BEACH, TREE AND GATORS

Tuesday, November 9 – We headed to Blue Wave Beach today only to be driven back.  Blue Wave Beach is clean, managed responsibly and has a focus on the protection of human health and the environment. Blue Wave Beaches are litter free, have handicap accessibility, public restroom facilities and swimmable waters. it is the one of a kind, Saltwater, swimming lagoon!

It was a nice and sunny morning, and we had the beach all to ourselves.

 

Nice to sit, read, and nap.

Paul checked out the water temperature....no way was he going in there!

After about an hour it clouded up....darn, no long relaxing day at the beach this time.

We decided to head up to Lamar and see the “Big Tree” aka The Bishop's Tree aka The Lamar Oak aka Goose Island Oak. It is located on Goose Island State Park. The giant Live Oak measures 35 feet in circumference, 44 feet in height and has a crown spread of 89 feet. The Texas Forest Service estimates the tree to be over 1000 years old. It is said to have been a council tree for the Carancahua Indians and for the white men who came after them.

This is the second “big tree” we've seen in Texas. About a year ago, we saw what was called the oldest tree in Texas, located in Historic Columbus, TX.

We then head to the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, the Whooping Crane stronghold. The Refuge Complex is comprised of over 115,000 acres. From late October to mid-April, crane families feed in the marshes of this area. Only at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge do North America's tallest birds find an enduring winter stronghold.

The marsh land in the Refuge is beautiful.

 

They have an observation tower for viewing the Whooping Cranes. You are way above the trees.

The view from the top.

We weren’t able to get close enough to get a good shot of the Whooping Cranes. This is the best we could do for the Sandhill Crane.

Here too, pelicans, herons, egrets, spoonbills, ducks, and geese settle. On shore, javelinas, bobcats, and deer wander the oak woodlands. Alligators peer from still water of ponds.

We saw just about all of these including several HUGE Alligators.....in the 16 foot range! Awesome!

Here is a mother with her baby.

We saw a group of gators near where we walked.

 

There's about a 30 mile driving route through the park with numerous hiking trails. The only Texas wildlife Paul still has on his “I gotta' see” list is a big Rattlesnake.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see ya’ll back real soon. Have a great day!