Corpus Christi, TX (Part 1)

Here we are in Corpus Christi and, after a week of wind, cold and rain the wet stuff has FINALLY stopped falling out of the sky. Whoo hoo! I was beginning to think we had just lassoed some of that Washington winter weather and tied it to our back bumper. In the meantime, we've found lots of “indoor activities” to keep us busy.

Thursday we went to the Corpus Christi Museum of Science & History which is great. The museum provides a lot of history about Texas and the southwest and, as an added bonus, the museum is the custodian of replicas of Columbus' ships. Two (the Pinta and the Santa Maria) are in dry dock on the museum grounds but the Nina is in the water somewhere by the U.S.S. Lexington. We drove around a lot in that area but never did locate her.

Diorama of an Aztec marketplace.

Since Chris & I spend so much time on a boat we really enjoyed the guided tour of the Pinta. Clearly, these ships weren't built with the kind of creature comforts we "modern" sailors are used to. For one thing, there were no quarters below so all crew members slept on deck no matter what the weather. Ewww. Not only would the wooden deck be very cold and wet but the deck is high in the middle and rolls down on each side so any water will drain out through the scuppers (holes in the side). The helmsman stood at the back of the boat (which is still the case on most sailboats) under a "roof" about 5’ high. Remember, the average height for these guys was about 4'9". Since the helmsman was unable to see where they were going, another crewman would stand on the “roof” above him yelling directions. Pretty amazing. You'd sure have to have a lot of confidence that that guy knew his right from his left!!

The Pinta

 These replica ships were built in 1986 in Spain and then sailed across the Atlantic to commemorate Columbus’ voyage to America. Inside the museum is a 10 minute video of the ships sailing and it includes interviews with some of the people who did the crossing aboard them. The ships have been in Corpus since 1993 but the volunteer organization that was formed to maintain them went bankrupt and since maintaining a wooden boat is phenomenally labor intensive, the upkeep is suffering. A small group of experts are in the process of trying to restore the Pinta but they clearly have their hands full. The Santa Maria is pretty much toast and is scheduled to be demolished within the next year.

Santa Maria in considerable disrepair.

Friday we made a foray the Texas State Aquarium. That was really fun. Of course, I love aquariums anyway. This one doesn’t come close to Monterey (CA) but is very well set up and really geared toward kids. 

Lionfish. A real favorite with the kids.

I especially enjoyed the tank full of sting rays that you can touch and feed. It wasn’t feeding time when we were there but I did “pet” a couple and was surprised at how velvety they feel.  When we're in Mexico we are very careful to do the "sting ray shuffle" to avoid stepping on these guys whenever we are landing the dinghy on the beach. They bury themselves in the sand and are pretty much invisible. Their "sting" (actually it is more like a big jab from their barbed tail) is quite painful and something I am quite happy to hear stories of rather than experience myself. 

Stingray

One of the really special exhibits at the aquarium is a shallow saltwater pool complete with fish and rays that also houses some of the local waterfowl. I was thrilled to see a Roseate Spoonbill up close and personal. There are also two White Ibis' in this exhibit. A docent explained that the birds had been injured and rescued and could no longer fly (or survive in the wild) so they seem to be happy living out their days on display.

White Ibis and Roseate Spoonbill.

In addition to those attractions, we’ve made numerous trips to Barnes & Noble and done a lot of just driving around checking out the area. Yesterday we went out Mustang Island (which is actually the north end of Padre Island) to the little town of Port Aransas. There is a State Park on the island, right on the beach (and Wildlife Preserve) and we’ve decided to move out there tomorrow for a day or two. This is the only place in the world where Whooping Cranes migrate to in the winter and we are excited to see them. We’ve already seen Roseate Spoonbills, White Pelicans, Ibis & Egrets in the Bay and several types of shorebirds on the beach. 

By the time we reached Port Aransas we were pretty hungry and somehow Chris managed to pick the best place in town (our opinion) for lunch. A little place called Beaches. Great beer and the best BBQ we’ve had yet. Even bought some delicious freshly made pastries from their bakery for breakfast today. We're both looking forward to another great meal here when we are settled in at the State Park.

Mustang Island Beach

Tomorrow the coach goes in for a little repair. While that is being done, we plan to drop Abby off at the doggy spa for a bath & pedicure and (if the good weather holds) take a boat tour of the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. I can’t wait!