A Ferry, A Hike and Laundry

 Location: Goose Island State Park; near Rockport, Texas

Since I explored north the other day, today I went south. I needed to do some laundry so I loaded up and headed south to find a laundromat and see what I could see. As I was crossing the bridge into Rockport, I remembered a laundromat I went to years ago in Port Aransas when I was staying at Mustang Island State Park. I remembered, it had good vibes. Alright then, there was my destination. Of course, since I was exploring, I took the scenic route through the tourist area of Rockport. Lots of traffic and not very scenic.  

One of the benefits of going to Port Aransas was being able to cross the Corpus Christi Ship Channel by way of a TexDot Ferry. Texas Department of Transportation operates two ferry routes in the state and doesn't charge a toll on either of them. They operate around the clock with weather permitting. This one at Port Aransas is only a quarter of mile across the channel so it is quick. But while talking to some of the TexDot ferry workers at the landing, they said there are times during the day where there may be an hour or two wait time just to get on the ferry.

The ferry ride in both directions was nice and short since I crossed around noon. The laundromat was not busy and it still had that same peaceful vibe I remembered. I could say I didn't take a picture of the place so as to not jinx the vibe, but actually, I forgot. And also, I'm not crazy for driving 30+ miles to do laundry just to ride a ferry that I've ridden several times before. Well, not real crazy, but maybe a little "touched" or as the cajuns would say, I was being a "couyon". Anyway it was a nice scenic drive.

Before you get to the ferry you have to cross the Intracoastal Waterway bridge. The view from any ICW bridge is always good. 

On the ferry. I took this picture because the TexDot Ferry worker in my side mirror stood like that for the entire trip. If he had a rifle he would have seemed like a prison guard keeping an eye on us. Oh well, we all behaved. 

TexDot operates 6 ferry boats at this location. They are smaller than normal ferries and carry about 20 to 25 cars per trip.

Ships passing in the night day, with a seagull keeping watch.

This is the waiting lanes on the Port Aransas side. It's been built since I was here last and is a great improvement. They said it gets full almost everyday. I don't want to be there when that happens.

On the way back to the campground, I stopped at H-E-B for a few things. Man, I'm sure going to miss that store when I leave Texas. I'm not posting any pictures of my grocery haul because I don't want to get into a bad habit, but if I did, I would post a picture of the Italian Seafood Salad. It sure was good. After getting back to the campground and eating a little bit I felt like taking a walk before the rains came. Notice I said walk, not hike. I intended to walk on the road going around the campground. But, about half way around, I noticed a nice trail wandering off the road. I said, what the heck, and hit the trail and turned my walk into a hike. (hike means off road, uh?). 

A big Coastal Oak in the campground. I found the hiking path when I went to see the bench.

The hiking path with tree limbs reaching out to touch you.

This is a test. Two trees on each side of the road have became entangled. Are they like Romeo and Juliette or are they fighting each other?

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