Monday, January 28, 2019
January 2019. Our RV Park has an unusual design. It has 4 wheels, or circles, of pull-throughs and then back-ins around the perimeter. In the center of each circle is a palapa with picnic tables. The wheel design made it a perfect format for the Progressive Dinner activity that we had yesterday. We started with appetizers and wine in the first circle. When the horn blew we moved to the next circle for salads and wine. Next was the entree, lasagna, provided by the park. We finished with dessert and liqueurs at the last circle. It was a great socializing activity. The weather was perfect, too, which made it even better. Fun times!
Sunday, January 27, 2019
January 2019. There are numerous tours available to us in this park and we have taken two of them,so far. First we took the 3 hour pontoon boat trip down the Rio Grande River. We were promised spectacular bird sightings and interesting historical facts. Unfortunately it was cloudy and a little misty that day, so photos are not great. We did see numerous birds. And we had an experienced “birder” along so we could learn about the different species ( from a distance they all looked the same to me😎). The boat captain filled us in on the historical facts of things we saw, both on the Mexican side and the American side. He pointed out “spotters” on the Mexican side who monitor boat traffic for the smugglers. Two Boarder Patrol gunboats passed us while we were out there 😮. It was an interesting trip.
On Thursday we sent Jax to doggy jail and took the South Padre Island Tour. I never thought I would be one of those old gray-haired people,with name tags, being herded from place to place, but there we were! They even blew a whistle to get us all rounded up 😂. We boarded the bus at 6:45 am and were given a breakfast sandwich to eat on the way. After crossing the 2 mile long Queen Isabelle Causeway, our first stop was the 3 hour dolphin-watch trip (no Gilligan in sight). We did see dolphins several times, but they are hard to catch on a picture. The tour goes all the way down to the Port of Brownsville, which is the only deep water port on the US/Mexican border. Interestingly, we were told not to take pictures there. They dismantle some military ships there and they don’t want them photographed. There were oil rigs in varying states of repair there, as well. The boat captain shared a lot of interesting stories and facts. Then we headed back. After we docked, we had lunch at the Sea Ranch. Next we boarded the bus again and went to Sea Turtle Inc. This organization rescues, rehabilitates, and releases sea turtles. There was one turtle there that had lost three of her flippers and so this place gave her a prosthetic device to help her swim. She has to be a permanent resident there, but it was incredible how they helped her. After the turtles we went back to the dock for our sunset cruise and shrimp boil. It was a beautiful evening to be on the water. Again we saw dolphins. We sipped wine, ate shrimp, and cruised along the jetties, watching the sun set. This is the life! We got back to the RV Park around 9:00pm. tired but happy.
On Thursday we sent Jax to doggy jail and took the South Padre Island Tour. I never thought I would be one of those old gray-haired people,with name tags, being herded from place to place, but there we were! They even blew a whistle to get us all rounded up 😂. We boarded the bus at 6:45 am and were given a breakfast sandwich to eat on the way. After crossing the 2 mile long Queen Isabelle Causeway, our first stop was the 3 hour dolphin-watch trip (no Gilligan in sight). We did see dolphins several times, but they are hard to catch on a picture. The tour goes all the way down to the Port of Brownsville, which is the only deep water port on the US/Mexican border. Interestingly, we were told not to take pictures there. They dismantle some military ships there and they don’t want them photographed. There were oil rigs in varying states of repair there, as well. The boat captain shared a lot of interesting stories and facts. Then we headed back. After we docked, we had lunch at the Sea Ranch. Next we boarded the bus again and went to Sea Turtle Inc. This organization rescues, rehabilitates, and releases sea turtles. There was one turtle there that had lost three of her flippers and so this place gave her a prosthetic device to help her swim. She has to be a permanent resident there, but it was incredible how they helped her. After the turtles we went back to the dock for our sunset cruise and shrimp boil. It was a beautiful evening to be on the water. Again we saw dolphins. We sipped wine, ate shrimp, and cruised along the jetties, watching the sun set. This is the life! We got back to the RV Park around 9:00pm. tired but happy.
Friday, January 25, 2019
January 9, 2019. The park is full now and things are in full swing. Besides the Wednesday Social Hour, there is also Friday night entertainment. We really enjoyed Mario. He spent several years in Branson and now performs in Las Vegas. Every winter he does a few shows here in the Valley. There are other entertainers and activities going on that we enjoy. It is a good place to be.
We are still hiking. Last week we heard about a wildlife refuge around a salt lake, La Sal Del Ray. It had great reviews for photography, birding, and hiking. The lake sits atop 4 million tons of salt! It is a favorite stopover for migratory birds, including the wintering Sandhills cranes. The lake has been an important source of salt for centuries. The Spanish conquistadors named the lake, Salt of the Kings, because all mineral rights were the property of the King of Spain. So we found the entrance and hiked about a mile (fighting off bugs all the way) until we found the lake. Unfortunately, because of the drought, the lake had mostly dried up. All we could photograph were the salt flats and dried up plants. No wildlife in sight, except the bugs driving us nuts. But the weather was nice and sunny and we got our hike for the day. I also enjoyed reading about the history of the lake.
After Christmas we decided to get a couple of bikes because this area has many bike trails and nice, flat places to ride. Combined with the nice weather it’s a perfect exercise. Michelle gave me one of her old bikes and Pops bought one. We have begun riding around the park and getting used to these bikes. Some friends we have met are avid bike riders and we plan to ride with them once we get a little more comfortable with the gears.
We are still hiking. Last week we heard about a wildlife refuge around a salt lake, La Sal Del Ray. It had great reviews for photography, birding, and hiking. The lake sits atop 4 million tons of salt! It is a favorite stopover for migratory birds, including the wintering Sandhills cranes. The lake has been an important source of salt for centuries. The Spanish conquistadors named the lake, Salt of the Kings, because all mineral rights were the property of the King of Spain. So we found the entrance and hiked about a mile (fighting off bugs all the way) until we found the lake. Unfortunately, because of the drought, the lake had mostly dried up. All we could photograph were the salt flats and dried up plants. No wildlife in sight, except the bugs driving us nuts. But the weather was nice and sunny and we got our hike for the day. I also enjoyed reading about the history of the lake.
After Christmas we decided to get a couple of bikes because this area has many bike trails and nice, flat places to ride. Combined with the nice weather it’s a perfect exercise. Michelle gave me one of her old bikes and Pops bought one. We have begun riding around the park and getting used to these bikes. Some friends we have met are avid bike riders and we plan to ride with them once we get a little more comfortable with the gears.
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