Wednesday, March 08, 2023

Life's a Beach - Padre Island National Seashore, Tx Pirate treasure?

 
Padre Island National Seashore protects sixty-six miles of wild coastline along the Gulf of Mexico, a narrow barrier island.  Most of the beach is open to vehicles and camping.
 
We've been enjoying our time here, especially the warmer weather, and warm nights!  I think it was a good plan to escape the unseasonably cool temperatures in Arizona, and snow storms in California!
 
Driving on the beach!
 
There is lots of wildlife along the beach, though some spend a lot of their time hiding!

Morning tracks on the freshly swept sand tells the story ...
 

I've also seen quite a few deer tracks on the beach, as well as some 'deer beds' back in the dunes.

Coyotes also patrol the beach at night.

Sometimes, if you are patient, you can watch a local resident doing some morning house cleaning!
 
Or a former resident of the deep washed up on shore.

Sometimes, you might even see the beach cougar out and about in the giant sandbox.

You might even see an Alberta RV attempting to blend in on the beach 😀

One day, blog reader Dale stopped by to say hello and meet Ms Hailey.  He said he's been unable to post comments on the blog.  Anyone else having the same issue I wonder?


Lots of room to spread out on this 50 mile long beach!

An abandoned oil or gas pipeline terminal I discovered hiding back of the beach.  I assume this was related to offshore oil platforms?

Sometimes at high tide, there is not much road left to drive on, as water approaches the rigs.


At low tide, you could run a six-lane freeway by in front.
I thought I might have stumbled onto some long lost, buried pirate treasure. 😀 Overnight winds exposed these coins on the beach.  It could be true - if there were pirates using nickels - in 1984?
Big garbage dumpsters at the beach entry point.  Very handy, as there is always new stuff washing up on the beach.  I see a park truck most days hauling a full load of 'valuables' they've collected on a daily patrol


There is some Border Patrol action here, with occasional trucks and helicopters patrolling the beach, as well as this Coast Guard plane making a low pass down the beach.


That's it for this time ...

7 comments:

  1. The sand piles outside the door look like there is some good breezes off the water. I’m glad you have found someplace that you like? Some interesting pics.

    Deb

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    1. Yes, the breezes are fairly constant, and refreshing, unlike the cold, cold winds of Arizona, ;-)

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  2. I've seen too many people stuck on the beach to ever try pulling my rig out on one. Looks like you had no problem though. I can't believe Kitty Kitty roams around and comes back to the rig. That's just too cool!!!

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    1. Sand is just like snow; you can get stuck in either, if you don't know where to drive! But, if you get stuck in snow, it's not recommended to dig out in bare feet! Hailey knows the trailer is home - it doesn't matter to her where it is parked. If she gets scared, she heads straight for the door. Curiosity might lure her away at times, and she may not know all the hazards she faces (which is why I watch her like a hawk, and have bells and an Airtag on her), but there is no way she'd ever take off.

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  3. As I recall in the 50s there was oil well activity on the island as well as off shore. I always thought it was wonderful when it became a protected seashore. Have fun.

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    1. Thanks for that info. It's great that is protected now, yet open for public enjoyment!

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  4. Anonymous10:42 am

    When we were there many years ago there was a fellow living on the beach waiting for people to get stuck. He pulled them out for a fee. Made quite a bitof money he said. Glad we didn't need him 😁

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