Mid-February 2021

We had doubled back to Florida, thinking we might be able to schedule Covid vaccinations, but hopes fell apart when Florida’s governor issued a residency requirement for vaccine registration. Well, so much for that. We stayed a while and had a good week at Fort Pickens. We were fortunate to be joined by our friends from Homosassa, Joann and Bob. The cool, sometimes rainy weather, didn’t dampen our spirits. We cooked great meals, walked the beach, and enjoyed our time together.

We like staying in the D camping loop at Fort Pickens. This loop doesn’t have electric hook-ups, and we do just fine with our set-up. The B loop, next door to us, is reserved for tenting campers. The other amenities (water, hot showers, etc.) are the same as the other loops. The bigger rigs tend to fill up the A, C and E loops, which have electric and water hook-ups at every site. Those loops tend to be crowded and less private.

Even as we move further along in year two of traveling, this is still one of our favorite parks. The boardwalk path to the beach crosses the windswept dunes of this barrier island. It reminds me of a moonscape or a movie set of a desert. How plants survive here is a mystery, but somehow they hang on, bloom, and flourish. The beach sand is sugar white. We will return to visit friends, relax in this setting, and enjoy the fresh seafood!

Moving on to Texas

Our first stop in Texas was in Beaumont, just over the Louisiana border. We had a nice afternoon visit with dear friend Dessie Crow. We have had some very memorable motorcycle adventures with Dessie and Floyd Crow, along with other great folks in our motorcycle circle. It had been a long time since we’d seen her, and it was wonderful to catch up.

We decided to take advantage of our Harvest Host membership and spend the night at Pour Brothers Brewery in Beaumont.

This was our first Harvest Host location that was in a downtown area, which made us a little nervous. However, the four corners surrounding the brewery are part of Beaumont’s government center. The police station and court house were across the street, so we felt safe staying in the parking lot near the brewery.

The brewery features a wall of self-serve taps, which is a little different. Each customer is issued an in-house credit card to use at the taps. The system is new and has some wrinkles, so a tap attendant is stationed nearby to reload the credit cards and fix issues, but it’s a very cool idea. Late afternoon on a weekday meant we had the place all to ourselves. I liked the Hooligan Hefeweizen more than the beer made with jalapeño peppers. (Interesting idea, but too much of a kick for drinking more than one.)

After a couple brews, we crossed the street and had an early dinner at New York Pizza and Pasta. Texas really isn’t the place to expect real New York pizza, but we liked their version and the friendly customer service that came with it.

The next morning, we headed to Galveston Island State Park. The breeze from the Gulf never stops here. Even though the park is a good half mile or more from the beach, it’s still windy. It must be a welcome relief from Texas heat in the summer, but in February, it can bring a big chill. We rode our bikes and walked some of the nature trails.

This part of Texas is big birding territory. On one of our walks, we saw Roseate Spoonbills wading in a marshy pond.

These birds are a rosy pink, like flamingoes, because of their diet. They’re quite striking against the buff-colored grasses and grey of winter.

Our next stop was in Bay City, Texas. We stayed at Riverside Park, a city recreation park, outside of town on the Colorado River.

In our travels, we’ve found some lovely city and county parks that have great amenities: hot showers, clean restrooms, and coin laundries. This particular park was badly damaged by Hurricane Harvey in 2017.

The park recently reopened after a two-year, expensive rebuild and upgrade. We were surprised to be the only campers there. Not sure why? But it made social distancing easy!

There’s not much to explore in Bay City. Their city website touts that you can drive across town in 10 minutes. Yup, that’s true. It’s a small town about 75 miles north of Houston. The town’s major industries are construction, manufacturing, healthcare and industrial transportation. The train ran close to our campground, and we could hear trains off in the distance, running day and night.

About 50% of the population is Hispanic, and there are a lot of Mexican grocery stores and businesses. We found a terrific Mexican restaurant, La Casona, where we sat outdoors on a roadside patio for a late lunch. Their Enchiladas Alexander (enchiladas stuffed with crabmeat, topped with crema) are fantastic, if you’re ever in the area. Also got a kick out of their roadside sign.

