When it became time to leave Laredo we headed about 165 miles up the coast to Mustang Island State Park. The drive was mostly uneventful other than we unfortunately now have a new rock chip in our windshield thanks to a big ass truck. We'll have to get it fixed in the near future. (Sigh.)
The campsite we're staying at is located behind the dunes, just beyond the Gulf of Mexico. Therefore our backyard is a sea of sea grasses. Walking to the beach is possible as it's only about 400 yd away. The campsites are a little close together because they each share a driveway but otherwise is very nice.
Our main reason to stay here was that it's the tail end of peak bird migration so we were hoping to see a lot of colorful birds to photograph and enjoy. This area is well known as a migratory bird hotspot . Of course we also planned to spend some time on the beach and enjoy the proximity of Corpus Christi.
We went to many places to birdwatch. The two best places were the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center and an area known as The Willows. The Birding Center is about a 15-minute drive, but the Willows is only 5 minutes away so I would go bird there early in the morning before Sharon woke up.
Needless to say, we saw lots of interesting birds so Sharon and I both took lots of photographs of really pretty little migrating birds. We also ventured out to do a few hikes in the area that included some boardwalks. We always enjoy a stay along the coast. Sharon has always felt that the sights, sounds and smells of the ocean are so good for the soul.
We also went to downtown Corpus Christi where we walked around enjoying the city vibe. Brightly colored murals were plentiful. There were tree lined streets with lots of restaurants and bars. We appreciated the shade as we are still adapting to the Texas heat and humidity.
We also visited a few establishments for libations and fine dining. As you may know, we love our craft beer, but I would feel remiss if I didn't warn that Beachball Brewing is a place you might want to miss as the beers were overpriced and weren't very good in our opinion.
On the other end of the spectrum, I would highly recommend Paul's Seafood shop as we enjoyed a nice seafood dinner at a very favorable price. His fresh seafood for sale to take home is also worthy of investigating. Check their Facebook page for specials!
It was another great stay, but once again it became time to move on. Hopefully our readers enjoy seeing lots of birds, otherwise they may want to skip our pictures this time, ha-ha.
