Blog 299: Christmas on the Island
Hard to believe, but we had been at the Refuge for almost two months—time for a break! We cranked up the coach and took the easy 40-minute trek over to the KOA on South Padre Island.
KOA
The KOA is right over the causeway from the mainland, right on Laguna Madre, with views of the Gulf and South Bay. We watched out our front windows to see white ibis and roseate spoonbills feeding on the mud flats.
Pier 19
Another benefit of our location is that Pier 19, the over-the-water restaurant, adjoins the KOA property and is a three-minute walk from our coach. Good, reasonably priced food and drinks that you can enjoy while watching pelicans, shorebirds, and tourists heading out to fish, watch dolphins, or play pirate.
Runs on the Beach
If you head north on Highway 100, you soon reach the end of the road. With sand all around, one is bordered by Laguna Madre on the west and the Gulf of Mexico on the east. Here I let Mitzy loose and let Jack run wild on the light-brown sand. While we were playing, Jan picked up trash.
Sea Turtle Rescue
Just down the road is the Sea Turtle Rescue. As the name implies, they rescue sea turtles in need, nurture them back to health, and then release them or provide permanent homes for those unable to return to the wild.
Best-Laid Plans
We had plans to go to the beach another time or two, visit the birding center, and do more general exploring. Alas, the temperature dropped like cash at a casino (all the way down to 49 degrees), the mist/light rain gained momentum like a lead dog at the Iditarod, and the winds picked up like politicians at a rally. So, we buttoned up, settled down like bears entering hibernation, and headed back to Pier 19.
More Bird Pics from the Refuge
Here are an American avocet, a black-necked stilt, a ladderback woodpecker, a red-tailed hawk, a mourning dove, and a royal tern.
Old Trucks
Here are three old trucks from the Old Truck Reserve.
See you next time.
Blog 298: Let it Snow
Oh, Christmas Tree
With lots of help from our young neighbor, John Harvey, we got our Christmas tree up, trimmed, and lighted. In South Texas, snow is something youngsters only see on TV—except for this year! Only the third snow in 125 years fell and, combined with the famous Texas wind, blew down our Monument to the Seasons. Oh well, it quickly warmed and the tree was restored (and bolstered by the addition of more bricks).
BRRRRRRRRR!
I took a short trip to the north country—visiting the Detroit area for work. Great client, but the weather was dreary, cold, and snowy—had an unexpected weather stayover in Dallas, but made it back to Brownsville eventually. Great to be back.
Stray Dogs
We like this area a lot—beautiful area populated with lots of good people. However, on a sad note, too many people discard their pets like trash into a bin—dropping them off in the country to fend for themselves. Often they link up with other strays for comraderie and protection. Our friends here at the Refuge have taken the lead in supporting the dogs’ survival: daily feeding the strays and also paying the vet bills on one pup and making it adoptable. The county constable also feeds this crew and we carry a 50-pound bag of whatever-is-on-sale dog food in the back of our Jeep. Guess it does take a village.
One worn down, tail-dragging, blind-in-one-eye pup wandered into the Refuge. Nikki quickly provided food, water, and comfort. On a strong note, John Harvey’s family adopted this pup. He is in good hands.
Speaking of pups, here is a shot of a brown dog (well taken care of) that daily guards the entrance to its master’s ranch.
Birds and Critters
Here are more animal pics taken at the Refuge—Jan’s favorite is the close up of the Caracara—she says he looks like the Shah of Iran!
Old Trucks
Here are three old trucks from the Old Truck Reserve.
See you next time.
With lots of help from our young neighbor, John Harvey, we got our Christmas tree up, trimmed, and lighted. In South Texas, snow is something youngsters only see on TV—except for this year! Only the third snow in 125 years fell and, combined with the famous Texas wind, blew down our Monument to the Seasons. Oh well, it quickly warmed and the tree was restored (and bolstered by the addition of more bricks).
BRRRRRRRRR!
