I knew we couldn't visit Corpus Christi without a trip to Padre Island (the national seashore, not the beach community), so on our last full day there, we drove about 30 minutes to the park. It was absolutely gorgeous. Padre Island National Seashore is where they do Kemp's ridley hatchling releases all summer, but there weren't any happening during our trip.
We found the 3/4-mile long Grasslands Trail and knew we could manage that, even in the heat, so we set off on a mini hike.
And then we were off to the beach! This is my kind of beach -- quiet, not crowded, sandy beaches, and blue water. We just sat and played and watched the pelicans, seagulls and sandpipers.
This is my favorite picture from the whole trip.
After a couple of hours at the beach, we rinsed off, visited the gift shop and headed to the Texas Sealife Center, which is a nonprofit that rescues, rehabilitates, and releases coastal and aquatic wildlife. We saw a lot of sea turtles, some of which are healthy enough to be released into the wild.
This is Matilda, a Kemp's ridley. She had one flipper amputated, has a broken jaw with parts missing and has those pesky air bubbles trapped in her shell, so she's not releaseable.
After our morning adventures, we stopped at an HEB for sandwiches and salad to eat in our room. In the afternoon, we ventured out for frozen yogurt and a bookstore trip.
And then it was on to our evening adventure, a dolphin boat tour from Port Aransas. We chose the sunset tour on the Scarlet Lady.
Ready to set sail!
Our cruise was 90 minutes long and we saw so many dolphins, including mother-baby pairs.
We saw lots of pelicans too.
And right at sunset, we passed by the Lydia Ann Lighthouse. It was so beautiful and I'm so glad we chose to do this sunset cruise.
The next day, we realized that we were only an hour away from Goliad, so we decided to head there on our way back to Houston. After living in Texas for over twenty years and teaching Texas history, this was the one big part of Texas history that I had never seen first hand.
Our first stop was at Goliad State Park, which houses the restored Franciscan Mission Espiritu Santo. The mission was established near Matagorda Bay in 1722 and moved to Goliad in 1749.
We found the short Aranama Trail behind the mission.
We saw tons of huge ants (probably harvesters) that freaked Henry out as well as countless grasshoppers. The internet tells me that these are immature eastern lubber grasshoppers.
After our hike, we headed across the river to visit the Presidio La Bahia, which, like the mission, was moved to Goliad in 1749. The fort was important during the Texas Revolution. After the Battle of Coleto Creke, Colonel James Fannin and his 350 men were held at the presidio before they were executed on Palm Sunday 1836. The rallying cry at San Jacinto was "Remember Goliad! Remember the Alamo!"
Our final stop on our way back to Houston was the Fannin Battleground, located nine miles east of Goliad, where Fannin and his men were captured at the Battle of Coleto Creek in 1836.
Henry and I had such a wonderful getaway and I am so glad we could do something fun while Will was off in France. I just can't believe it took me so long to visit these beautiful spots in Texas!
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