Ginny & Dean's Excellent Adventures:Trip to Big Bend TX 2/06

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Trip to Big Bend National Park, TX -- 2/06: Part 1 Part 2 >> Part 3 >>

Our first stop on this trek was Manatee Springs near the west coast of Florida, a How many turtles can get on a log?? beautiful spring with water that's 72° year round. It's located near the Suwannee River, 23 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico. In the winter manatees in the area swim up river to get to the warm water. We didn't see any manatees, but there were other wild critters to keep us amused.

<< Q. How many turtles can balance on a log? A. More than we would have guessed, because they climb on top of each other.

In early Feb, the red maples' scarlet seeds provide a stunning contrast against the gray Spanish moss. The photo to the right shows the where the spring joins The Suwannee River. We walked out on the boardwalk over the swamp to the river.

The confluence of the spring waters and The Suwanne River.

Even in Feb., an early honeybee goes to work.

Armadillo

<< The bald cypress trees were just getting their new spring green foliage. Wherever you look in the swampy ground, you see the bald cypress knees, which is what you'd expect. What I didn't expect was to see other trees, including maples, growing their roots up and over the knees to gain altitude, and presumably oxygen.

The deer didn't seem to have a problem navigating the wet areas. Being a in park, the deer were plentiful and not shy.

Deer in the knees

<< We rode our bikes around the trails and spotted this armadillo rooting around in the leaves.

Primitive camping shelters, placed at intervals out in the woods, consisted of a raised sleeping platform with a thatched roof. We wondered if you'd stay dry in a heavy rain.

A wading bird was one of many. We scurried across to south Texas to take in the migrating birds on Galveston Island. The Texas flag and the laughing gulls greeted us as the ferry arrived on the island. We could see Galveston proper across the bay, but the birds stole the show.

There was not much cover at the campground.

We camped at a state park there--not much cover on a barrier island. We certainly enjoyed the magnificent Texas skies, especially at sunrise and sunset. The flocks and flocks of birds entertained us for hours.

We saw roseate spoonbills all over the island--in the rose-colored sunset they look even pinker. To the right, two photos of the same sunset.

Sunset over Galveston Island.

Sunrise looking west toward Galveston Bay and all the birds. We got up for sunrise each day on this trip to see more
birds, enjoy the solitude, and to make the best use of our day.

Below: the sunrise looking east, over the settled area of the island. Right: sunrise looking west toward Galveston Bay and all the birds. Sunrise looking east over the inhabited section of the island.

Then on to Corpus Christi...

Dean spent some time here many years ago--much has changed since then. There's now a long, stepped seawall along the water, lots of boats, and new tall buildings. We stopped to look at a replica of the Niña.

A replica of the Nina

After a brief stop in Corpus Christi, we headed west across south Texas to Lake Amistad, a huge lake created by the damming of El Rio Grande, The Pecos River, and The Devil's River. Amistad means friendship and this lake is shared with Mexico.

Lake Amistad deer greet us at our campsite.

Simultaneous sunrise and moonset made it difficult to know where to look the next morning. We hiked along the lake shore and saw lots of ducks and other birds.

Our campground was located on the shores of Lake Amistad. We were greeted by a committee of deer.

Successful plants here often have spines. While they may be beautiful, the deer and most other critters stay away.

Red-hued cactus

The sun and the moon--which way to look??

Dean walks along the lake

We did see birds at sunrise.

On to Big Bend...

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