I took a short trip to the north country—visiting the Detroit area for work. Great client, but the weather was dreary, cold, and snowy—had an unexpected weather stayover in Dallas, but made it back to Brownsville eventually. Great to be back.
Stray Dogs
We like this area a lot—beautiful area populated with lots of good people. However, on a sad note, too many people discard their pets like trash into a bin—dropping them off in the country to fend for themselves. Often they link up with other strays for comraderie and protection. Our friends here at the Refuge have taken the lead in supporting the dogs’ survival: daily feeding the strays and also paying the vet bills on one pup and making it adoptable. The county constable also feeds this crew and we carry a 50-pound bag of whatever-is-on-sale dog food in the back of our Jeep. Guess it does take a village.
One worn down, tail-dragging, blind-in-one-eye pup wandered into the Refuge. Nikki quickly provided food, water, and comfort. On a strong note, John Harvey’s family adopted this pup. He is in good hands.
Speaking of pups, here is a shot of a brown dog (well taken care of) that daily guards the entrance to its master’s ranch.
Birds and Critters
Here are more animal pics taken at the Refuge—Jan’s favorite is the close up of the Caracara—she says he looks like the Shah of Iran!
Old Trucks
Here are three old trucks from the Old Truck Reserve.
See you next time.
Blog 297: Hot Then Cold, Short But Sweet
We are enjoying our stay at the wildlife refuge--nice to be experiencing an area we had never explored. Our tours have started, and so far, so good.
Birds
Here are a few shots of birds we have seen. In order, great kiscadee, kestrel, great blue heron, and roadrunner:
Horse Crippler
Here is a photo of a rare cactus, the Horse Crippler--any guesses why it has this name?
Texas Tortoise
Here is a Texas tortoise, related to the gopher tortoises found in Florida. Kind of boxy, but cute.
Nilgai
Last time I posted a male Nilgai. This week it is a female chowing down.
Old Trucks
Here are three old trucks from the Old Truck Reserve.
See you next time.
Birds
Here are a few shots of birds we have seen. In order, great kiscadee, kestrel, great blue heron, and roadrunner:
Horse Crippler
Here is a photo of a rare cactus, the Horse Crippler--any guesses why it has this name?
Texas Tortoise
Here is a Texas tortoise, related to the gopher tortoises found in Florida. Kind of boxy, but cute.
Nilgai
Last time I posted a male Nilgai. This week it is a female chowing down.
Old Trucks
Here are three old trucks from the Old Truck Reserve.
See you next time.
Blog 296: On to the Lower Rio Grande Valley
The Journey
From Pride RV in Waynesville, we headed south and west staying at the Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park near McCalla, Alabama, the Pavilion RV Park in West Monroe, Louisiana, the New Adventure RV Park and Horse Hotel outside of Coldspring Texas, and the Gateway to the Gulf RV Park in Coldspring, Texas, before reaching our winter destination at the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, about 30 miles north of Brownsville and near Los Fresnos, Texas.
Laguna Atascosa NWR
An informal greeting committee met us as we passed the entrance sign and drove into the refuge—five roadrunners strutted across the road in front of us (one at a time) in what appeared to be a welcoming procession. Native Americans consider the Greater Roadrunner sacred, so we took their presence as a powerful omen and a sign of good luck—it’s gonna be a great stay!
The Refuge
Laguna Atascosa is roughly 100,000 acres consisting of four parcels of land. It is a world-class birding location with over 400 avian species either staying there year ‘round, wintering, or stopping off their migratory path for a few days of rest and fueling up for the next leg of
their journey. It is also the home of several endangered and threatened species—check out https://www.fws.gov/refuge/laguna_atascosa/.
Here is a recent article on the ocelot and the refuge:
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-environment/2017/11/21/ocelots-try-survive-world-barely-knows-they-exist/824032001/.
