Driving down the main drag in Port Aransas the other day, we saw a man holding a sign that said “Turtle Release January 27 4:00 pm Milepost 35.” Hmm, we wondered, what’s that about? Well, we learned from fellow RVers that a number of sea turtles had been cold stunned during the week when the temperatures went down into the 30s. There’s a rescue group associated with the University of Texas Maritime Studies facility in Port Aransas, and they had brought more than 60 green sea turtles and loggerhead turtles in to warm them up. When the water temperatures rose again, it was time to release them into the ocean. Okay, that sounded like something to see, so we got a beach parking permit at the IGA and headed down the beach road on Tuesday afternoon. Cars were parked up to around milepost 32, so we parked and walked, and when we got to milepost 35, we couldn’t believe the crowd. It looked like Turtle Woodstock was taking place but the music hadn’t started yet. There were cars, golf carts, t...

The cold weather hung around for a few days, high winds, a little ice, a dusting of snow, and we all put away our shorts and bundled up while the temperatures were in the 30s and 40s. But it didn’t last long, and by Saturday shorts were in evidence again. The community tent had been dismantled for its own protection from the high winds, but it was reconstructed with heavier tarps for its side walls on Saturday, and by Sunday everyone on the staff was scurrying around getting the furniture and heaters and lights back in so folks could watch the football games that evening. It was funny to listen from our trailer; down the way from us, someone was watching and would cheer, then about 10 seconds later the folks in the tent would cheer; apparently their feed was on a slight delay. Icicles and winter coats last week on the Third Coast But enough about cold weather and football, we also saw a LOT of birds and a couple of alligators as the weather warmed up. We took the ferry to the mainland ...

 It seems like the whole country is going to go through a few days of really, really, really cold temperatures. We just heard today the water will be turned off here at the campground for 24 to 36 hours starting at midnight tonight because the temperatures will be below freezing. Mike will disconnect our water hose from the spigot after dinner. So that will be fun. But it could be worse, Mike called the Scamp factory this morning to get some information on routine maintenance we need to do, and they told him it was –32 degrees up there in Minnesota this morning. Yikes. Along with the cold and possible “wintry mix” coming our way, we’ve also got crazy winds. Two nights ago the wind blew steadily all night, with gusts that rattled the camper—and woke us up repeatedly. Last night the winds died down, but they are already picking up again today, and we’re supposed to have gusts up to 50 mph tonight. So that will be crazy, too. It’s been mostly keeping us in the camper—where it’s ni...

  It's been chilly and rainy, and we've been hanging around the campground mostly. When it’s not actively raining we've walked along the beach, but otherwise we've been reading, cooking dinner, and occasionally meeting up with other campers at activities in the communal tent. We had a nice soup and salad potluck dinner last Sunday, and there was some Tuscan Kale soup that was super delicious. Mike liked the Brunswick Stew a lot, too. We also received invitations from our tablemates, in the case of one couple, to boondock in Lincoln, Nebraska, in their driveway, and from the other, to camp at the campground they own in Lyons Ferry, Washington, on the Snake River north of Walla Walla. Who knows, maybe our travels will take us both places. In the meantime, our downtime has caused me to do some more historical research, so that's the topic today. We’re on Mustang Island, so named because once, a century or two ago, there were a lot of wild horses out here. In 1519, wh...

 There’s a road of sand on the beach that runs most of the length of Mustang Island. It doesn’t seem to extend into the town proper (north of Avenue G on the map), and the Mustang Island State Park has two big rock jetties that prevent you from driving through the park on the beach, but it starts up again past the jetties and continues down until the island dissolves into wetlands and passes that separate it from Padre Island. Every sort of vehicle drives on the road, from fat-tired electric bikes to great big RVs, but the majority of the traffic is golf carts and pickup trucks. They love golf carts around here, and they love pickups everywhere in Texas. The town has bulldozers that are often on the beach flattening things out and smoothing and tamping down the On the Beach Road. There are only a few access points to the road on the beach; the northernmost access is at Avenue G, then the next place you can get on and off is the road alongside where we are camped. It’s Access Road 1...

 On New Year’s Eve, the activities committee at On the Beach RV Park organized a bonfire—on the beach. They dug a big hole in the sand and burned the Christmas tree that had been in the community tent during the holiday season. A nice ritual, and bonfires are always great. It was a fine clear night, lots of stars, though a bit chilly. Still, plenty of folks were wearing shorts and sweatshirts. I opted for jeans and a sweater, plus I had prosecco in my coffee thermos. We took a long walk down the beach, which is kind of tricky in the dark, and then said, “See ya next year.” New Year's Eve bonfire on Port Aransas beach The day after New Year’s we went out to breakfast at a place called “Coach’s Island Grill” that had been recommended, and true to its name, it was slathered in sports memorabilia, on every wall and hanging from the ceiling. We were seated at a corner table right under a framed copy of Pete Rose’s admission of guilt for betting on baseball. An odd thing to frame, but ...