DEC 27, 2013 POST-CHRISTMAS TEXAS COAST

Texas Coast Christmas 2013

12/27/13

After a fun Christmas with our sons, they headed back to their places and we packed the Trek. 

Left about 9:15 AM, 49 degrees, and headed down 288 toward the coast.  After we got out of the Houston area, past Alvin and southeast we began to see a few hawks, geese and a field of sandhill cranes. There are many fields used for growing rice and corn in this area, which attracts lots of birds.

 First stop was Brazosport Natural History Museum, next to the campus of Brazosport College in Clute (or Lake Jackson, there is some debate).  Named one of the ten best museums in Texas by Frommer’s Travel Guide, it was well worth the stop.  Most of the museum is dedicated to shells and the collection is immense, from all parts of the world.  Such beauty and variety in nature!

There were also interesting fossils, minerals and carvings, a huge butterfly collection and local archeological finds.  Many items were part of donated collections.  We had an interesting discussion with the man in charge, who is a shell collector and he passed along some information on Texas beaches, along with a handy map.

From here we headed further south and east to San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge on the coast.Saw thousands of geese here, along with red-tailed and white-tailed hawks, the ever-present turkey vultures and black vultures, coots (black & white ducks), doves, cardinals and other unidentified birds.   Along one trail we spotted an alligator (about 6’ long) who was about 10 feet away, down a small hill and up to his eyes in water.  We watched him and took a few photos till he raised himself up and gave a nasty hiss.  We got the message and quickly moved on!

  

Geese coming in for a landing….

Unfriendly gator.

Lovely trails with spanish moss.

On the way out of the refuge, two beautiful bobcats crossed the road ahead of us and disappeared into the brush.  Couldn’t get to the camera fast enough!

Next we headed down the coast to Matagorda Peninsula which is more like a barrier island. (Actually, Matagorda Island is a bit further south.)  There is a bridge over the Intercoastal Waterway which was quite busy with barges and such.  We arrived at  Matagorda Bay Nature Park about 4:30 and camped near their fishing pier and picnic area.  We walked out the pier , onto the jetty and back before firing up the generator and heating up some brisket and beans left from Christmas eve dinner.

Rough surf at Matagorda Nature Park.

Beautiful sunset.

Next morning we bundled up a bit (46 degrees and windy) and walked the beach.  There was quite a variety of shells, star fish and driftwood as well as some beautiful primroses, sea oats and grasses on the dunes.  I couldn’t resist collecting some shells.

long-beaked curlew.

Had breakfast and then headed south to Port Lavaca, a fairly sizable town, and then on to Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, through several tiny towns like Tivoli, Palacios and Austwell – barely more than a blink.

We had been to this refuge a few times before but usually just did the auto trail.  Today we tried the Heron Flats trail, Birding Trail and a few others.  Not a lot of animal activity, but it turned out to be a nice day with some sunshine and temps hit 62. Many people come here to see the Whooping Cranes. Texas has the largest population of wintering cranes of any of the states.  The population was down to 15 back in the 1940’s but has rebounded nicely up to 250.  We saw many great herons, which are almost as tall as whoopers (46” vs 52”), snow geese, white pelicans, curlews and other shore birds. But no whoopers L Saw a few deer, no javelina or gators, which we have seen in the past.  This refuge is very popular with birders and we did see many of them, binoculars and huge camera lenses in hand.

Great blue heron.

White tail deer.

Turkey vultures.

From here we continued south to Goose Island State Park, near the quaint town of Rockport.  We splurged on electric hook-ups, had a nice campfire and enjoyed a star-filled sky. Nice neighbors, couple new to camping, offered home-made clam chowder but we, unfortunately perhaps, had already eaten. We went to bed anticipating a steamy shower in the morning!

                                 Campground at Goose Island State Park.
12/29/13
Great hot shower in the morning and then we explored the park a bit. Lots of birds, including a roseate spoonbill and several egrets.

 There was a long fishing pier and several fishermen.  You could see many sizable sheepshead and occasional schools of other fish from the pier.  Several pelicans, both the larger white ones and brown ones were near the boat launch.

 Sheepshead

 Pelican

After leaving Goose Island, we joined several folks using computers at a McDonald's in Rockport and did some blogging while having lunch.  We continued south, through Corpus Christi and out to North Padre Island National Seashore.  After visiting the welcome center, we drove a few miles on the beach, and then headed to the campground at Malaquite Beach.

We walked the beach which had many birds, mostly willets, and very few shells.  Also several groups of sanderlings - those tiny hyperactive birds that run into and out of the surf.

 "Bully" willet kept chasing this one.