Here are a few bird pics I have taken since we arrived. In order is the green jay, mockingbird, Harris’s hawk, and a long-billed thrasher. Quite good looking, don’t you think?
Our Gig
Jan and I are the “interpreters” for the wildlife tours. We will be hosting three-hour tram tours that go through four different habitats of the refuge along a 15-mile route. All kinds of cool critters live along the way. Below is a shot of the majestic caracara I shot on a practice run. Also, the refuge is home of nilgai (pronounced “nil’ guy”), an antelope on steroids (they weigh up to 600+ pounds)—an exotic species native to Pakistan and India. Below is a photo of a male.
View from Our Campsite
We live in the Volunteer Village on the refuge, a very nice RV campground with 11 sites for the volunteers. We have a wonderful view in which to check out nature in action. Jack and Mitzy also love to just sit and scope out the carousel of critters that come through our backyard from time to time. Here is a shot of Jack in critter-watching mode, an armadillo, Stretch the Texas indigo snake (he’s a good one), a Mexican ground squirrel, and Angelina the javelina.
Eight-Legged Friend
It is our habit, when time allows, to take a family drive in the late afternoon to look for sights to see and critters to capture with the camera. Jan usually drives, Jack has the backseat, and I sit shotgun with Mitzy on my lap with my camera on a bean bag pointing out the window.
One day as we were driving down the road, Jan cranks the wheel and does a 180-degree turn. She jumps out the door to rescue a tarantula that was trying to cross a busy road (his odds of not being splat were quite poor). She pulls her sweatshirt sleeve down over her right hand, lowers it to the ground, and the tarantula clings on. Jan walks over to the opposite shoulder of the road and shakes her arm to free her rescued friend. The tarantula is not easily released and slowly starts to trek up Jan’s arm. I yell at her to stop so that I can take a picture, but when the big guy reaches her shoulder and her attempts to loosen her eight-legged buddy are unsuccessful, she whips off her sweatshirt, throws it to the ground, and runs back to the car wearing just her sports bra on top. Of course, I got the shot, loosened the grip of our new friend, and returned the sweatshirt to Jan to put on before traffic overtook us.
Old Trucks
Here are two old trucks from the Old Truck Reserve.
See you next time.
Blog 284: Deep in the Heart of Texas
From our Ocean Springs campground, we once again strode on to I-10 West and traveled across Mississippi and most all of Louisiana, stopping close to the Texas border at Vinton RV in Vinton, LA. This was just an easy-on, easy-off location for the night—just a place to rest up, and then go.
The next morning, we again pointed the coach west on I-10, scooting through the very light traffic of Houston, and then to exit 604 in Segun, Texas. After about an hour of taking Texas 46 to 2722 East to 2673 North, we arrived at our campground on Canyon Lake, Texas. Canyon Lake is strategically located, about 35 miles NE of San Antonio and 45 miles SW of Austin. It is a big, manmade lake created and managed by the Army Corp of Engineers.
This place is our kind of park…small (just 30 sites), big sites, covered picnic tables, scrub country behind us, and lake views up front. Deer everywhere and lots of birds.
For many hours over our stay, we stalked the scissor-tailed flycatcher (also known as the Texas bird-of-paradise or the swallow-tailed flycatcher) and were fortunate to get a photo or two (in reality, I probably shot 400 or more).
Our RV-really-good-friends from Oregon were in the area visiting family, and we spent time with this crew doing a little sightseeing, and then they took us out boating on the Caribbean-hued waters of the lake. Here are a couple of hot chicks on the boat.
Old Trucks
Here is one old well-digging truck from the Texas heartland.
See you next time.
Travel Blog 257: Wildflowers, Steep Caves, and Crazy Aliens
Since my last blog, I had a week-long client engagement that took me from Orlando to San Jose and Chicago, and then back to Orlando. Early morning before my departure flight, we loaded up and did the Apopka Loop one last time. As always, lots of beautiful birds. Here is the first least bittern we have seen while exploring the loop.
