Must have been the influence of Talk Like a Pirate Day
Well, we made it home, safe and sound but with the wanderlust still rampant in our blood ...
Don's discomfort on the camping trip abated the closer we got to home and the Doctor moved his appointment from Wednesday to the following Monday soooooooo; feeling like there was no imminent fear of death or dismemberment we decided to continue roaming. This time we headed for Southern Texas for a little dose of salt water. We moved to Texas from Puerto Rico where, of course, we were surrounded by salt water. The vibrantly turquoise waters of the Caribbean have a mystical and almost spiritual appeal so we pointed the Dodge Caravan (now named Bianca) to South Padre Island in search of the sweet taste of salt.
We enjoyed the visit to the South Padre Birding and Nature Center; a short film enlightened us regarding the somewhat unique geography of the area. South Padre Island is a finger of land that stretches along the coast of Texas, creating a natural land barrier. On one side lies the Gulf of Mexico and on the other side, the Laguna Madre. If you take into consideration the entire length of the Laguna Madre it is around 130 miles long! It is super salty, saltier than normal seawater and very shallow, ranging from 2 to 3 feet in depth. We saw lots of people wading out into the lagoon fishing and they could walk on forever!
The Birding and Nature Center has a well marked boardwalk that takes visitors to different areas of the wetlands where the diverse wildlife is very much evident. We saw many birds of all sizes and beak configurations, turtles, crabs. manta rays, fish galore, dragon flies, butterflies, and all kinds of different grasses.
We ate well, drank adult libations, listened to good music while watching a fabulous sunset and the birth of a wonderful night skyline. Another interesting thing are the many sand castles that are abundant throughout South Padre Island...apparently designated as the Sand Castle Capital of the World. A sign accompanying one of the grandest of the sand castles explained that these majestic sand sculptures are made from compacted river sand which contains more clay than beach sand. When finished the outside is sprayed with a combination of water and Elmer's Glue to help preserve the sculpture from the ravages of wind and weather but that it is not the glue which keeps them erect.
According to the sign one can expect each sculpture fashioned in this manner to survive around 14 months! Of course, depending on the incidence of human intervention which is the most frequent cause of sand castle demise. Ahhhh. human nature!
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| View from the tower at the South Padre Birding and Nature Center |
This time around we weren't camping...until the Doc gets an opportunity to render an opinion as to what got the hubby feeling so poorly we didn't want to camp. We were very pleasantly impressed with the accommodations and location of the Super 8 right on Padre Boulevard and for only $35.00 a night! In my book, staying in a motel doesn't compare with the sense of adventure, relaxation and communing with nature that camping provides, but there is a lot to be said for swimming pools, WiFi, Cable TV and a toilet you don't need a flashlight to access in the middle of the night!
We enjoyed the visit to the South Padre Birding and Nature Center; a short film enlightened us regarding the somewhat unique geography of the area. South Padre Island is a finger of land that stretches along the coast of Texas, creating a natural land barrier. On one side lies the Gulf of Mexico and on the other side, the Laguna Madre. If you take into consideration the entire length of the Laguna Madre it is around 130 miles long! It is super salty, saltier than normal seawater and very shallow, ranging from 2 to 3 feet in depth. We saw lots of people wading out into the lagoon fishing and they could walk on forever!
The Birding and Nature Center has a well marked boardwalk that takes visitors to different areas of the wetlands where the diverse wildlife is very much evident. We saw many birds of all sizes and beak configurations, turtles, crabs. manta rays, fish galore, dragon flies, butterflies, and all kinds of different grasses.
We ate well, drank adult libations, listened to good music while watching a fabulous sunset and the birth of a wonderful night skyline. Another interesting thing are the many sand castles that are abundant throughout South Padre Island...apparently designated as the Sand Castle Capital of the World. A sign accompanying one of the grandest of the sand castles explained that these majestic sand sculptures are made from compacted river sand which contains more clay than beach sand. When finished the outside is sprayed with a combination of water and Elmer's Glue to help preserve the sculpture from the ravages of wind and weather but that it is not the glue which keeps them erect.
According to the sign one can expect each sculpture fashioned in this manner to survive around 14 months! Of course, depending on the incidence of human intervention which is the most frequent cause of sand castle demise. Ahhhh. human nature!
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