A Big Drive Day

I wanted to go back over to the Ocean yesterday, just because it was going to be a nice and warm day and then lousy for the rest of the week. But we ended up in Brownsville , which is as far South as you can go in Texas. On the Mexico side it is Matamoros. We were right at the bridge but just didn't have the courage to kill ourselves two days in a row.

Brownsville is the oldest town here in the Rio Grande Valley. So they refer to the downtown as historic. Hell why can't they just admit it? Its older than dirt. This is a street scene away from the bridge to Mexic0. Close to the bridge is very much in need of urban renewal. All shops are for the folks from the other side as they come to the US to shop. Ropa usada, Used Clothes. Thats the popular store, and the money exchange to change Peso into dollars. There were dozens of those shops. 11.25 to buy and 10.80 to sell a dollar. How can ten of these places all make it on the same block?We had a quick McDonalds hamburger and headed off into the wildlife preserve where the Rio Grande river goes into the Sea. We drove and drove and saw nothing. Estuary is mostly just the desert intermingled with areas of salt water mixed with fresh water. Should have been some birds out there but we only saw sea gulls. The road turned away from the coast and the river and headed North. We turned around.

The estuary is mostly inland bay that is subject to the tide. The tide was out so we saw large areas of mud. Oh and the boarder patrol stopped us on the way out. Big imposing fellow in full green uniform. Gun and all. Stuck his head in the car window and looked all around. "You folks US citizens?" "Why yes we are!" "Then move along!" Didn't make any small talk , just did as I was told. We drove North up the bay to Port Isabel.
Do you remember my comment about it being a nice day? Well as soon as we crossed the bay out onto Padre Island it was instantly overcast and foggy. We stopped at a beach access right in the middle of the nice hotels and went out on the beach.

The sea was angry. Rolling in in big breakers, washing ashore making a 30 foot wet area as it came and receded. Folks were walking up and down on the dry area mostly staying out of the water. Loyce went out to feel the water with her feet and came right back saying that it was really cool. While it had been 80 degrees while we were in the estuary, the temperature on the truck dash now read 62.


This hotel wasn't all that far away but the fog nearly eclipses it. The buildings in the distance are merely shadows. Not to many folks out on the beach today. But it was sunny and 80 back on the main land.We went back to Port Isabel and drove around to look at facilities there. We did find one fairly nice RV resort and conned our way past the gate guard after having him give us a pass and a map of the park. Big place! Has a golf course too. Loyce would move closer to the ocean in a heart beat but cold and damp just doesn't sound like the thing to do for me.

We were back down to 55 overnight. That temperature only came just before dawn. This is supposed to be a rainy day an it is overcast as the dawn arrives. Des Moines has 8 and KC has 13 so 55 and rain will be fine.