We moved on to Goose Island State Park, on Aransas Bay, about half an hour from Corpus Christi. We thought this would be a good launching pad for exploring South Padre Island. Everyone talks about boondocking on Padre Island – driving and parking right on on beach of the Gulf of Mexico. Even though we saw lots of large RVs doing this, we decided it wasn’t for us. We saw a truck and trailer stuck in the sand, struggling to work their way out, and thoughts of sinking our van gave us cold feet. It was chilly and windy with blowing sand. All the condos and hotels on the strip indicate that this is a very busy spot in season, but for now, we were the only people walking the beach (while wearing jackets and hats).

Goose Island is a very pretty park. One of the big camping loops is right on the Bay. The others are spaced through a wooded area. This is where we camped, nestled under the old Southern Oaks with their crazy, twisted branches.

The dense underbrush is a wildlife haven, with a great bird population. A Texas Birding Host, a volunteer knowledgeable about birds, was two sites down from us. He maintains a list of recent sightings and keeps the bird feeding stations stocked for local and migratory birds.

There are also deer everywhere. Only small ones, though. I’m afraid they don’t live long. People drive really fast in Texas.

After our time at Goose Island, we decided to work our way toward San Antonio, spending a few days at Lake Corpus Christi State Park. Lake Corpus Christi is large and beautiful. The campground is perched on a slope leading down to the water, and most of the campsites on our loop had a water view. Like at Fort Pickens, we chose to camp on a non-electric loop.

On February 12, our first night in camp, the weather really started to go downhill – a portent of what was on the way. The cold was bone-chilling, and even with hot water, an unheated bath house was not very inviting. We decided to return to Goose Island State Park. At least it was a bit further south and might have milder temperatures. It turned out that we were in for a record-breaking weather surprise.

On Valentine’s Day, we cooked up a batch of chili bean soup outdoors on our cookstove. The winds were whipping around, and we bundled up with coats, hats and gloves. We retreated to the van to eat and stay warm. Overnight, the arctic cold moved in big time. We awoke to snow outside and ice on the inside of the van windows. The outside temperature was 16 degrees.

The TV weather maps showed the arctic cold dipping all the way down through Texas to the Gulf Coast, with frigid temperatures to continue for several more days. Texas was not prepared for such temperature extremes.

Our side of the campground lost power, so we moved to a bayfront site. Although less protected from wind, at least we would have electricity.

Water pipes in the campground were having problems. Frozen pipes were springing leaks. So, the park shut off the water and closed the bath houses and restrooms until repairs could be made.

We briefly gave thought to finding a hotel room, but any hotels that still had power and/or water would be full. We took a drive through Rockport and saw that almost everything was closed. Traffic lights weren’t working. No lights in stores or homes. It made no sense to leave where we knew we were safe. So, we hunkered down, only venturing out for supplies and walks for exploring and exercise.

H.E.B., which is a privately held supermarket chain in Texas and north Mexico, managed to stay open, running on generators, while the Walmart down the street was closed. H.E.B. is a local hero. Our campground hosts told us that the H.E.B. stores were the only ones that stayed open after Hurricane Harvey, a storm second only to Katrina in intensity. Food was in limited supply, but we managed to find what we really needed.

Not knowing how long the cold snap would last, we decided that we should refill our propane tank. Our onboard furnace runs on propane. We waited in line for two hours, but were able to get propane. We saw long lines for gasoline and decided to wait. Luckily, the next day, we found a station without lines, and topped off the gas tank.

Officially, our park and all the Texas State Parks closed until February 22nd. However, campers already in the park were allowed to stay. The campground staff scurried to get the park back up and running, and managed to remain positive and kind while dealing with conditions.

After five days, things started to turn around. Temperatures warmed and services started up again. After a hot shower and a trip to the laundromat we felt great.

During the cold blast, our side of the campground was almost deserted. We met a couple from Michigan – Mel and Terry- who were also traveling in a Promaster van. We kept comparing notes and checking in with each other. It helped keep it from being a lonely time while we waited for things to get back to normal.

On their last day at Goose Island, the four of us celebrated surviving the arctic-apocalypse with Bloody Marys at the Rock Bottom Brewery in Rockport. These were no ordinary Bloody Marys. They come with your toppings of choice. Mel’s had cheese sticks, lime, olives, bacon, fried pickles, pepperoni, shrimp, and a pork chop. Talk about a meal in a glass!

We parted ways as happy new friends, hoping that our paths cross again one of these days.

We spent a few more days at Goose Island – warm, sunny days wearing tee shirts – reorganized the van and ourselves, and then headed north. This time, we do plan to see San Antonio and Austin!