The day after my return back to Apopka, we loaded the bus and started our trek west: I-429, Florida Turnpike North, I-75 North, and then the long slog across I-10. The weather was clear, and with just a few exceptions, the roads were in good condition and the traffic light to moderate. In the Florida panhandle we stayed by Holt at the Eagles Landing RV Park. In Louisiana we spent a night at Sulphur at the A+ Motel and RV Park. All across Louisiana underwater trees and overflowing banks showed the results of weeks of continuous rain and the flooding that ensued. After circling around the north part of Houston we picked up 290 West heading to Austin.
Leander Meander
We spent a couple of nights in the northwest corner of the Austin metro area at the Leander KOA in Leander, one of the fastest growing towns in Texas. Here we took a day trip with old friends, driving by the LBJ ranch, a marvelous wildflower farm, and then on to the destination town of Fredricksburg, home of Admiral Nimitz. Although the bluebonnets were in retreat, the roadside wildflowers were at their height in one of the best years on record. I took multiple photos, but none did justice. For over two hundred miles we visually feasted upon vibrant reds and yellows, speckled with blues, and a background of various greens…enough to make retina overload.
Ft. Stockton
After lots of miles, we camped at the Ft. Stockton RV Park just off of I-10…easy on and easy off. Here is a shot of the Mexican paradise plant right by our campsite.
Carlsbad
At Fort Stockton we took 285 North into Carlsbad, and just a few miles north we set up camp at the Carlsbad KOA for three days. Each morning was chilly and calm, but by afternoon it was hot and windy. At this campground, Jack was introduced to a bunny plantation, and soon he suffered from a severe rabbit habit, spending hours on the coach dash, staring at the hundreds of rabbits. The birds were plentiful and loud with boattail starlings everywhere, lots of doves, and scaled quails. We also saw a scarlet tananger, a Bullock’s oriole, and a few hummers. Jan also took a great pic of a flowering cactus.
Roswell Side Trip
A short hour north of our campground is the famous Roswell, home of alien landings, mystic happenings, and conspiracy theories.
Just north of Roswell, we toured the loop of the Bitter Lake National Wildlife Preserve. We saw some stilts, gallinule, and a variety of ducks--not bad for a hot, windy, midday in the off-season.
Carlsbad Caverns NP
We had another early morning plan: We would all load up and be at the Carlsbad Caverns at 8 a.m. opening, and I would take the elevator down to the main caves and spend an hour shooting photos, and then return to our car and resume our day trip (Jan doesn’t like caves).
Surprise #1: The 7-mile entrance road to the caverns brought a nice surprise, as I was focused on the caverns, not wildlife…right in front of us 14 momma and baby bighorn sheep crossed the road, went up a short hill, and then turned and stared at us--great photo opp! A short time later we saw another herd, and later a couple rams. Great way to start the day.
Surprise #2: As we pulled into the Visitor Center, there was Al Roker and a camera crew preparing to do a shoot for the Today Show’s celebration of the 100th anniversary of the National Park system. Jan hollered a greeting to Al and he smiled and waved back. I had a nice conversation with the lead cameraman.
Surprise #3: While showing my park pass to a ranger, he informed me that the elevators were broken and that it was a very steep and strenuous mile down just to reach the bottom and a very steep and more strenuous mile back up…my planned one-hour trip would take 3.5 to 4.5 hours…yikes! So I went to plan B, and we drove the 45-minute Walnut Canyon Desert Drive, and then we drove to another section of the park (Rattlesnake Springs) were we saw a flycatcher and a roadrunner resting in a tree.
Guadalupe NP
Since we were no less than a half hour away, we drove into Texas, stopped at Guadalupe NP, and then returned back to Carlsbad to the patio of a wonderful restaurant where all four of us feasted on green chili cheeseburgers, carne tacos, and frijole charros. Great way to celebrate Mother’s Day!
Finally, a public service announcement.
See ya’ll soon.
