CRUISING THE COASTAL BEND

Well here we are enjoying another warm, sunny day in Texas' Coastal Bend, the area on the gulf coast between Rockport-Fulton and the northern part of South Padre Island National Seashore.  The national seashore starts at the south edge of Corpus Christi and lays out a highway of white sand for over 60 miles to the south.  You can drive the whole beach however once you pass a warning sign about 6 miles south of the visitor center there is no border patrols and no service.  It is four wheel drive only and you had better have a fat wallet if you get hung up and need to be pulled out.  On the other hand that is not a place to be driving around with a fat wallet if you get my drift - on pun intended.

Vickie and I have been informed we are officially now "Winter Texans" and are welcomed by all the local as long as you spread around some of the dollars you hauled south.  We have found a ton of places to spend that hard earned cash and are having a ball doing just that.  Sorry kids, I know you were looking forward to a huge inheritance but you will find a way to make it.  We decided not to make you jump into a higher tax bracket -  aren't we nice!

I have found some great fishing spots for both surf fishing and fishing from piers and jetties.  It is so much fun as you never know what you have on the other end of the line once you feel the tug.  It can be anything from sting rays and sharks to black drum, red fish, speckled trout, whiting, pompano, sheepshead and even saltwater catfish.  So far, with what I had to purchase to fish this way such as chest waders, 9' rod, heavy duty reel, all new tackle, live bait and an out-of-state fishing license, each fish is only running me about $20 per pound.  Vickie feels it is worth every penny because it gives her some well needed quiet time to read and soak up the sun.  I have the perfect setup as my brother-in-law (Tom) shows me where to fish, cleans the fish we catch and my sister (Bonnie) fries them and invites us over for dinner.  Of course now that she had read this blog that will most likely all go to hell.

Of course while we have been scoping out the off-road fishing spots we have ran across some great out of the way eating and drinking establishments.  A couple that come to mind are Red Fish Willies on Red Fish Bay near Aransas Pass and Moon Dogs in Rockport\Fulton.  Red Fish Willies is right on the water and very near the long wooden pier I fish from.  It has great food such as fresh shrimp right out of the bay along with all the normal bar fare but really top shelf.  Moon Dogs has a huge deck over-looking the bay where you can watch all the oyster boats come in with their daily catch and unload at the docks.  They have great food as well and some of the best fries this side of the 20th Hole in Hudson, FL.  That was a must as we had not found the good fries we had in Florida until Moon Dogs - life is good.  Vickie said their sweet apple, brie and fresh spinach chicken sandwich was over the moon.

We took in our first Mardi Gras parade while sitting in the middle of a live oak woods.  The tiny town of Larmar, TX is just inside the border of Goose Island State Park and they put on a parade each year that brings in locals plus Winter Texans from all over the country.  It is in the middle of nowhere and all money goes to running their volunteer fire department.  We had a great time and collected 70 sets of beads.  No - they actually gave me the beads if I promised not to pull up my shirt.

As you should be able to tell by now we are having a ball and as always we are not staying on the beaten path.  Life is more fun on the B-Side and you can wander much farther from your home base if you remain Unplugged.