Location: Mustang Island State Park, Gulf of Mexico, Texas
After a very noisy night in the desert (who knew birds chatted it up all night?) we went for an early morning bike ride on the Rio Grande Trail. After our experience yesterday, we had very low expectations. Wow! Were we wrong. The trail was a rough dirt and gravel road that took us through the desert. It was incredibly humid this morning, but the ride was so worth the destination.
It was overflowing with really colorful wildflowers including large swatches of black eyed susans, daisies, and numerous other flowering plants that I have no idea what they were. A trail sign warned us about snakes, but all we saw were lots of jack rabbits and bunnies crossing our paths.
We finally came out to the most amazing steep canyon overlooking both the Seminole Canyon and the Rio Grande. (Hello Mexico!). This was the view we kept expecting yesterday. Who knew we'd find it at this remote State Park campground. Here's Ned standing over the junction where both these rivers meet. This bike ride and view were definitely one of the highlights of our trip.
There was also a really cool pictograph found in one of the caves. We could see the cave across the canyon, but the only access to it was by boat and then a hike up some steps. Patty Clark I kept thinking about how much you'd love this! They think the nine foot long pictogaph named The Panther, was created by the Desert Archaic Culture 8900 - 1300 years ago.
After our wild nature ride we cleaned up and headed across Texas for San Antonio. We went through our second US Border Patrol inspection. Kinda nerve-racking. There are about 20 cameras on you and your car as you approach the inspection. Several border patrol officers with flak jackets and guns ask your country of citizenship. While this is going on, an officer with a dog is circling our van and sniffing all the wheel wells. Same procedure both times. No, I do not have a picture to document this. I was trying to stay under the radar so to speak. It was also interesting to watch the Border patrol pull three tires behind them on a dirt surface road paralleling our road. We saw this on multiple occasions. I think it's done to erase old footprints so they can see if any new activity has occurred. Such is life next to the Rio Grande. (See pic of Mexico across the way in lieu of scary para-military guys).
Once in San Antonio we did what any self-respecting tourista would do, we took in the Riverwalk. It's the complete antithesis of our river experience this morning. Feels more like we're in Disneyland with boat after boat of folks riding by as people eat on the banks of the river. It actually felt like the Pirates of the Caribbean restaurant experience as the boats puttered past.
Nevertheless, we had an amusing time strolling the Riverwalk and taking in all the people watching.
Yes, we had BBQ - hey it's Texas!
We did a stroll by the Alamo and I'm glad we had an opportunity to see it on a previous trip. Then everything was lowkey and it felt like a more authentic experience. Today, many of the surrounding streets were shut down, police were everywhere and there was a production-tech crew for the history channel setting up for a "Texas Rising" event to be broadcast on Memorial Day Weekend. What a zoo. Time to leave town and head for the Gulf!
We're camped at Mustang Island State Park in the Gulf of Mexico. You can tell they've had torrential rain here because half the campground is flooded out. We're parked in a long line of RV's on an ashphalt parking lot. The good news is we got the last campsite of the night and we're at the end of the line.
The first thing we did upon arrival was hop on our bikes and explore. The water is incredibly warm and it's so cool that the sand is packed reaaly hard so you can ride your bike right on the beach! Love this place!! Can't wait to run on the beach early tomorrow morning.
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