The Gulf is calling is back….Jamaica Beach, Galveston

 

Leaving Palmetto, we decided to head down and take the Louisiana Scenic Byway where rice paddies, marshes, tall grasslands, rivers and grazing cattle were abundant.  Some of the trees were so enormous that properties only needed a single specimen to fill their front yard.

Many Brahma Bulls are raised here.

The issue of flooding is very real here and the height of a building’s stilts are directly proportional to the proximity to the water.  Someone with a sense of humour had life preservers decorating their porch railing.

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We began getting into oil territory and signs of “Black Gold, Texas Tea” were everywhere.

Out in the Gulf of Mexico, we could see oil platforms off in the distance and many shrimp boats dragging their nets.  We were back in hurricane territory and needed to be cautious about the weather predictions.

The route takes drivers over a few bridges and across on two ferries. At ferry number one we waited patiently for signs of vehicles loading but we saw only the loading platform and no boat.  As our patience began to wear off, we learned that the ferry was broken down and in order for us to fit onto the small replacement ferry, we needed to unhook our car and be taken across the water in “two loads”.

I went across first and watched as the small boat, loaded on a few cars and made its return to get Chris and Dixie in the motorhome.  A group of Pelicans appeared to be playing as if they were at a water park.  They would fly about fifty meters up the channel, land in the water and drift quickly along on the current.  Once they arrived in calmer waters they would fly back up and play all over again.  They performed their antics for the entire hour we watched.  Although it was a delay, we were lucky to fit CC on the ferry or we would have had to drive over an hour back to a highway and bridge crossing.  The ferry ride lasts only six minutes.

 

Our second ferry to Galveston,Texas was waiting at the dock and we were escorted on soon after we arrived.  The twenty minute ride affords a view of the ocean going ships and smaller barges and pleasure craft in the inner harbour.  A family spent the entire trip feeding the birds off the back deck…”There is a season, turn turn tern…..”

Looking down on CC on the ferry deck.

You know you are here when you see the pier!

Our reason for returning to Galveston was the lure of spring bird migration and the Galveston Featherfest.  Ok, so we did not pay to go on any guided tours but we did go to a few of the sites that were recommended for keeners. wearing binoculars and we saw only a couple of Scarlet Tanagers and a few shore birds that we have seen many places before.  We enjoyed watching the Ducks that perched on fence posts in a field beside the RV park and the loud squawks and feather-displays of the Boat-tailed Grackles that were mating and building nests in every palm tree on the park property.

Lots of marshlands close by.

Have you got all your ducks in a row?

We went for long walks and bike rides on the beach.  It is hard packed and not as pretty as Orange Beach where we were last week but fun to wave-watch and discover shells and creatures along the shore.

Still life with foam.

One of the best shells I found was occupied by a Hermit Crab.  I tried to pull him out but he knew his landlord and tenant act and refused to leave!

Still life with fish bladder.

Every afternoon, a biplane arrived close to our RV providing a free acrobatic show for our viewing pleasure; with rolls and drops and loops, it was quite fun to watch. 

When we were out and about, coloured homes and rentals in a range of styles complimented the beach scene.  The spring wild flowers are gorgeous everywhere, wide swaths of orange, yellow, white and purple.  Heavily blooming Oleander hedges framed our RV park in three shades of pink and white.

Dixie enjoys the air show in the shade.

Remember when geodesic domes were all the rage?

When you can’t choose a colour from the chip card, use them all!

Love bugs, pictured above are so named for travelling everywhere as a couple.  Chris had to scrape a couple of hundred ‘squashed lovers’ off the front of our coach when we arrived at Jamaica Beach, charming!

Camped on the western edge of the park, we enjoyed a range of sunsets each night of our stay.