Travel With The Thayers: #90 South Padre Island, TX

#90 South Padre Island, TX

Wednesday December 12, 2019

Hello Mississippi! Our drive to South Padre needed three one-night stops. We just drove through Mississippi.

Sights across Mississippi on I-10.

Hello Louisiana!

The Lakeside RV Park in Livingston, LA was decked out for Christmas. Whoever made the Saints Wreath did an outstanding job! Remember this is Louisiana. This very nice park abutted a little lake. We were impressed with the clean and friendly nature in the park.

This practical and unique half table tips up to form a park bench.

Hello Baton Rouge!

When I think of Louisiana, I remember this section of I-10. The raised highway moves traffic high above the bayous for mile after mile.

The Atchafalaya name marks this area of the country. Derrille and Jay enjoy books by James Lee Burke that are set in this area.

Anderson Swamp displays a beauty of its own.

As we approached Lake Charles LA the landscape became cluttered with the oil industry.
Wherever you look oil machinery burns flames, belches smoke or processes its product in some way.

Hello Texas!

We stopped in Beaumont TX at the Gulf Coast RV Resort…another nice park. The sunset danced across the sky.

Next day…same view. There is no doubt that we are in oil country.

I-10 took us right through downtown Houston. The guys were thrilled….not.

A series of overpasses rise about the freeway for several miles.

We had one more stop in Victoria, TX. Victoria offers big city amenities. We got haircuts, went grocery shopping etc. in preparation for 8 days on South Padre.

Saturday December 7, 2019

A long bridge leads to South Padre Island. These high-rise buildings did not exist when we first started coming here.

We stay as Isla Blanca County Park at the southern tip of the island. The county made lots of improvements to the park over the years and it looked really good.

Our sites faced the Laguna Madre and we enjoyed watching pelicans, water traffic and dolphins. As a side event, the park was moving dirt. Three or more big dump trucks went back and forth in front of us most days.

We saw this ship go in, and then come out as the sun was beginning to set.

The pirate ship takes tourist out on to the water.

Pelicans filled the bay and offered us plenty to watch as the dove for a meal.

The Cristo de Los Pescadores statue sat off to our left. The Fisherman’s Christ monument honors fisherman lost at sea. A plaque sits in each cube of stone detailing the fisherman, his boat and important dates. I found it a bit sobering to view. Lynn saw the same women come by almost every day.

The South Padre Island agenda included winding down after 7 months on the road. We had hoped to see the Sea Turtles, walk on the beach, visit the shops etc. As it turned out Derrille and Jay coughed severely and didn’t feel well. I got whatever it is. Then the temperatures dropped and the wind blew 30-40 mph. The palm trees bent over and the fronds blew to one side. It was too cold to even go outside. Plus, we didn’t want to take 3 coughing people into a restaurant. We used the days to rest and recuperate.

Several days 3-4 foot waves were rolling across the water. I thought I had missed a ship passing, but no…the wind made the water look like we were on an ocean beach.

On one occasion a beautiful dolphin leapt high above one of these wave, dove back into the wave and then leapt again. That sight became a forever memory to cherish.

Sunday December 15. 2019

Like South Padre we had plans for San Antonio. The Riverwalk at Christmas must be spectacular. We were so excited. Then temperatures dropped below freezing going out at night was not a healthy choice.

We left San Antonio and headed west with another trio of one-night stops before arriving in Tucson for Christmas. Our reservations for Sun City, AZ begin on December 31^st and places us back into our normal Western Loop Routine. Hello New Mexico!