Los Fresnos became our most southward RV site and we stopped there because of its central location to many interesting areas to visit. Two important battlefields are located nearby as well as South Padre Island and several major birding areas.
Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Park is the site of a May 8, 1846 conflict between the United States and Mexico. This was the first major battle in the dispute that soon turned into the Mexican-American war, fought over where the border between the two countries should be drawn. There is a museum and a paved path around the battleground.
But, of course, we found interesting birds to photograph while there.
We went to South Padre Island several times and found it to be nothing like the north end of the island. The south end is a populated town and a big tourist area, and we are so glad we got to experience the north end with its miles of uninhabited beach.
There are lots of birds to watch in the South Padre Island Birding Center, which has a boardwalk out to the edge of the ocean: (Black-necked Stilt below)
We have seen Coots all over, but did not know what their feet looked like until we saw them walking on land. The Coots and Gallinule get our vote for ‘Most Interesting Bird Feet’:
Black-bellied Whistling Duck and Green Heron:
White Ibis and, Gail’s favorite, Roseate Spoonbill
Next door to the Birding Center is Sea Turtle Inc, an organization that rescues sea turtles in distress and returns them to the ocean, if possible. Some turtles have injuries that do not allow them to be released, and those guys get big tanks to live in. Some turtles have even been fitted with prosthetic flippers so that they can swim again.
South Padre Island also has a Sandcastle Trail. The visitor center has outdoor and indoor sandcastles on display to start the trail and then various business around town have created their own sandcastles.
We did walk on the beach a couple of times ….can’t pass up a beach. On our last beach walk on South Padre, we met a WWII pilot and his wife, in their 90’s, taking their daily stroll. Pretty amazing to get to talk to them. We also found several Portuguese man o’ war washed up on this beach. They are beautiful, but very toxic.
We visited Brownsville several times and enjoyed visiting the Historic Brownsville Museum, housed in a 1920’s Spanish-colonial train depot:
More to follow.