South Texas

January to April 2015

Aransas Pass and Rockport, Texas

After spending a couple of months in Florida, we left for Texas on January 3. 

Our first destination was Houston.  We’d found a company that could rip out the old and dirty carpet in the motorhome and change it into wood floor.  We shelled out a considerable amount of money but it was something that needed to be done for health (hubby’s allergic to dust) and aesthetic (the carpet was dingy and stinky) reasons.  Also, it would be easier for me to clean up after Brontë who sheds her hair like a lumberjack in summer.  We stayed in the hotel while the guys worked on the floor.  It took them 3 days to finish the job.

The new floor matches the woodwork in the motorhome :)

Did you notice the flat screen TV in the above photo?  Pete installed it when we were in Florida.  We got rid of the bulky old sets in both the living room and bedroom. 

Next, we headed to Waxahachie to spend time with family.  Then, we traveled to Fredericksburg for our check-ups and doctors’ appointments.  After being poked and prodded, we set off to the Gulf Coast where we camped for three months.  We spent the first month in a small campground by the water in Aransas Pass.  We were hoping to launch our kayak from our site but the water level was too low.   We transferred to another RV park in Rockport by the Salt Water Lake.  We went out kayaking a few times to fish but we weren’t able to catch anything.  The fish, on the other hand, outsmarted us.  They gobbled up all our shrimp baits – stinkers!  

The water level was too low.  Pete got stuck and had to maneuver using the paddle.   

Of course, the paddle broke.

Next to our Aransas Pass campground is land used for duck hunting.  Since it was off season, it became Brontë's playground.  

Wind-swept live oaks in Rockport 

Lake Corpus Christi State Park 

"Hiya, do you wanna play?"
After the heavy rains in our Rockport campground, we often encountered turtles. 

Couch hoggers

The president of Daddy's fan club

South Texas Fauna

During our stay in Texas, we carried out minor jobs and maintenance on the motorhome  (e.g. painting) to save some money.  However, some tasks required calling in RV repair professionals (e.g. removal, painting and purging our LPG tank).  Despite our DIY projects, we still spent more than what we had allocated in the budget.  We were glad though that we had accomplished most of the tasks on our to-do-list.

We were Arizona-bound on April 29.  I couldn’t wait to get to Grand Canyon National Park!

And the Saga Continues ...

Third weekend into our camping saga, we were left to our own devices since our RV buddies were tied up.  We decided to explore the Poudre Canyon sites and after reading about them on the Internet, Pete picked Mountain Park where electric hookups are available, where he could practice fly fishing and where there’s a proper hiking trail called Mt. McConnel to take Brontë for a walk.  We found out that the area is a bear country so we included bear spray to the provisions to be procured before the trip.  Alas and alack, Jax ran out of it and we couldn’t get it from anywhere else.  That’s not good.

Bear-spray-less, we headed out Friday afternoon and reached the place around 1.30.  As soon as we pulled over the entrance to check on the fees, the Area Manager was putting up the “CAMPGROUND FULL” sign.  Oh, man!  She suggested going to the next campground, Kelly Flats.  As if trying to appease our sheer disappointment, she told us “it’s also beautiful there and it’s by the river.”   Three miles further down, the place was jam-packed as well but we managed to find a semi-private spot.  We were going to be OK on our own.  

Access to the river from our campsite

Chipping Sparrow?

We drove back to Mountain Park to walk Brontë.  She met a full Border Collie named Jack.  They sniffed each other, roughhoused (mostly Brontë)  and finally settled down.  He and his parents turned out to be the lucky ones who secured the last spot in the campground (the culprits!!!).  They were actually very pleasant people.

We tackled a portion of the William R. Kreutzer Trail, one of the two overlapping trails of Mt. McConnel Trail.  I was a little bit scared because were weren't armed with a bear spray.  I couldn't get the images of a grizzly mauling us out of my head.

Pete didn't really have a lot of chance to practice fly fishing.  He tried Saturday morning but he didn't feel comfortable standing in the fast rushing water.

Cache la Poudre River

Quaking Aspens

Pine beetles' invasion :-(

Enjoying a glorious day!

Pete and I staked out this tree for a long time because we saw a small, nimble bird going through a hole in a branch.  It was quite active and yet secretive.  I wanted to take a photo, of course, and to identify our feathered friend.

We waited and waited and waited ... almost ready to give up when suddenly...

... an intruder came - a Norther Flicker!

That did the trick!  The rightful resident appeared and shooed the trespasser away.

It stayed on the branch for a few seconds to make sure that the nest was safe, giving me enough time to snap some photos.  Yay!!!

Western Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly

Flickers at Fischer Natural Area

Northern Flickers are the largest woodpeckers I've seen so far.  Pete and I spotted two yesterday at the Fischer Natural Area, tending to their young.  Both were Red-Shafted Form males as indicated by their red "mustaches."

Unlike the Male Flicker above, this fellow had to go deep to feed his young chicks.  

There's really nothing spectacular about this video.  I just wanted to experiment on my different options in capturing wildlife.  The stabilization feature in iMovie helped a teeny weeny bit.  I should get myself a tripod ... duh!

That was Pete with his commentaries :-)