 George, quite photogenic heron. Stands about 40" tall.

Another heron on the dunes.

There were a couple of fishermen in waders, and one looked somewhat familiar because he had a great heron standing watch by him.  Turns out he is the same fisherman we saw several years ago on New Year's Eve (74 and going strong).  There was a heron with him then too, named George.  He said this was George, although a ranger confided later that there are "several Georges".

It was very windy and sprinkling a bit, so we tucked in, had dinner and read.  Greg was finishing a book on Genghis Khan and I was finishing "The Goldfinch".  Took a break and walked down to the beach in the dark - the surf thundered and a sprinkling of stars lit the night.

 12/30/13

 Next morning we went on a birding tour with a guide named Karen who volunteers here with husband Tom during Winter.  They are from Wisconsin.  She drove us to several different spots with marshes and ponds, and even onto the beach.  Very knowledgeable and we saw at least 20 different kinds of birds! Most were ducks(redheads, teals, shovelers…)and other water birds, but we did see Harrier and White Tail Hawks, a Caracara, Kildeer and some beautiful small yellow warblers.

reddish egret

crested caracara

After the tour, we headed further south, through Harlingen, to Port Isabel and South Padre Island. The rain that began this morning gathered momentum and continued through the night.  We decided it probably wouldn't be good to camp on the beach, so joined a few other campers at the Walmart in Port Isabel.  Bought a roasted chicken and some potato salad for dinner, and spent another evening talking and reading.

12/31/2013

Woke to a cold, windy day with on and off sprinkles of rain.  Not ideal for doing things outdoors.  We decided to tour the lighthouse, keeper's house and a few small museums and since they didn't open till 9:00 and 10:00, we looked for a spot for a leisurely breakfast. We stayed in Port Isabel rather than crossing the causeway to Padre Island (fancier, more touristy) and found a place that looked very busy.     Cash only, locals,  packed, good food and good prices! 

Next we tried to tour the lighthouse, but it was closed due to the weather - I guess they don't want anyone blowing off the top!  The keeper's house was open and gave some interesting history - built in 1840's, captured and re-captured during the civil war.  Don't think too much of this area when you read about the civil war but there was quite a bit of activity.  The final battle of the civil war was just west of here (Palo Alto) - after the Confederacy surrendered.

Port Isabel esplanade.

We've seen towns with painted bears, horses, groundhogs, cows - and now dolphins!

The museums featured a lot of information about the history of the area and famous local shipwrecks, mostly Spanish in the 1500-1700s.  There was also an interesting history channel film about treasure hunting.

 early nautical accessories including hour glass

pieces of eight

When we finished, it was still raining and the forecast looked pretty bleak - 40's and more rain - so we decided to cut things short and head for home.  At this point we were very near Brownsville (US) and Matamoros (Mexico) but not interested in going to Mexico with all the recent violent activity there.  There are quite a few parks and preserves in "the valley", a World Birding Center, citrus orchards, etc. but we decided to leave them for another trip.   We headed for home ( buoyed by a lot of CD's)  by a more direct route and arrived safely about 7 hours later.  The rain stopped about 2/3 of the way home but it looks like it will catch up with us in a day or two.

Happy New Year!!

November 20, 2013 Big Bend

November 20

Beautiful orange sunrise, 57 degrees.  We bade farewell to the Chisos Mountains and headed out of the park towards Study Butte.  Passed an area they call the badlands

 and next stop is the town of Terlingua, home of the world-famous  (well, Texas-famous anyway) chili cook-off.

The town is partly ghost town and partly occupied.  There used to be quite a mining operation for quicksilver (mercury).  Many adobe ruins and a fantastic old cemetery.

The Trading Post is an interesting store next to the old Starlight Theater,  filled with arts and crafts, food and clothes.  Many locally made items, along with the made in China variety.  Can't help wondering what these people in China think as they are making roadrunners, cacti, smiling hot chili peppers, pinatas, etc.

A bit further on we turn onto the River Road (Paseo Rio), which runs along the Rio Grande, which is the US/Mexico border,  to Presidio.   We see an occasional Border Patrol car, but seriously, it would be easy to cross at many points.

 The State of Texas has recently added a State Park which is adjacent to Big Bend National Park and we stop at their visitor's center to have a look around and chat with the rangers there.  They mention a slot canyon trail that is spectacular and quite unusual for this part of the country, as well as several other trails.

