It was another rainy day when we left Mathis, TX and it pretty much rained nearly all the way to our next stop a few hours further south in Texas. We have had an issue over the years with our passenger side windshield wiper dis-engaging from the wiper arm and dangling. Not a good thing to happen during a rain storm so I finally “fixed it” with four zip ties securing it in place. This was the first real test of that wiper since we rarely drive in the rain… thankfully it held up.
We pulled into another Passport America Park called Seawind RV Resort a bit off the beaten path in Riviera, TX. I chose this park since it was right on Baffin Bay. We stayed for two nights and found the park pretty nice with lots of large and roomy sites.The only downside was our Verizon signal was poor making Sharon not very happy.
The park is adjacent to a city/county park on Baffin Bay which has a nice fishing pier. While there isn’t much of a beach ,it made for a nice walk for us even though the weather wasn’t all that pleasant. Within the park is also a large pond with many pull through sites on the far side and sewer was recently added making overnight stays more convenient.
We did see lots of Black Bellied Whistling Ducks and Blue winged teal on the large pond. There were even a few winter plumaged Black Necked Stilts as well. It was nice to see some waterfowl again as we head south.
We also took a short loop drive into the town of Riviera Texas to check out the landscape.We saw mostly south Texas plains and prairies in this area. We also saw lots of hawks on the telephone wire such as Harris Hawks, Red-Tailed Hawks, Kestrels and a few Northern Harriers.
The next morning it was finally time to move on to our winter home this season. We hit the road about 10:30 and pulled into Isla Blanca Park in South Padre Island, TX where we will stay until March 1st 2021. While we would have preferred to be staying in Bonita Springs Florida this winter we changed plans due to all the Covid-19 issues.
In Florida we would have paid twice as much and wouldn’t be able to participate in all the fun social things we like about Florida due to the pandemic. By coming to Texas we will save over $600 per month for the next three months and still have close proximity to a beach. Walking the beach and biking around the large park will be our primary entertainment.
We will miss all our Florida friends this winter but felt this was the safest place to spend the winter. And heck, if we are going to have to sit somewhere and not enjoy the social activities or the bars or restaurants we might as well do it here on the beach where we’ll likely save more than $1800…
NOTE: We are currently in Port Isabel in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas for the winter…
The beach isn't a bad place to wait out this "different" winter season! Merry Christmas to you both!
ReplyDeleteCorrect and Merry Christmas to you two as well...
DeleteI hear you, no sense in going somewhere, paying for stuff you can't enjoy. We'll be in Port A on 12/30 thru 3/15, we're ready to be done with the city.
ReplyDeleteWe might be in Port A after March 1st for a while, will let you know...
DeleteIt is too tempting to be close to friends. Good plan.
ReplyDeleteYes, we certainly aren't close to many down here ;)
DeleteEnjoy your winter destination, while staying safe! So looking forward to a quarantine-free New Year!
ReplyDeleteUs to!!!
DeleteGood call on Texas. We were just talking about how we are paying for amenities that are cancelled due to the virus. Such as wondering if the park is doing anything for the holidays. We have been through parks that still had their laundry rooms closed. And as you know, it sucks when even some government historical sites are closed not to mention those must see places elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteHowever, we are dropping into Florida for a month this year. Figure it will be less crowded because of the virus thing and we have friends to visit. Wife wanted to go there this year. Hopefully we will be in deep Texas this time next year. Wish we were there this year with you guys and Faye and Dave. But duty calls and in this case Karen wanted Florida this year.
Not being able to legally take our dog on public beaches here in the Alabama Gulf Coast is inconvenient. We did manage to find a beach at Fort Morgan that was dog friendly. We are planning to leave him home and hit Gulf Shores beach without him. I'll be comparing it against Texas for sure.
Safe travels and keep us posted....
If Karen wanted Florida this year so did you, you just didn't know it ;)
DeleteI can totally understand why you'd want to save the money given the limitations. Seems like a good call to me. I take it the park where you are either never has as many activities or has them shut down also. I'll be interested to hear if you will recommend the park after your 3 months there. Or perhaps you've been before and know you like it. Seems a lot of people went to South Padre this year. I'm still in Florida but seriously thinking about AZ or TX for next year.
ReplyDeleteSo far, so good... love that we can walk to the beach and the weather has been good so far. There are some activities here but not many.
DeleteNot a bad idea to be in your home state for any vaccination possibilities too
ReplyDeleteAgreed!
DeleteLots of good memories from Isla Blanca. We haven't been there for a few years but at one time we were regulars. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteThanks, it has turned out to be a perfect spot for us to hide out this season.
DeleteIt must be hard to give up the fun social life you usually have in Florida. It's just a very strange time, all around. At least you have the beach nearby, and you'll have fabulous birding all winter! We're contenting ourselves with the same (but in north Florida).
ReplyDeleteThose were the some of the draws here... the beach nearby and birding and I think I'll do a bit of fishing as well.
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