Last days in the RGV–Rio Grande Valley…

Before leaving Retama Village and the RGV we had a couple of things we wanted to do before we left. One was to visit Santa Ana National WIldlife Refuge and the other was to take one last visit to Nuevo Progreso, Mexico with our RGV friends.

One morning we drove the 20-30 minute trip east to Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge. Those of us with the National Park Pass are allowed in free otherwise there is a $3.00 vehicle parking fee charged. The first Sunday of each month is also free and the hours are 8 am to 4 pm.

The refuge was established in 1943 for the protection of migratory birds however, it also is a refuge for butterflies and many other species not found anywhere else in the United States beyond deep South Texas. Seldom seen critters such as the endangered ocelot and the jaguarondi call this place home. There is are over 12 miles of trails through the vegetation typical of the south Texas RGV before it was clear cut and extensively farmed. There are a lot of wetlands since this area is managed (flooded) for waterfowl and as a result there are lots of ducks down here at this time of the year. We enjoyed strolling through the park observing the birds and butterflies through trails lined with Spanish moss draped trees.

Next up was our last trip to Mexico, this time with our new friends that we made while wintering here in the RGV. With Darla, Bret, Randy and Holly in tow we headed to Nuevo Progreso to meet up with “Fester and CC” one more time. Needless to say we had a blast and enjoyed our last 1.50 Mexican beverages along with another fun lunch at a restaurant called Red Snapper. We won’t bore you with the details since I have blogged about Nuevo Progreso before but lets just say it is a fun and safe place to visit while down here in the RGV, just the diversion we needed.

Sunday morning finds us getting the motorhome ready for its northward trek as we will make our way some 200 miles north to Rockport Texas where we will stay at Copano Bay RV Resort, a place we will call home for one more winter month. There are quite a few bloggers wintering in this area that we surely plan to meet up with… always fun to meet new people and those we have crossed paths with before…