Because our Texas State Park pass is still valid through the end of the month, we are heading for a stay at Goose Island State Park. Once we crossed the causeway bridge, we headed through a forest of windswept live oak trees towards the park. This view of low hanging limbs is not a welcome sight for people approaching in a tall motorhome. It was nice to know that other RVs have passed this way in front of us.
We could have chosen a camping spot right on the coast. But there are storms and high winds predicted during our stay, so we opted to hunker down in one of the more private spots in the woods instead.
These RVs on the water get a great view of the bay, but don't have much privacy. They also have no shade, and no protection from the wind or the salt water.
But the day we arrived was absolutely beautiful, and a bike ride along the water was a perfect way to spend our first afternoon.
At the end of the bay is a very long pier that gives one the chance to walk over the water. The water was unusually calm this day, and the locals told us that they seldom see it this way.
We learned that "oyster bars" are not places to drink alcohol and eat sea food. They are actually little islands in the bay made out of oyster shell. We have also learned that the shells can be very sharp, and aren't a good combination with an inflatable kayak. This oyster bar was adjacent to the pier, and allowed Denisa to walk out in the salt water without even getting her shoes wet.
New friends took this picture of the two of us at the end of the pier on our first day at the park.
There are always people fishing off the pier. We made several trips for walks here, but this was the only fish that got landed while we were watching. Not familiar with salt-water species, we found out that this is a twelve-inch sheepshead.
We also took a bike ride to "The Big Tree." Several miles outside the park, this tree has been growing in this spot for over one thousand years. The tree's trunk is over 35 feet in circumference, and it spreads 89 feet at its crown. It has withstood hundreds of hurricanes, and the fires the Union soldiers set in this area at the end of the Civil War. The stories it could tell!
These two pictures of "The Big Tree" are from two different angles. If you look closely at the one below, you can see the resident guard cat on the top fence rail to the right of Denisa. We must have passed inspection, as the cat allowed us to stay for a while.
It was a great bike ride along the bay and we are loving Goose Island already.
We were hurrying home because the sun was low in the sky as we biked back to the motor home. We were blessed with a flock of roseate spoonbills just overhead. The picture didn't capture it, but these big birds look a lot like flamingos whose bills have been flattened into a long spoon. We know we are a long ways from home when we see pink birds in our sky. We are witnessing more of God's wonders!
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