Camping with us were GloriaB, SusanW, KayS with her cousin Darlene, NancyLi, JudyS, SandyB and MarilynF.
There were lots and lots of birds, especially in the mornings, and several of us saw the endangered whopping cranes.
Some TOWNies went down the road to the Aransas Wildlife Refuge, and Sandy and Nancy biked the quiet auto trail (12 miles) on Sunday and saw a huge alligator and a bobcat.
Kay and Dar did some museums in Rockport and especially enjoyed an art museum.
Judy had been given the grand tour of Rockport by her sister the day before, so she was a big help in pointing the way for our small explorer groups.
We located some great kayak put-in points, at our state park and in Fulton. Due to the weather forecast we did not plan to kayak, though the last day of our trip offered perfect weather for it. Next time!
Friday morning some of us went on a Ranger-led bird walk that focused on birds of the wooded areas.
Friday evening we all went to dinner at “Café.” Well, it’s real name was Old Fulton Seafood Café, but it had just expanded into the space next door and their sign was in the shop. That was not the funniest thing, but close. Sometime I’ll tell you about the oysters on the half-shell.
Saturday morning many went on another Ranger-led bird walk that focused on shore birds. They returned to camp for a group brunch of crockpot-baked eggs, ham and cheese.
Early in the afternoon Saturday we converged at Legends Saloon, a redneck bar with a dance floor and $4 mixed drinks. We sat on bleachers in the backyard and watched an event I’m sure was a first for Austin TOWN: belt sander racing! If you have never seen power tools race against each other, you should put belt sander racing on your bucket list. They really can go! One fellow was happy to answer our questions: For example, for some reason in places where the belt sanders have a person sitting on them for the race, that person is always female. Huh. Photos are posted on Facebook.
On Saturday evening some of us cooked our market fresh fish on the grill: heavenly! Others had more traditional campfire meals.
By Sunday afternoon we were down to only 4 TOWNies (Judy, Nancy, Sandy and Marilyn) and there was wildlife exploring to do. Sunday evening a first for me: A flock of birds flew over with amazing sound-surround whistling. I looked it up when I got home, and Sandy B was right — they were Blackbellied Whistling Ducks. Hear them here: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Blackbellied_Whistling-Duck/sounds. Monday morning at 6:30 AM I saw flocks that did the same, going the other way. Just excited to be flying and warm, I guess. It is duck season — I hope they all made it! There were other amazing sounds and sights, but since I am writing this report I get to say what I experienced.
I recommend this park for maybe a future warm December trip that includes kayaking in the wildlife refuge and bays. By then, according to Sandy, many more migratory birds should have arrived in this gorgeous state park.