North Padre Island, TX, February 2019

Sunset Over Laguna Madre From Our Condo

Because we really our enjoyed our month away from Wisconsin winter last year in Alabama, we planned another winter getaway, this time to the Corpus Christi, Texas area. We had found a nice condo in 2017 and planned to visit Corpus Christi in February 2018, but Hurricane Harvey in August, 2017 changed our plans, when the condo had minor damage and the owners had to cancel. At that time we found a place in Gulf Shores, Alabama on short notice and went there last February. This year, the condo was available so we were able to make the trip to Texas. 

We left Milwaukee in early February with the temperature at 12 degrees. When we arrived in Memphis to spend the night, the temperature was a balmy 63 degrees! Yay! 

The next day it was 84 degrees when we stopped in the afternoon to visit our friends Dave & Laurie in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana.  Dave had some homemade Cajun venison sausage and Blackbuck Antelope backstrap meat to give us to use while we stayed in Texas. I made several batches of excellent gumbo (according to Garry) with the sausage during our stay, adding in some fresh shrimp and oysters that we bought at local Corpus Christi markets.

Crossing the border into Texas, we stopped in Beaumont and had a great seafood dinner at Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen, which had been recommended by Dave. We spent the night in Winnie, Texas. The next day we passed through High Island, where Garry has duck hunted many times. Heading west we drove down the Bolivar Peninsula, and crossed the channel to Galveston at Port Bolivar on a 20 minute ferry ride. We seem to always have at least one ferry ride on our vacations! I guess that's because we like to vacation near water.

Ferry Crossing From Port Bolivar to Galveston, TX

We stopped in Galveston at their Visitor Center and did a bit of exploring the historic district, the Marine Museum, and Seawall Drive. 

Visitor Center, Galveston, TX

Opera House, 1894, Galveston, TX

Bishop's Palace, Galveston, TX

The shipping channel for ships heading into Houston was very busy, and we saw ships arriving and departing from all over the world. 

Shipping Channel Between Port Bolivar and Galveston, Route for Houston-bound Ships

 Traveling down the coast, we went through Freeport and saw many oil refineries.
We traveled the coast to Corpus Christi, passing through Bay City, Port Lavaca, and Rockport. We had to take a very short ferry ride at Port Aransas across the shipping channel to Corpus Christi because there is no bridge. The ferry operates 24 hours a day.  Port Aransas is on Mustang Island, and was the bullseye of Hurricane Harvey in August, 2017, and there is still a lot of damage visible. We drove another 20 miles and arrived at our rented condo. 

Our condo complex on N. Padre Island, Corpus Christi, TX

 The condo was a lower unit with 2 bedrooms & 2 baths with a nice kitchen and a great view of Laguna Madre. Many units were rented to other snowbirds, as evidenced by all of the license plates from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, etc. It had a pool, but the weather was not warm enough for swimming. The condos are on the Laguna Madre side of the Island, with the Gulf of Mexico side of the Island a mile away. We had a view of the JFK Causeway bridge, which connects the island to Corpus Christi mainland, 2 and a half miles away. 

Our condo had it's own dock (but we don't have a boat) 

All of the rooms have a pretty beach decor. 

As we drove away from the condo one morning, I spotted some birds on a neighbor's roof a block from the condo. I asked Garry what those birds were that "looked like baby turkeys". He got very excited and he told me they were Black-bellied Tree Ducks. He went back to watch them the next morning and spoke with the homeowner who is feeding them and attracting them to his yard. They are Mexican species which is becoming more common in Texas and Louisiana. The ducks were there every day during the month and flew past our windows daily. 

Black-bellied Tree Ducks On Roof of Home 1 Block From our Condo

Black-bellied Tree Ducks

Windy beach day at Bob Hall Pier, before lunch at Mikel Mays Restaurant 

 The Bob Hall Pier is a fishing pier located in the Padre Balli State Park, which was near our condo. We tried the Mikel Mays Restaurant and the food was OK, but we were disappointed to learn that their fish dinner was actually Swai (which is a farmed fish from Vietnam which we normally would not eat). We assumed we'd be getting locally caught fish. From then on, we always asked about the origin when eating out or purchasing seafood at the markets. 

The shore fishing was not very productive because it's early in the season and Garry was told by the locals that the "shrimp were spawning and in the mud". However, he did catch a huge Black Drum, which the locals call a "Big Ugly". He estimated that it weighed between 25 and 30 pounds, and he couldn't get it out of the water. But I got a picture and then he broke the line to let it go. 

Garry Catching a "Big Ugly" (Black Drum) 25-30 lbs!

There were many places for us to explore, including Padre Island National Seashore. We used our Senior Lifetime Pass for free entrance. One advantage of aging! Garry enjoyed visiting almost daily in early mornings so he could watch the many birds, including 15 species of waterfowl and many Mexican species of birds (see the upcoming separate post about birds). 

We learned that Texas beaches are all roads and the sand is safe to drive on because it is hard packed. There are areas where you can drive for as far 60 miles, but you do need a 4WD vehicle and you need to take emergency supplies like water. There is no cell service. You also must notify the park if you plan to drive down that far (towards Brownsville). The Mansfield Channel separates North Padre and South Padre Island. 

