THE GULF COAST
&
SOUTH TEXAS

Trip Reports

• May, 2000: It's been a year since we've seen the coast and what a year it has been. My travelling partner has been very sick, and we wondered if we would ever see the coast together again. We got lucky, and he has made enough of a recovery to allow us to escape to our favorite place. This time I had to do all the driving, so I decided to break the trip to the coast from Dallas into two equal parts and take back roads. We also decided not to camp due to the physical demands of such a trip, and since we don't own a regular car, we decided to rent a luxury car. When we got to the Avis, they had to upgrade us to either a mini-van or SUV. Having never driven an SUV but having a lifelong fantasy of driving down the beach, I took the SUV. The ride was bumpy, but what fun we had with it. Our first night was in Caldwell. We enjoyed the nice town and decent accommodations at the Sunset Inn that included a refrigerator and microwave. We drove the county roads in our rented Suzuki. The county roads in this area are divine. We also stopped for a couple of old cemeteries. Later, we enjoyed our tacos from Matamoras Tacos just across the street from our room.

  Next morning, it was off to Palacios, a small shrimping town that we had driven through once before and found interesting. We had reservations at a motel we had seen when passing through the last time. Our room at the Delux Inn was very nice. This is a very quiet, laid-back town with no real tourist development. Most stuff closes at 9:00 p.m. except the Sonic Drive-In on weekends. There is no real nightlife except fishing off the lit piers and walking along the seawall. We really enjoyed it. I especially enjoyed a day trip to Matamoras Beach. I finally got to zoom down the beach in my SUV. What fun!

  But, two days later it was off toward our favorite spot, Fulton Beach via the "gray roads" on the map. We visited Indianola, Seadrift, and other small villages. Then, it was to Fulton Beach and our room at the Sand Dollar. We were right across the street from the water, their pier and restaurant, plus other activities. What a wonderful room with a patio and wall sized window. At $50 a night, we felt it was a bargain.

  We returned in a similar way, staying one night in Taylor near Lake Granger. We were too tired to give this area appropriate attention so plan to return on our next trip to the coast. As you can see, it was a wonderful experience. Sure hated taking my Suzuki back to Avis!

• Made another quick trip to the coast mid-May, 1999. This time, we headed for Goose Island State Park again. Things did not go well, but it wasn't the fault of Goose Island. First our air-conditioning went out, so we went to Port Aransas to stay in a motel. We loved Port Aransas with its little shops and restaurants. It's very nifty! But, our drive to the National Seashore was a waste of time due to heavy debris...yuck! Then, that night we left Big Blue's windows opened, and a huge storm rolled through drenching everything. So, we went to the Hill Country where we promptly ran over a deer that did some serious damage to the van. Ironically, we were on the way to a wildlife refuge near Kerrville. Oh well, we gave up and went home. In Alvarado, I hit two birds. When we pulled into our yard, we just sat there a moment in disbelief. We were glad to be home alive even if it was three days earlier than planned. Things went downhill from there....
• Went to the coast once again in January (1999). Having started in the Big Thicket (see our East Texas Page), unseasonably warm weather lured us back to our favorite Texas travel destination, the coast. Even though we live in Texas, we rarely make it to the far eastern shores. Highway 87 that leads from Sea Rim State Park to Galveston was destroyed in a hurricane years ago and it makes the trip between the two area a bit more tedious. But, if you find yourself in this area, this is a trip well worth the effort especially in the winter. As the temperatures soared into the upper 60s to lower 70s, we found ourselves alone on the expansive yet undeveloped beach from Sabine Pass to the West. There were only a half dozen campers at the state park during the three days we were there. It was absolutely magnificent. We also discovered, for the first time, the town of Sabine Pass which has all the provisions (stores, gas, a few cafes, and one rather odd looking motel). Down the road to Port Arthur, you can find anything else you would like. The drive between Sabine Pass and Port Arthur is surreal. Highway 87 literally goes through the Chevron Refinery. You find yourself driving under pipes and cables. It is very weird. In Port Arthur you can find such things as Pleasure Island. This, too, is a rather strange place. Frankly, the potential is greater than the reality. A private development but with lots of public piers and areas, it is marred by litter. Evenso, the birds have managed to hang on there. We saw hundreds of pelicans. But, the litter ruined it for us. By the time we left, we wished the paved road that goes the length of the island had never been built since the people who visit have proved themselves unworthy. (Sorry, a little preachy here, huh?) And while I'm on the topic, the litter problem at Sea Rim State Park is not so bad but still an issue. What is the deal with Texans and our out of state visitors? While I realize trash at the coast comes from all over the world, there ought to be some effort to clean it up. Why would tourists want to visit littered places? It just doesn't seem to be good business to me. At any rate, there are places to escape the litter including a cute little bridge for fishing at McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge. Also, if interested in history, check out the Sabine Pass Battleground where you can also watch the big ships pass by on the canal.
• Just got back from Goose Island State Park on May 15. The smoke from Mexico's fires was very thick and the wind was gusty. But, the fish were biting, especially late at night on the park pier.

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