Mustang Island and the Gulf of Mexico

Location: Mustang Island State Park; Corpus Christi, Texas

Stop #7. I've added future stops
now that I have reservations.

Today ends day three of my seven day stay here at Mustang Island. As I've said before, when I travel, I pick a destination and head in that direction. I'll make as many stops along the way as I feel are needed, but the destination is always there in my head. Well, this was the destination for this trip. I camped here about five years ago and always wanted to return. The campground is mainly a parking lot with electric and water, but that is all I need for my stay of seven days. I like it because it is just minutes away from the beach with an access road right from the campground. Within five minutes of shutting Liberty's door, I can be driving on the beach finding a nice spot to stop. Once stopped, I can sit and watch the waves come in while pondering my past, present and future life. On a clear morning, the sun comes up over the gulf and I can watch it from the warmth of Freedom since the nighttime temperatures are still a little bit nippy at mid-40's. Walking the beach is another nice way to spend the afternoon.

Our campsite at Mustang Island State Park. The little window at the very top is the window I use to take some pictures. I call it the upstairs window. 

Access road to the beach from the campground. You can drive for miles along the beach. 

You can drive until you find a spot with nobody around for miles. During the week, the beaches are mostly deserted this time of year. 

From that paragraph, a person would think I've just been lounging around on the beach all day. Nope, I went into Corpus Christi in search of the "La Nina". It is a replica of Christopher Columbus' ship. At one time, all three ships, The Nina, The Pinta and The Santa Maria were here in Corpus. The Santa Maria and Pinta were hit by a barge and suffered major damage. They were eventually disassembled. The Nina has sank at least twice and is looking for a home. According to the internet, she was supposed to have been berthed at a pier in Corpus Christi. I went there and she wasn't there. I tried to find out what happened to her but I couldn't find anything. Then today, as I was crossing the Port Aransas Ferry, I spotted what looked like the Nina traveling in the bay. She wasn't under sail, but it looked like she was underway. I'm not sure if it was her or not but I grabbed my new cell phone to take a picture. The camera on my new phone isn't as good as my old cell phone so the picture didn't turn out too good. I have to get back into the habit of using my old phone for my pictures.
 

I think that is the "La Nina". At least it is the same appearance. Can you imagine crossing the Atlantic Ocean in a ship like that. I'm sorry for the quality of the picture. I grabbed my new phone instead of my old one. I'm not sure where she was headed but she appeared to be underway.

As a comparison in size to the Nina, I also took a picture of the aircraft carrier, U.S.S. Lexington, which is permanently docked in Corpus. She is almost 80 years old but still looks good. You can take a tour of her for a little less than a twenty dollar bill. I've seen an active carrier back in the 70's so I saved my money today to use for bribing the maitre d' at Taco Bell to find me a table without a reservation. We've come a long way in shipbuilding since 1492.

The U.S.S. Lexington. 

 Seeing the Lexington reminded me of a story I once heard. I have no idea if the event actually happened, but I do know the facts about the carrier are true and that one was sent to aid in tsunami relief. I'm posting it here, so it will be something my grandbabies will be able to read in the future.

There was a conference in France where a number of international engineers were taking part, including French and American. During a break, one of the French engineers came back into the room saying, "Have you heard the latest dumb stunt Bush has done? He has sent an aircraft carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims. What does he intend to do, bomb them?"

A Boeing engineer stood up and replied quietly: "Our carriers have three hospitals on board that can treat several hundred people; they are Nuclear powered and can supply emergency electrical power to shore facilities; they have three cafeterias with the capacity to feed 3,000 people three meals a day, they can produce several thousand gallons of fresh water from sea water each day, and they carry half a dozen helicopters for use in transporting victims and injured to and from their flight deck. We have eleven such ships; how many does France have?"

You could have heard a pin drop.

How about a nice sunset as seen through the upstairs window of Liberty.

Ya'll take care of each other. I'll Cya down the road.