South Padre Island, Texas

December 26-29, 2013

South Padre Island KOA

I suppose any campground we went to after Gulf Waters would be a disappointment; and, it was!  We went from a beautifully landscaped, paved pad site to rocks that were hard to walk on and gray clay mud!  Even the water shown in the campground picture has somehow disappeared!

 

We only had a couple of days planned here and both have been rainy, windy and cold.  No walks on the beach this time.  One "promise" by the South Padre Island Chamber of Commerce is a beautiful sunset over Laguna Madre Bay 365 days a year...they've been proven wrong the last three evenings.

 

Here it is....another bridge we had to go over.  However, this one had a collapse in 2005 and that's all I could think of as we got near the high spot...really hoping the bridge could handle the weight of the Beave. 

 

 

Here's a picture of the bridge the day of the collapse. 

 

 

One perk at this park is we're located within walking distance of Pier 19.  It's a restaurant/bar, gift shop and sightseeing tour boat facility.  And, we get a 10% discount on it all.  However, it's been too cold and rainy to use the sightseeing boats or to sit at the outside restaurant or bar; but, we did enjoy a wonderful meal in the main restaurant on our first night here. 

 

 
Day one  (with drizzle) we toured the island, at least as much as can be reached by road.  The city of South Padre Island covers only about two square miles.  There are three streets running in a north/south direction:  one on Laguna Madre Bay; one in the middle with all the commercial properties; and, the third on the Gulf side where you find all your high-rise hotels.  Isla Blanca Park is located at the southern tip of the island.  This is an RV park (which I wish I had known about) and a mile of sandy beach along the Gulf.

 

 

The city (and road) ends at the Padre Island National Seashore.  You see here how the winds blow the sand right across the road.  There are places where only one vehicle can pass at a time.  That southern-tip to National Seashore road is just a little over 12 miles long.

 

The Whale Wall at the SPI Convention Center

 



We spent a little time at Sea Turtles, Inc., an organization dedicated to caring for and educating the public about endangered sea turtles.  We met some of the "resident" turtles who are cared for and will not be released back to the Gulf as they are too seriously injured. 

We managed to get back across the Bay to Port Isabel and visited the Point Isabel Lighthouse, the only one on the Texas coast that is open to the public.  I nixed the walk up to the top....it was so cloudy and drizzly, you couldn't see anything...why put myself through that ascent!!

 





 

We're now heading inland...away from the Gulf of Mexico.  Next stop is Donna, Texas.  See you there!!