remember waking up at all until Gordon left this morning to go and shoot photos. That’s unusual for me. This morning when I got up it was foggy and 55F (13C). I did my walk around the park. This seems to be a typical country park, sites are rather haphazard, no pavement, grassy sites and sites on gravel. The ones that back on the lake would be nice. The bayou they claim to have is a ditch but the lake is pretty if it didn’t have power lines running across it. It’s adequate for our needs and only about $15/night with Passport America.

This is the lake in the campground taken in the morning fog

I napped for most of the morning. The last two days of getting up early has really gotten to me plus not sleeping well the night before we travel. However, this afternoon we went to Tickfaw State Park which isn’t far from Hammond and walked a couple of the trails. We didn’t see a lot but it was a beautiful day and it was nice to be out in nature.

This little fellow popped up over the side of the boardwalk railing to say hi

Me on one of the trails

Louisiana swamp

I think we’ll spend a relaxing night tonight and tomorrow head for Dauphin Island, Alabama where we’ll spend two days. There are supposed to be thunderstorms while we’re there and we’ll be right out on the point in the Gulf of Mexico!

From Beaumont, TX to Hammond, LA

What a beautiful day today. We left Beaumont, Texas at 9:00 a.m. under sunny skies and 65F (18C). The temperature rose to 77F (25C) on our travels and we arrived at Punkin Park near Hammond, Louisiana around 1:15 p.m. and were completely set up complete with both TV and internet satellite by 3:00 p.m. This trip we managed about 12.1 mpg as there was very little wind. Our trip west on I-10 in January 2005 led us to really not look forward to this trip through Louisiana but work has been done on the road although it still did have its very bumpy spots.

I was up this morning at 6:30 a.m. as I wanted to walk and have breakfast before we left. I walked all around the RV park. It was quite foggy but when the sun came up the fog soon burned off.

This RV park is right on I-12 which runs north of Lake Pontchartrain so the traffic is quite heavy and we’re very close to it. We’re here for two days. There doesn’t seem to be much around here as far as scenery goes although Louisiana itself is quite scenic with its bayous and Spanish moss hanging from the trees. The park has its own bayou and a lake so it should be nice to walk around in the morning. We’re about an hour from New Orleans but at this time we don’t have any thoughts about going to see it.

Henderson Swamp runs along I-10 just west of Baton Rouge

I-10 is basically a very long bridge between Lafayette and Baton Rouge

Here is our site at Punkin Park

Tonight we were met here at the park by photographer friends of Gordon’s, Gayle and Breland and we all went to Tope La, a French/American restaurant in Hammond for dinner. The food was excellent and I had to bring a doggie bag home. Thanks Gayle and Breland for dinner and it was great meeting you!

Gayle and Breland

Overnighting in Beaumont, Texas

We left Fulton Oaks RV Park this morning at 9:00 a.m. and arrived at Gulf Coast RV Park in Beaumont, TX and were set up by about 2:50 p.m. Setup sure is a breeze when you don’t have to hook up the satellite dishes! They have free wifi and cable here so we’re using that as we’re only stopping for the night.

I had a short walk this morning but only down to the ranch to see if the steer was out and indeed it was and facing me for a change so I got some photos. Gordon had gone out for sunrise and got an excellent photo of the blue herons leaving the live oaks where they spend the night. The weather was rather cloudy and cool when I got up but it was early (before 7:00 a.m.) but it warmed up on our trip to 74F (23C) and was sunny most of the way. We had quite a strong wind from the north until we hit somewhere around Houston so we were lucky to get just over 10 mpg on this trip.

After set up I took a walk around the park but other than that we just relaxed.

I’ve made reservations for the next four nights – Monday and Tuesday we’re at Punkin Park in Hammond, Louisiana and are meeting up with some photographer friends of Gordon’s. She was in Cloudcroft, New Mexico when we were in Alamogordo last year but we never met up. She has recommended we stop at Dauphin Island, Alabama which is near Mobile so I’ve booked two nights there (Wednesday and Thursday). We’ll get to Florida eventually!

The photo is of our site at Gulf Coast RV Park.

Our Last Day in Rockport/Fulton

Taken at Rockport Beach - flocks of black skimmers, gulls and terns of all kinds in a frenzy!

Part of Rockport's downtown area

The bird convention moved to one of the fishing piers (taken along the Beach Road)

This morning was 66F (19C) cloudy, windy and humid but turned into a really beautiful sunny day with a high of 84F (29C) and a beautiful bright blue sky (an Ottawa summer sky). This morning and early afternoon I got the laundry done then we drove around Rockport taking photos. Gordon had a request from a web designer in the area for some photos so he was trying to comply.

Gordon went out again for sunset but I decided to stay behind and enjoy what was left of the beautiful day!