The day after my return back to Apopka, we loaded the bus and started our trek west: I-429, Florida Turnpike North, I-75 North, and then the long slog across I-10. The weather was clear, and with just a few exceptions, the roads were in good condition and the traffic light to moderate. In the Florida panhandle we stayed by Holt at the Eagles Landing RV Park. In Louisiana we spent a night at Sulphur at the A+ Motel and RV Park. All across Louisiana underwater trees and overflowing banks showed the results of weeks of continuous rain and the flooding that ensued. After circling around the north part of Houston we picked up 290 West heading to Austin.
Leander Meander
We spent a couple of nights in the northwest corner of the Austin metro area at the Leander KOA in Leander, one of the fastest growing towns in Texas. Here we took a day trip with old friends, driving by the LBJ ranch, a marvelous wildflower farm, and then on to the destination town of Fredricksburg, home of Admiral Nimitz. Although the bluebonnets were in retreat, the roadside wildflowers were at their height in one of the best years on record. I took multiple photos, but none did justice. For over two hundred miles we visually feasted upon vibrant reds and yellows, speckled with blues, and a background of various greens…enough to make retina overload.
Ft. Stockton
After lots of miles, we camped at the Ft. Stockton RV Park just off of I-10…easy on and easy off. Here is a shot of the Mexican paradise plant right by our campsite.
Carlsbad
At Fort Stockton we took 285 North into Carlsbad, and just a few miles north we set up camp at the Carlsbad KOA for three days. Each morning was chilly and calm, but by afternoon it was hot and windy. At this campground, Jack was introduced to a bunny plantation, and soon he suffered from a severe rabbit habit, spending hours on the coach dash, staring at the hundreds of rabbits. The birds were plentiful and loud with boattail starlings everywhere, lots of doves, and scaled quails. We also saw a scarlet tananger, a Bullock’s oriole, and a few hummers. Jan also took a great pic of a flowering cactus.
Roswell Side Trip
A short hour north of our campground is the famous Roswell, home of alien landings, mystic happenings, and conspiracy theories.
Just north of Roswell, we toured the loop of the Bitter Lake National Wildlife Preserve. We saw some stilts, gallinule, and a variety of ducks--not bad for a hot, windy, midday in the off-season.
Carlsbad Caverns NP
We had another early morning plan: We would all load up and be at the Carlsbad Caverns at 8 a.m. opening, and I would take the elevator down to the main caves and spend an hour shooting photos, and then return to our car and resume our day trip (Jan doesn’t like caves).
Surprise #1: The 7-mile entrance road to the caverns brought a nice surprise, as I was focused on the caverns, not wildlife…right in front of us 14 momma and baby bighorn sheep crossed the road, went up a short hill, and then turned and stared at us--great photo opp! A short time later we saw another herd, and later a couple rams. Great way to start the day.
Surprise #2: As we pulled into the Visitor Center, there was Al Roker and a camera crew preparing to do a shoot for the Today Show’s celebration of the 100th anniversary of the National Park system. Jan hollered a greeting to Al and he smiled and waved back. I had a nice conversation with the lead cameraman.
Surprise #3: While showing my park pass to a ranger, he informed me that the elevators were broken and that it was a very steep and strenuous mile down just to reach the bottom and a very steep and more strenuous mile back up…my planned one-hour trip would take 3.5 to 4.5 hours…yikes! So I went to plan B, and we drove the 45-minute Walnut Canyon Desert Drive, and then we drove to another section of the park (Rattlesnake Springs) were we saw a flycatcher and a roadrunner resting in a tree.
Guadalupe NP
Since we were no less than a half hour away, we drove into Texas, stopped at Guadalupe NP, and then returned back to Carlsbad to the patio of a wonderful restaurant where all four of us feasted on green chili cheeseburgers, carne tacos, and frijole charros. Great way to celebrate Mother’s Day!
Finally, a public service announcement.
See ya’ll soon.