Palacios, Texas—
A shrimp town—Campground on Matagordas Bay—right next to the marina. “Shrimp Boats is A’Comin, Their Sails Are In Sight” Only these shrimp boats have no sails. They pass in a steady parade in front of us, outriggers extended to balance their catch.
Another front row seat (AKA campsite) with an unobstructed view of the sunrise, the antics of the shorebirds, and the parade of boats to and from the gulf.
On to South Padre Island…….. The road lay in front of us, not a bend or curve to be found. It may as well have been laid out with a ruler. Just low growing shrub and rangeland to the left and right of us. It’s putting me to sleep, I hope John fares better. A change of scenery, just in time….we reach the Aransas area…. Hundreds of Bent Oak trees, all leaning Northward as if being chased bu the intense winds that come across the Gulf of Mexico that shaped them as they grew. Back in civilization from here to Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi… a small city trying to be big. Downtown consists of handful of highrise buildings……Banks, Brokerage Houses and a Hotel in addition to government buildings…. There are some small glimpses of architecture ( in need of restoration) that take one back to the 19th century grandeur that was Corpus Christi. The small downtown area is encircleded by miles of poor looking areas, shuttered stores and pawn shops.
In contrast, The Shoreline Drive area stretches for about five miles.
The palm trees march two by two down the center median and are flanked by very elegant homes, both old and new. Some hide behind huge palm trees, while others stand proudly for all to see.
Time to move on to the Texas Tropics also known as The Rio Grande Valley
Brownsville to Laredo….Small, one story, cement block houses. The more affluent enjoy larger Spanish Mission style homes.
Land is still very flat, lots of palm trees still until we reach western side of McAllen. Fewer towns, less prosperity and mostly low growing scrub in between the few towns before Laredo. Shops, billboards, streets and towns all bear Mexican names. Lot of car dealerships, RV dealers and service centers--- and many, many RV Parks. The “Winter Texans” seem to be the (reason de’terre) primary reason for the existence of the South Texas Coastal Region.