We can’t leave Moosey behind!! The girls stayed the last night with a friend, and M left Moosey. Moosey is a stuffed…moose, as you probably guessed, and we couldn’t leave the state without Moosey. M has had Moosey almost since birth. They were born 6.5 weeks early, spent 2.5 weeks in NICU (Newborn Intensive Care Unit), and three days after leaving the hospital, I found M dead in the back of the car. Later, after an ambulance ride to the hospital, 7 hours in the ER, and being admitted, I was told she had RSV. She spent another month and a week in the hospital. It was during this stay she received Moosey. They’ve spent every night together since.
Because we only have a month between Southern California commitments, we typically try to get to our destination as quickly as possible. Our first night was spent in a rest area East of Tucson. We rolled in late and rolled out early. We stopped for a photo with the recycled roadrunner in Las Cruces, NM. We missed visiting when we were staying in Las Cruces in February, our first try at Galveston, so we stopped and had lunch in the rest area before moving on. Our last overnight while traveling was spent in a crazy rest area. It was a narrow road with big trucks and a couple other RVers parked along the side. We parked in one spot that didn’t feel safe; we kept thinking someone would hit us. When someone ahead of us moved, we moved and tucked in for the night. We were woken up by someone knocking on our door. Somehow, trucks had rolled through all night long, but now we were in someone’s way. And when Tom went to put the car in neutral to pull forward, the car was dead, and the alarm was honking. After some grief, we started the car and moved our rig up. It was then I noticed we were in the wagon wheel rest area I read about on www.roadsideamerica.com. I was very excited, but I was the only one. It’s like that sometimes.
Almost eight months to the day after we started our trip to Galveston, we finally arrived. If you missed the beginning of this eight-month trip, check out A Mountain Retreat. We started out February 17, 2021, and finally arrived on November 16, 2021. We’d heard about beach camping, and we were ready. Another woman from the Facebook group of people I’d never met lives near Galveston, and gave us more reason to visit. We booked the Galveston Island KOA Holiday for the night we arrived and an extra night on our way. We typically do this as a way to dump and refill water when we’ve been traveling for a few days. The extra night gives us a chance to scope out a free place to stay for a while. We pulled into what looks like a newer KOA, checked in, and got set up. After three days of solid driving, we were done, didn’t want to drive anywhere, and had “fend for yourself” night for dinner. This means you eat what you can find to eat because nobody’s cooking unless it’s you. We didn’t have much, but there was enough. No one went hungry.
The next morning was full of boring stuff like working, schooling, laundry. Mid-to-late afternoon we managed to escape for a drive and lunch. We found the Tipsy Turtle right on the beach and climbed the stairs to enter. I imagine in the summer months, this place is packed. It has a total island vibe and good drinks. The food is edible, not gourmet. Overlooking the water, we ate our lunches, then grabbed a cocktail and headed down to the beach. Something that never happens legally in North County San Diego. As we explored Galveston Island by car, I received a text that my friend was on the island. We met for sunset on the beach. A beach you can drive on. And it was spectacular. It was awesome meeting her, her son, and her sister. We hung out until it was chilly, we were hungry, and they had to get back and get ready for school the next day. We searched for Salsa’s for dinner before heading back to the KOA. The KOA is a bit of a drive from Galveston, and there isn’t much nearby.
Friday was Liv’s BEST DAY EVER. We have a frog on a shelf in our living room that I bought at the Rainforest Cafe in Denver when I was 19-ish. I’ve talked about how the Rainforest Cafe was fun because of the ambiance and decorations. When we found one in Galveston, we had to eat there. Commence Liv’s BEST DAY EVER. We started with lunch next to a large saltwater aquarium, across from a family of gorillas. After an exciting lunch of food that doesn’t have to be good because tourists will flock there anyway, we exited through the gift shop, of course. Inside the gift shop was a Build-A-Bear station. When the girls were 4 or 5, my cousin promised them a trip to Build-A-Bear. They’re still waiting for that trip, so we each built an animal. The excitement they shared was contagious. While checking out, the cashier said the river ride was a requirement. Well, if it’s a requirement, we’re in. It was a relaxing float after lunch. 10 out of 10 recommend. Upon exiting, we had to pose with the statues.
That evening, we met my friend and her peeps for dinner at Jimmy’s on the Pier in Galveston. The location is to die for, the food is pretty good, and the people are fantabulous. We watched the full moon rise over the ocean on one side and the setting sun paint the sky on the other side. We ate, we laughed, and we enjoyed the evening. They went their way, and we went ours with tentative future plans. On our way back to the KOA, we talked to our friends in San Antonio, and they invited us for Thanksgiving dinner. We decided to make the 6-hour drive and visit good friends we hadn’t seen in months.
We were supposed to check out of the KOA on Thursday, November 18, but we extended our stay two nights to take advantage of the lazy river and/or pool. It was chilly, cloudy, and not very pool friendly on Friday, so we extended our stay through Saturday afternoon. We discovered that we could pay $20 for a late (5:00 PM) check out. We were in and spent the afternoon floating along the lazy river. Luckily, we had our floats from our Montana days because they do not provide floats for the lazy river. Tom grabbed us a couple of frozen drinks from the store, and we were the only ones enjoying the lazy river. After an afternoon relaxing, we headed for Port Bolivar for beach camping and more relaxing.
To make our way to Port Bolivar, we had to take the Galveston – Port Bolivar Ferry. Before taking our RV on the ferry, we took the car on the ferry, and Tom asked one of the ferry employees about bringing the RV on. When it came time to go beach camping, we turned off the propane in our 38′ class A motorhome and boarded the ferry with our tow vehicle attached. The ferry is a part of the Texas Department of Transportation and is free to ride. We rode the ferry multiple times and often saw semi-trucks, class A motorhomes, and trucks pulling ginormous fifth wheels.
We pulled up on the beach in Port Bolivar and got to work setting up. There was one other camper on the first couple of nights, but they were a long way down the beach. We did see a couple of other campers a few different times the entire time we were there, but they were more than 100 yards from us. Even on the weekend, when the beach was busier than on weekdays, we didn’t have anyone nearby. They kept their distance, and there was plenty of space for everyone to not be on top of each other. Watching the sunrise over the Gulf from bed was an excellent way to wake up each morning. Some days we had a local bird hanging out and enjoying the sunrise with us. We walked the beach, and I found my first pieces of sea glass. M and Liv found more seashells than they knew what to do with. We spent four relaxing nights living, working, exploring on the beach in Port Bolivar before we packed up and headed off to an RV park in San Antonio.
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