I made a reservation for tomorrow night at Beaumont, Texas at the Gulf Coast RV Resort. They have free cable and wifi so we won’t have to hook up any of the satellite dishes. It will make for a faster escape on Monday morning.

Around the Area

This morning was 64F (18C), cloudy and humid with some small patches of rain. After breakfast, I went out to get groceries and look around Bealls for the last time on this trip. I saw a pretty little electric blue suit but other than weddings, can’t imagine where I’d wear it with this lifestyle. It had some bling on the collar and around the bottom of the skirt and it was on sale. In a former life I probably would have bought it. On to Walmart for groceries, then home for lunch.

This is the horse I see almost every morning on my walk

This afternoon we took a drive to Bayside via our sandhill crane route but only saw three sandhills and not much else. When we came back we stopped at Rockport Harbor and walked around there taking some photos then on to Fulton Harbor where I took some photos of the oyster boats unloading their booty and the Skimmer arriving back from its Whooping Crane Tour. We stopped at Driftwood RV Haven on the way back to see what it was like but the roads are too narrow and the sites are too small.

Sandhill cranes

Great Egret under the dock at Rockport Harbor

Live oak trees along the Beach Road in Rockport - this is where some of the birds sleep at night

We both have mixed feelings about leaving Rockport. I think we’d both be content to stay for another month but Florida calls so tomorrow we’ll be getting things ready to leave on Sunday.

Fulton Mansion & Other Things

The day started out foggy and damp again but 62F (17C). I didn’t take my camera with me as I took enough fog photos yesterday. Lo and behold when I got to the ranch down the street there was the steer and the burro. I haven’t seen them for two weeks and the one time I don’t have my camera….. So back to the RV, got my camera and walked back but with the fog the photos aren’t that good and also because she had her butt facing us.

We relaxed for the morning and this afternoon went to see Fulton Mansion which was on our list of things to do in the area. George Fulton was a big cattle baron in the late 1800’s and his home is now a museum. I posted photos of the mansion a couple of weeks ago. It was interesting to see the furniture and items but history is not my thing. After that we drove to Goose Island State Park and St. Charles Bay just going to see our favorite sites as it won’t be long before we’re leaving the area.

This is Fulton Mansion from the back garden

This great blue heron had just caught his dinner and he did eat it - taken at the fishing pier at Goose Island State Park

Back to Corpus Christi

We had some rain again overnight and this morning was damp and foggy but 62F (17C). When I got back from my walk the back of my hair was damp from the heavy fog.

I took this photo of the fog in the trees this morning

We spent most of the day around the RV, Gordon went out once as the fog was burning off to get some photos but I stayed around and read both inside and out.

Late this afternoon we headed back to Corpus Christi to take our photos of downtown and get some twilight photos as well. We also had dinner at Joe’s Crab Shack on one of the T-Heads in the Corpus Christi Marina. A T-Head is basically a street that runs off the Shoreline Drive and runs between the slips for the boats ending on the far side of the slips. There are some restaurants there which is where Joe’s Crab Shack is located. We sat on “Joe’s Big Deck” and enjoyed being outside on the water. I had crawfish etouffe which was excellent. Gordon said his burger was excellent as well and I don’t hear that too often about burgers. His usual comment is that they aren’t 100% beef. This one passed the ‘where’s the beef’ test!

This is me in the Historic District

We came across a couple of beautiful rose trees in the Historic District

This is me sitting on the promenade that runs all along Corpus Christi Bay and the marina

This is where we had dinner and below is the Joe's Big Deck sign

This is my little red purse I bought this week. It's really cute and little but still holds everything I need. I've never had a red purse!

Once the fog burned off it was a beautiful sunny day with a light breeze and our high was 83F (28C).

Nothing Doing Today!

These dogs are sitting outside someone's park model here at Fulton Oaks

We had some rain overnight but I woke up to 62F (17C) and mostly cloudy. Today Gordon went with me on my walk so we did the usual walk around Farmers Circle and up to the end of Lone Star’s paved road as well as around the park.

The day was mostly cloudy with some sunny breaks with a high of 73F (23C). I sat outside and read a bit, then moved inside, read some more and napped. I’ve read almost a whole book today as of writing this blog. I went for another walk around the park this afternoon where I photographed the turkey vulture below sitting on top of the swing by the pond in the park.

Maybe tomorrow we’ll do something interesting, then again, maybe not!

We Visit the Texas State Aquarium

It was much warmer this morning 58F (14C) and sunny but not the bright sun that we’ve had the last few days. It was 63F (17F) by the time I returned to the RV about 35 minutes later.

Hmmm what to do today? Lots of choices. We still want to walk by the Bay in the downtown area and photograph some live oak trees where the great blue herons sleep at night and photograph the Corpus Christi skyline and the downtown lights.

