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We had a brainstorm in the morning and came up with a new plan. We weren't sure whether we would spend another day in South Padre Island or whether we would head north towards New Orleans. I'll tell you more about that idea in a few paragraphs. The weather today differed greatly from yesterday's weather. The morning started hot, muggy, and overcast. I suspect that today's weather is more typical than yesterday's perfect temperature and humidity.
After checking out of the hotel we drove north towards the top of South Padre Island, knowing that the only road exit from the island was close to the southern tip. Only a mile or two north of the hotel all development ceased and the two-lane road seemingly went to nowhere. The road continued for several miles before a huge sign blocked the road and stated that the road ended. We could obviously see the road continuing but didn't want to push our luck. We turned around and drove back south.
North of all development, the island narrows with expansive beaches and dunes on the Gulf side and flat lands on the Sound side. The sand is white, though not as perfectly white as some of Florida's beaches. Ann found vines growing on the dunes. We found out later that they were primroses. There were numerous four-wheel drive vehicles on the beaches along with a few large motor homes and converted busses.
Speaking of converted busses, all along on our trip we've seen a class of motor home that defies description. Some people take old busses (school and otherwise) and fix them up with curtains and such. They don't look as comfortable as the regular motor homes but we haven't gotten to look inside of one yet. They probably cost a lot less. We spotted one strange bus in Yellowstone that was covered with wood shingles. It looked like armament but I don't think wood protects against much.
Entering back into the commercial area of the island we took a detour at the convention center where a wooden pier extended out over the grasslands and slightly into the Sound. We saw some spectacular birds. I've placed pictures of those birds under our Padre Island National Seashore page even though they were technically not within the boundaries of the National Seashore. We saw tri-colored herons, white pelicans, brown pelicans, blue herons, and cranes. Off in the distance Ann spotted a couple of roseate spoonbirds, which turn pink on the wings during mating season.
We were so inspired by the sight of such wonderful birds that we decided to leave South Padre Island and to drive north to Corpus Christi and to the Padre Island National Seashore. We hoped to get a stamp in Ann's National Parks passport before the Visitor's Center closed. We also hoped that we would find more birds.
It took three hours to drive north and get through Corpus Christi and we missed the closing of the Visitor's Center by about a half-hour. Still, we had the chance to view some new birds. A falcon perched on top of a road sign particularly interested us. Unfortunately, the sun was setting behind him and our pictures didn't reveal much more than a silhouette.
We checked into a hotel on the island overlooking the Gulf where we made a disconcerting discovery. We had left our pillows back at South Padre Island. Ugh! How would I sleep without my pillow? There are worse things in life. We weren't about to drive a six-hour round-trip just to get our pillows.
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