Trip to Port Aransas

My sister, Kristi, and I went down to the Texas coast a couple weeks ago and I took a few pictures along the way.

We drove through Lockhart Texas and stopped to eat BBQ at Black's BBQ. It was pretty good and you can even buy some online and have it shipped to you. We also walked around town and I took a few photos. It is a cute little square with a bunch of nice shops and a couple museums. The museums were closed (there is a clock museum I would like to see) but Kristi bought something from one of the little shops there.

We got to Port Aransas after dark and pretty much just set up camp. Kristi set up here fancy tent but I decided to be tough and just sleep wrapped up in a ground cloth. It would have been ok except for the gusty wind (up to 29mph) and the cold. I set up my tent in the middle of the night. The next morning I stuck my head out the tent door and took this picture. The Pelicans are neat to watch. They just glide along the beach, sometimes in lines of 10 or fifteen, with hardly any effort.

We went for a walk in a park in Port Aransas. It was nice, a little hot, and flat. Lots of little animals, birds, and this butterfly.

It was pretty hazy and hot while we were there. Still, lots of people came out to the beach. There are giant (60-70 miles long) beaches along the cost. While we were there there was 20 feet or so of seaweed along the water. Still, it was nice and it looked like every one was having a good time.

There was a little market and a sand festival while we were there. I saw this guy with a parachute.

The weekend that we were in Port Aransas was the weekend of the Port Aransas SandFest. It was fun to see all the sand sculptures.

Sunday morning I tried to get some pictures of birds in flight. Some of them came out ok.

I think of Port Aransas as sort of a typical coastal / beach town. Lots of shops selling gifts and beach related things. The larger shops often have something to draw customers.

This guy has a Brazilian monkey out in front of one of the stores and was charging to take pictures with the monkey.

On the way home we stopped at a wind farm near Bayside Texas. I have been wanting to see a big wind farm. I have seen some big wind turbines before but I haven't ever seen a bunch of them together. Well now I have and I would like to see some more. We were maybe about 1000ft from the closes one and it was pretty impressive. It was a little louder than I thought it would be but not nearly as loud as the surf while camping on the beach. It was neat to see them all turning together.

Goliad is the site of a famous battle for Texas independence. It is not only historic but pretty. We got there a little late and did not go in to see the exhibits but the outside is nice. The little church there still hold services.

I was driving and Kristi said "Where those buffalo back there". Well sure enough, there was a couple buffalo and we stopped and took a few pictures.