Lamar – Live Laugh RV

Our Texas excursion is nearing an end. On Thursday the wheels on the RV will once again be rolling and I can honestly say I’m ready for a change of scenery. As I reflect on our overall Texas Gulf Coast visit, these words come to mind, ‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolish’.

This opening line in the Charles Dickens classic A Tale of Two Cities may refer to the French Revolution and the cities of Paris and London, but as I see it, it can easily relate to my three-month stay in Texas.

I know it’s a stretch, but humor me and allow me to spin my own little tale with a recap of our Texas Gulf Coast adventure.

It was the best of times……
Our Texas journey began in early November when we visited Galveston Island for a month. We were pleasantly surprised with how much there was to see and do in Galveston and we thoroughly enjoyed our visit. We were never bored or at a loss of places to explore. We even had the pleasure of connecting with fellow bloggers.

To read about our stay in Galveston, start with this post – click here.

From Galveston we traveled south to Mustang Island with a quick 3 day stop at Goose Island State Park. At Mustang Island State Park we fit in more socializing and lots of explorations.

Corpus Christi and Port Aransas hold nostalgic memories for both Al and I. Al lived in the area for a couple of years during his Navy days B.I. (before Ingrid) and has the fondest recollections of those days. We shared a great day visiting the first aircraft carrier that Al flew on and off of ….. the USS Lexington

Years ago, my parents became winter Texans each year as they spent six months in Port Aransas at the Pioneer RV Resort and six months back in Illinois. My kids and I would visit them in Port A each season either over Christmas break or Spring break. My dad loved to fish while my mother loved to walk the beach collecting seashells. They developed a core of friends and stayed active and happy in this part of Texas for a number of years.

When Al and I returned to this area in December, it conjured up feelings of returning home for a visit. I couldn’t help but feel a flood of fond memories wash over me; thoughts of my mother and her exuberant joy as she walked the beach collecting sea shells. She was always smiling as she loved digging her bare feet into the sand. Ah yes, she is missed.

After our stay on Mustang Island, we moseyed up the road 45 minutes to nearby Rockport, Texas (technically we stayed in the teeny town of Lamar), where we spent the month of January. Why Rockport? Rockport is a Mecca for angler’s, duck hunter’s, and avid birders. It’s a Sportsman’s paradise.

You won’t find any beaches for a stroll around here. So beach goers will want to take a pass on Rockport and stick to the beautiful beaches on Mustang Island.

We rolled into the Hidden Oaks RV Park within hours of our friends on December 29th; long time friend’s and business associates from our Colorado days.

Al’s buddy brought his boat and the guys were on a month-long male bonding mission. Manly men, doing manly things in a sportsman’s paradise. Ah, the real reason for our second January stay in Lamar emerges!

With hubby occupied, I’m left to my own devices and find great pleasure in exploring the area for photo ops.

Did I already mention this place is known as a ‘birders paradise’? The endangered whooping cranes winter within walking distance from the RV park and the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge is just across the St. Charles Bay.

There are over 25 specified birding areas within 40 miles, and then there are birding boat tours, guided birding walks, and bird seminars. Whew, a birder could get worn out around here!

That said, hubby and I had a rather nice three-month visit to the Texas Gulf Coast.

But wait the story doesn’t end there. I did mention it was the worst of times. We’ll talk about that in the next post…..

Thank you MonaLiza for the above photo of me. I had a blast birding with you 🙂

Last Tuesday…..

As another ‘polar’ vortex makes its way south to the Texas Gulf Coast, hubby and I stay nestled inside our 250 square foot home on wheels. With plenty of propane, electric, and a couple of layers of clothing, we stay toasty warm as the high winds rustle the trees and rock the rig.

As much as the swaying trees and limbs would occasionally make me nervous, I was glad to be surrounded by the mature grove of oak trees breaking the wind. This is when I got to thinking more about these unusual oak trees.

I don’t know about you, but when I envision a coastal town I see beaches, palm trees, multi-colored houses, high rise condos, and quaint shops in a beach town setting. Rockport, Texas, is a combination of all that……well not exactly; no high rise condos, very little beach, and instead of palm trees the area boasts an abundance of wind swept oak trees. Oh, there’s the occasional palm tree here and there, but it’s all about the oak trees.

When we turned off Highway 35 to get to our RV Park I was surprised by the trees. The above photo is the road that leads to Goose Island State Park as well as Hidden Oaks RV Park….. pretty, but a little nerve wracking when driving or pulling a high clearance vehicle.

Usually when folks talk about Rockport they’re quite often referring to the area which is technically more than one town; the town of Rockport, Texas, with a population slightly under 9,000 and the town of Fulton hovering around 1,600. The dividing line between these two communities is somewhat blurred as one town blends into the other. Therefore, it’s common for one to refer to the area as Rockport – Fulton or just Rockport, but to confuse you even further Goose Island State Park is actually located in the town of Lamar which is just across the Copano Bay with a population of around 600 but still referred to as ‘Rockport’.

I never tire of riding my bike or walking around this neighborhood in the town of Lamar, Texas. The trees and vegetation are dense. The only evidence of the presence of any homes are the driveways leading into the grove of trees. It isn’t uncommon for me to startle deer, birds, or other wildlife as I meander down the roads. The occasional clearings give the cranes room to land. This particular road (12th Street) ends near the shore of the St. Charles Bay, and also takes you to an oak tree reportedly over 1,000 years old. Aptly titled the “Big Tree”, this mature oak tree measures 11 feet (3.41 meters) across the trunk, 44 feet tall (13.4 meters), 35 feet around (10.71 meters), and 89 feet across the crown (27.1 meters).

The fence was put around the tree to keep people from walking near the base of the tree thus compacting the roots which makes it hard for the tree to get water. Visiting the Big Tree is listed among one of 51 things to do in Rockport.

Visiting the Lamar cemetery is also listed as a ‘thing to do’ especially for history buffs; burials from Confederate Army soldiers, WWI soldiers, as well as other’s dating back 150 years. Even in the cemetery the oak trees are a feature adding a sense of mystery and character.

During storms and high winds, the trees act as shelter for a sorts of wildlife perhaps even the whooping cranes.

So let’s see…… we’ve visited the Big Tree, stopped at the Lamar Cemetery, and saw the whooping cranes; 3 down, 48 left of the 51 Things to do in Rockport. Hmm, doubt I’ll whittle down that list since our time in Rockport is coming to an end.

We’ll be hitting the road and one of our stops will be Fredericksburg, Texas. Any recommendations on places to camp or things to do in the area would be welcome. Either comment here or email me at livelaughrv@hotmail.com Thanks and I can’t wait to be in better Verizon territory. This intermittent connectivity is driving me crazy!

Tag: Lamar

It was the best of times ….

51 Things to Do

Follow Blog via Email