Closed Canyon is a slot canyon carved into the lava tuff (most slot canyons are in sandstone in Utah).
It is very long and makes us feel very small as we wonder between the tall canyon walls.  Only a few puddles of water but the floor is mostly smooth polished rock.  At places, the canyon is only 6-10 feet wide.  It is about 20 degrees cooler here where the sun doesn't reach.  It is near 80 degrees back by the parking lot. Amazing what the force of water can do, it is impossible to capture the grandeur of this spot with a camera. (Doesn't keep me from trying….repeatedly…:)

  The road is like a roller coaster and at one point we come over a hill and nearly run into a herd of goats.  They are large, white and brown, and totally unconcerned with this 8000 lb vehicle bearing down on them.

We finally reach Presidio, a very small town where we thought we'd have lunch.  El Patio seems to be the only show in town, so we stop there for some Mexican fare.  Though our waitress doesn't speak English, we manage to communicate and enjoy a nice lunch complete with enchilada, quesadillo, chile releno, beans and rice.  Mine is good, Greg's is "ok", but his comes back to visit later :(.

We head north from here and pass another mining ghost town before we reach Marfa.  Known for artists and "the Marfa lights" and setting for the old film "Giant". Nice court house.

 We try to see Building 98 where WWII German POWs painted murals on their walls, but unfortunately the building is closed. Chinati foundation is an artist coop area with some wild art, but we have missed the last tour and settle for looking at some big concrete blocks outside - art? I'm sure we just don't understand... We look around in a few galleries/shops in town and then head for a viewing area for the Marfa Lights, where, we are told, we can boondock.  Supposedly these mysterious unexplained lights appear in the sky most nights just after dusk.  There are myriad possible explanations from swamp gas to rock dust to car headlights to aliens but no one knows for sure….(cue twilight zone music).

They have a nice viewing pavilion with rest rooms and telescopes.

 By dusk there are quite a few people here but most drift away disappointed an hour or so later.  I set up the camera to capture the lights and except for two quick flashes of green, we see nothing except a nice sunset and nice moon rise.

 Marfa Lights?

 A little while later we learn that there are railroad tracks on the other side of the highway, which we are reminded of a few times during the night.

November 21
Nice sunrise in Marfa. When we get out of the Trek we see a Border Patrol car has parked nearby and an officer is walking the nearby fence line.  We move on down the road  about 25 miles to the town of Alpine - real metropolis compared to what we've been seeing.  A few traffic lights even, and home to Sul Ross University (about 2000 students).  We are early for the Museum of the Big Bend on the university's pretty campus, so we bypass McDonald's and go to Penny's Diner for a hearty breakfast.  We are the only customers, which is a little worrisome, but five or six others soon join us and the food is good.

We arrive at the Museum just after it opened at 9AM and are greeted by a few friendly folks who explain the building and layout.

 There are many exhibits about the early inhabitants of the area, the Apaches, and those who struggled to make a home in this rugged, inhospitable land.  There is also an exhibit of works by Frederick Remington, including several dozen paintings and 6 gorgeous bronzes.
Nicely done.

After Alpine, we head to Fort Davis and stop at the Fort Davis Historical Park which has a dozen or so buildings from the 1800's, including a hospital, enlisted men's barracks, an officer's home and commissary.  Feeding a few hundred men as well as their horses was not an easy feat!

 Quite a few Buffalo Soldiers were posted here after the Civil War.

Next we begin to climb into the Davis Mountains, headed for a tour at McDonald Observatory.  We watch a film and some live coverage of the sun, then take a shuttle to see several of the huge telescopes housed here.  Kevin, our guide, was excellent. The dark sky here is one reason for the success of the Observatory.  There are actually county regulations as to what types of lighting are allowed within a 70-mile radius of the observatory.   Kevin joked that there are a total of about 80 people who live "on the mountain" and work here, making this the 4th largest community in the county.

 One of the smaller of the telescopes.

We finished near 5:00, so stopped at an apparently abandoned rest area part way back down the mountain and boondocked here.  Chicken, mashed potatoes and corn for a nice dinner.  It is getting cold, though, so we spend little time outside. Nice quiet spot.

November 22

7:15AM. Wake to 27 degrees and wind with a light mist.  Brrrrrr.

The folks at the observatory told us the forecast didn't look good, as they were predicting their first dose of wintery weather with possible ice and snow.  We were considering staying for a star viewing party tonight, but with this weather, visibility will no doubt be nil, so we decide to call it a trip and begin the long haul home.

It isn't until noon that we finally hit temperatures above freezing, though the mist and wind continue and we have quite a build-up of ice on the windshield wipers, mirrors, antennae, etc. until we get close to Houston.   Long drive with only stops for gas and we finally get back home around 6:30 PM. After almost 2,000 miles, a hot shower and our own bed sure feels good :).