Gordon outside the Aquarium

Well the choice was made to go to Corpus Christi but to go to the Texas State Aquarium. We arrived there around 12:30 p.m. and got our tickets. The dolphin show was set for 1:00 p.m. so we got our seats. It was 72F (22C) but windy so was fairly cool. As expected, the dolphin show was really good. They had four dolphins performing. After the show we did a tour of the rest of the aquarium skipping the snakes. We both hate snakes! They had some birds there as well as fish, snakes, alligators, stingrays and frogs. Check out the pictures.

The Dolphin Show

Other Fish Tanks & Stuff

Sea Horse

Royal Gramma or Fairy Basslet

Miscellaneous Fish

Sea Nettle

We arrived home via Ingleside, TX (not very picturesque) at around 3:30 p.m. deciding not to stay for the evening as Gordon’s photo cards were full. We’ll have to go back another day or another time.

Nice Day Today!

Although it was only 47F (8C) when I went for my walk this morning it was sunny and bright and you could feel the warm sun unlike other days when it's just been sunny but cold. When I got back to the RV it was already 51F (11C).

After breakfast I decided it was time to sit outside and enjoy it so I sat out and read for a while.

I was to call both of my sisters today but since I couldn't get a cell signal at the RV park (we're in a dead zone) and I had to go out for some groceries anyway I stopped on my way to the store and called both of them but got no answer so on to HEB and then to Walmart. When I came out from Walmart I managed to reach my younger sister and spoke to her and Danica, her daughter for a bit and got their news. I had hoped that my nephew, Nick would be at his Mom's today but his wife was sick so they didn't go over.

We went to Goose Island State Park for sunset and also so I could call my older sister. This time I was able to reach her. We're making arrangements to start our trek to Fort Myers to see them next Sunday. While we were at the park there was a glorious sunset, photo above!

Stay at Home Saturday

The guys are building a new fence around the new part of the park where people are putting in park models.

This morning was 45F (7C) and sunny with little wind for my walk around the neighborhood.

Gordon went out for sunrise but other than that we just stayed home today. I got the laundry done and used my new external hard drive to get my back up done. I also updated our expenses into my spreadsheet.

It reached 68F (20C) today and was bright and sunny all day although the wind did pick up a bit during the day. That’s it for our day!

Family Photo, Truck Service and Sandhill Cranes

I was up at 6:15 a.m. today and it was 31F! Gordon had turned the water off overnight and was gone to take sunrise photos.

We had an appointment in Aransas Pass at the local Dodge dealer for our regular truck service. This is about the first time that we reached the three months before we reached the required mileage. We were back around 11:00 a.m. taking the scenic route and saw three sandhill cranes but we didn’t stop as Gordon didn’t have his camera.

After lunch, a nap and my walk that pretty much ate up the afternoon. It was 50F (10C) at the high point today but very bright and sunny all day.

Late this afternoon we headed over to FM1069 (Farm Market 1069) which is the road where we see the sandhill cranes. We took this route back from Aransas Pass this morning. We saw lots of cranes both on 1069 and 188 on our way to Bayside where we DIDN’T see any roseate spoonbills. All the birds are still hiding from the cold.

When I say the pavement ends on Lone Star Road, it really ends!

Sandhill cranes

Sandhill cranes in flight

Gordon's sister, Carol (left) sent this photo today. Beside Carol is Gordon's daughter, Michelle and in the background his son, Ian and Ian's daugher, Lilly

We Have a New Microwave!

The wind in the palm(s) at Rockport

Driving through the live oaks at Lamar

Late afternoon sun in the live oaks at Lamar

I was up before 6:00 a.m. today having been awake since about 4:00 a.m. I don’t know if it was because I knew we had to be at Camping Clinic for 8:00 a.m. or if it was because I heard the rain start. It was 32F (0C)! Gordon had unhooked the water around 5:00 a.m.

We got our new microwave installed and were headed back to Fulton Oaks RV Park by 9:50 a.m. having cost us only an hour’s labor. We were set up again by 11:15 a.m. and headed to Taco Bell for a celebration lunch. We then drove around the Bay in town but although the sun was now shining brightly, most of the birds had elected to find a warmer spot so we headed back to the RV and had a nap. I had a horrible dream. I dreamed that State Farm Claims in Texas needed help and I went in to help them. For those of you that don’t know I spent 26 years as a Claims Adjuster at State Farm in Ottawa and hated pretty much every second of it!

After I woke up from my nap, I took my morning walk since I hadn’t taken it this morning. Again, nothing to see except a cardinal and the guinea hens that we saw a couple of weeks back.

Late this afternoon we took a trip over to Lamar and Goose Island State Park but again although the sun was shining brightly there wasn’t much around but it was a nice drive. The high today was 50F (10C).