Entrance to Padre Island National Seashore, 10 miles south of our condo

Visitor Center, National Seashore

Laguna Madre Boat Launch at the National Seashore

 We had a few sunny days with temps in the 80's, but there were many cloudy days, a lot of morning and evening "Sea Fog" and a lot of wind on the island, especially on the Gulf side, when Garry was fishing and I was beach-walking. 

One of Many Beautiful Sunsets Over Laguna Madre

Sunset from Living Room Windows! 

More posts are being created, as Garry edits his large photo collection. We'll have bird and animal photos, our visit to the Botanical Gardens, Aquarium, Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, Brownsville, Brazos Island, Port Aransas, and more. 

Louisiana & Mississippi: Seafood, Music, & Katrina

Fried Green Tomatoes with Creamy Shrimp Sauce 

The reasons we love the South: warm weather in winter, lots of seafood dishes to taste, and music venues to visit. We cooked a lot while in Alabama for a month, but as we passed through New Orleans on our way back home, we stayed in a hotel and had to (?) eat at restaurants. It was hard to rein ourselves in on the budget and diet, but we managed to enjoy some great food, as well as music. 

Hotel Richelieu, at the edge of the French Quarter

Great View

Fishing, Seafood, Dolphins in Gulf Shores/Orange Beach, AL

Visitor Center

Gulf Shores and Orange Beach are 2 neighboring ocean-front towns. There are many beach houses and high rise condos, and it is the heart of the tourist zone. We saw a lot of license plates from Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois. 

High Rise Meets Low Rise

We bought some small shark teeth key rings for the grandchildren here, and Garry bought a large tooth for his own collection.

Fishing at Alabama Point State Park, Orange Beach AL.
Garry said he didn't notice the girls in bikinis. I think he did.

My heron friend, looking for fish. 

Gulf Shores and Orange Beach each had their own Mardi Gras parades, a few hours apart. More beads and Moon Pies! 

Here's the link to my post about our visit to the Mobile Carnival Museum, where we learned a lot about the Mardi Gras traditions, culture and history. There are a lot of photos of the elaborate costumes worn by participants at the Mardi Gras balls. 

Flippers Seafood Restaurant, in Orange Beach at Bear Point Marina, was recommended to us. Our meals there were very good, and homemade ice cream is included! I regret that I never got around to trying a popular Alabama drink, a Bushwacker, made with rum and ice cream. 

The dolphin tour which has offices next to Flippers had off season specials, and we got a fun and educational 2 hour trip. The dolphins like to ride the wake between 2 boats because it helps them to shed their skin. 

Gulf Shores advertised a Seafood Festival and Car Show at The Wharf, which is a shopping center and condo complex.  It wasn't a festival by Milwaukee standards; no beer tents and very little food. But it drew a large crowd and seeing the classic cars was fun.  

What we thought would be a short hike into the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge turned out to be a long hike in on sand in the hot sun. When we got to Gator Lake, we didn't see any gators. 

I guess some people need to be told not to SWIM with alligators.

During the month we were in Alabama, we made several visits over to Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, so we tried a few restaurants. One popular spot is Fish River Grill. Meals include Swamp Soup, which tastes better than it looks, sort of a greens & beans kind of soup. I tried a crawfish pistol, which is crawfish in a sauce stuffed into a roll. Yummy. 

We also tried Niki's Seafood & Thai restaurant. It seemed strange to have Thai food in a beachy-vibe place, with all blue and green decor. The basil spring rolls were good and the tea was served in a big jar. 

A neighbor in Perdido Beach suggested we go to Doc's Seafood Shack. I tried the fried stuffed crab, which I never had before and it was good. 

Gulf Shores and Orange Beach had some good places to fish, swim, eat and shop, but we were happy with our choice of our little cabin in the woods in Perdido Beach. It was a much more peaceful and quiet residential area. I took walks every morning on the roads around the neighborhood. 

Sunset from our deck at the cabin. 

Pensacola, FL; Museum of Naval Aviation & More Shrimp

Pensacola is home to the National Naval Aviation Museum, and several people recommended that we visit. Admission is free and even though I don't know a thing about aircraft, it was very interesting. 

View from the second floor looking down onto a display

Old Blue Angels planes on display

Garry had read a recommendation for this little seafood restaurant under the bridge, called Fisherman's Corner, and we stopped for lunch. The food was great and our chatty server told us about a seafood market called Joe Patti's World Famous Seafood. We always carry a cooler, so we made a stop there and bought some more shrimp! I think we had shrimp and/or fish every day in February. Heart healthy! 

Fisherman's Corner - Great fish tacos & amberjack.

World Famous Joe Patti's Seafood Market

Joe himself sitting on the stool to the left, calling out numbers. 

We search out parks when we travel, and found Tarkiln Bayou State Park in Pensacola. It was a little early for the pitcher plants to be in bloom, but we found one! 

Whitetop Pitcherplant

  

Elevated paths made walking easy and I didn't worry about snakes.