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Our Traveling Home

Marty & Maxwell

Kay and her kayak

Maxwell

Zoe

Saturday, November 30, 2013

Texas, Rockport Nov 10 - 24

Bay View RV Resort, Rockport Texas.  Rockport is located about 30 miles northeast of Corpus Christi.  This park is one of the old Western Horizon parks.  This was our second visit to this park.  There was a lot of things to do at this park, meals in the activity center, Texas-hold um two times a week and covered dish dinner one night.  At Bayview the only bad thing was the little burrs on the ground everywhere.  The dogs had a hard time taking a walk without getting their little feet embedded with them.  It got to a point where Zoe would not walk on any of the grass.

Rockport, Texas

Truck and  camper on the ferry from Port Aransas which is on Mustang Island, to Aransas Pass, Texas.
Bay View RV Park, Rockport, Texas
Osprey that just caught this fish.

Juvenile Brown Pelican

Adult Breeding Brown Pelican.  Brown Pelicans used to be on the endangered species list but they are thriving well in Texas these days.


A marina and park in Rockport.

The dogs loved it here.

A walk on the beach at Rockport.


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One of the marinas located here in Rockport.




Kay and the dogs took a walk around the Bayview rv park.  Here are some of the pictures she took.
The little pond at the campground.
 



A couple of Roseate Spoonbills feeding at the pond in the campground.

My newest best friend, Fred, the praying mantas.
Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, TX along the Gulf of Mexico.


These vines were covered with the strangest black butterflies

Part of the walkway going to the top of a viewing platform.

Wait for me Kay, puff puff.  I can make it.
The view from the platform.


Sunset taken from the platform.

Goose Island State Park, Texas


Kay. with some of the campsites behind her.  We will be moving to this campground next.

Fishing in Aransas Bay off Goose Island SP.

I would like to have one of these homes.  

Part of the fishing pier at Goose Island SP
More of the campsites taken from Kay's kayak.

A bunch of White Pelicans sitting on a little island of oyster shells at low tide.

The rock breakwater by Goose Island.


The bay is filled with this type of jellyfish.


Black Skimmers

Steve was camped by us at Bay View.  I asked him to go kayak fishing one day.  He had never fished from a kayak before.   He did very well.

Small Mouth Bass.  Too little to keep.
The local people call this fish a Hard Head Catfish.

Let me tell you a fish story.
I went out fishing about 5 PM in my kayak off Goose Island State Park,  Texas .  I was using a bright orange rattle bobber with about 36 inches of line behind it, and live shrimp for bait. I had been fishing for about 45 min and had already caught several small Black Drum fish, which I had to throw back because the legal limit is 14 inches. I cast once again and as soon as the line hit the water, the big strike came. It snapped my line, so I thought to myself there goes another rig set up. As I was getting a new line set up ready, up popped my bobber. OK, I told myself that fish is still at the other end of that bobber. Off I went paddling hard to get to the bobber, but as soon as I would get close down it went into the deep. I just waited there until it popped up again. Once again I paddled hard to catch up. Now it was headed out to deeper water in the bay.  I chased that bobber for about 15 min. By now it was getting dark and was hard to see it any more. I was ready to give up, when up it popped again about 10 feet from my kayak.   With a final drive of the kayak, I got hold of the bobber and pulled in a 20 inch Black Drum fish. Now that one was big enough to keep. We will have it for supper tonight.
I love fishing out of my kayak.  The big Black Drum in the picture above is the one from my fishing story.

Duck hunters on their way out to the blinds on San Jose Island I think.

Trip to North Padre Island National Seashore Park, Texas
The dogs enjoying another ferry ride.

One of  the big ships that crossed in front of the ferry as we waited to get to the other side.
You can almost see dolphins in the water by the ferry.

 South of the National Seashore Visitors Center, you can drive on the beach for about 5 miles.  We only went about a mile, where there were no cars.  Then we turned the dogs loose to run.  Max with his nose to the ground.  He had to explore the whole beach.  We had a hard time getting him to stop and come to the car. Both the dogs had a great time.

Zoe had run so hard and got hot, so she thought the cool sand on the beach would be a good place to rest.

Willet

Brown Pelican