Mustang Island GTG, Day 3, Port Aransas

Liz and Birdie were up and off to Port Aransas to do laundry this morning.  With all the RV parks and condos for visitors around here, they have a large laundromat (maybe several) but they wanted to get there early.  We met them a little later just down the road at the Paradise Pond Birding Habitat Park.  

It is a really nice world recognized birding center tucked away in between some housing neighborhoods and a street with shops.  The entrance is right next to the San Juan restaurant but more on that later.  This is just the front entrance area and you follow the path on the right next to the fence on to the rest of the park.

We saw a number of birds but, alas, I did not have a notebook with me to write down exactly what they were when Birdie told us.

Liz and Birdie were headed on towards another birding area while Carolyn, Martha, Gloria, Diana, and I drove around to look at Port Aransas,  There is no real central business district but it is easy to find parking wherever you want to stop and look in the shops and there are a number of tourist shops.  We turned down one lane and ended up at the beach.  It is never far to the beach here on the island.  The vegetation on the dunes is important for keeping the sand in place as there are lots of ocean breezes.

This area of the beach is much harder packed and much safer to drive on without danger of getting stuck.  In fact there is an actual roadway area along the dunes.

There are piers for fishing.

Carolyn was busy taking photos too.

We were right next to Aransas pass which is the cut-through for ships entering the bay and going on to Corpus Christi.  I loved seeing the ocean going vessels again.  Can you see the pelican between us and the ship?  He came within a couple of feet of us on his flight through but this was the best shot I got.

There were RVs parked here and people fishing from the edge of the walkway along the pass.

By this time, it was lunchtime and we headed back to the San Juan to meet Birdie and Liz.  Sue and Karen also met us there.

We took turns posing here.  This is Carolyn.  Notice that I have to catch her as she is always on the other side of the lens in most of our GTG pictures.

See?  There she is with Sue, Gloria, Birdie, and Martha posing for her.  It was busy in the restaurant so I think Caroline got the only picture of all of us.  The food was great and very reasonable.

We all headed back to the beach by the pass after lunch as the rest of the group hadn't been there yet.  This guy was on a board parasailing from the parachute you can see.

Liz had Simba with her and you will never guess what he found--a great big raw sweet potato.  Who knows where that came from, a camper I guess.

We saw lots of birds here too.  I always thought a seagull was a seagull but, no, there are many different kinds and our birding experts were able to identify them all.

You can rent these little beach buggies in town and you see people driving them all over.

Here the group split up again with Birdie, Diana, and Liz heading back to the state park.  Sue and Karen took Martha and Gloria off to the shops with them while Carolyn and I wanted to check out some more of the waterfront near the ferry dock.  There were a number of these painted boats but you'll have to see the rest with Carolyn's pictures as I was in the car ready to move it because we were in front of the boat ramp.

There is a nice little park along the pass right next to the ferry dock.  We hoped to spot some dolphins and we did, but they were too far away to get good pictures.

This a shot of the ferries on the other side of the pass.  I think there are about 7 or 8 ferries here taking everything from cars to motorhomes and semi-trucks across for free.

This bird was just standing there just taking in the sights and posing for us.

The cactus are beginning to bloom.  Seems strange to see cactus near the beach doesn't it?

There were lots of rental condos with great views either here in town or out along the island road.  Spring breakers will be flocking here now.

This area was full of boats.  I love boats as well as ships.

This is a shrimp trawler but the sign said that they were already sold out for the day.

Arriving back at the state park, we found that Sprinter had arrived and was sitting with (l to r) Carolyn, Sue, Sprinter, Carol, Martha, and Karen.  I should mention that Carol is new to the group.  She worked with Beth at Amazon and decided to join us for the GTG.  Everyone here belongs to the Women's RV forum and to the Pink FlaminGoes.  Some are also ORS members.

It was getting rather cool outside so the ORS cancelled the potluck again.  A group got together at Birdie's new Winnebago Vista.  Here are Karen, Birdie, and Sprinter.  Birdie was presenting Sprinter a coozie she picked up when she toured the Shiner Brewery a few weeks ago.  As you can see, Shiner Bock is Sprinter's beverage of choice.

Karen demonstrates the proper way to eat guacamole dip.

Carolyn was getting a photo of Liz cooking fish on an electric grill.

Darlene, Diana, and Gloria move in for a closer look.

Just how many can you seat in a Vista?  Hmmm, here are Sue and Martha on the couch with Vickie who just drove in from San Antonio today.

Liz is an RV gourmet cook even when she isn't in her rig with the half-time oven.

Darlene, Birdie, Sprinter, Diana, Carolyn, Sue and Martha (hidden), and Vickie.

Oops, ther is Gloria hiding behind Birdie.

I think the next few photos are reversed because here are some of the Pink FlaminGoes toasting with their PF wine glasses.  Carolyn just got hers from Karen West today.

Here is Karen West and Darlene.  Karen just came in with her friend Carol.  She pulled her RV out of storage and drove it down to lend it to Liz.  As most of the Women RV, Pink FlaminGoes, and ORS members know, Liz's Silver Lining Roadtrek was just totalled in an accident on Monday.  Liz suffered a cracked rib and lost her home since she is a full-time RVer.  Her dog Simba was shaken up and her cat Bandit was scared into running off so the search is still on for Bandit.

Beth was still not feeling well but she managed to come over for a while to see everyone.

It's great to have friends like this that you can have fun with at a GTG or count on when you have a life changing event like Liz's accident.