Traveling south on 87 The Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail exiting the Bolivar Peninsula is Port Bolivar, where a free ferry, ferries you to Galveston. While waiting for the ferry I was watching ships unload massive wind generator parts, blades, turbines and sections of large mounting pipes, from their hold. Texas renewable energy!! Once across the cut you land in the middle of the popular beaches of Galveston. 
Crowded with traffic and people it was like you were at Coney Island, stuff to buy, rides to ride, the smell of sweet greasy foods, booze and beer and tons of sun-burnt Texas tourists. Taking the busy coastal route the Texas Tropic Trail 87 it was people watching to the 10th power while crawling along in traffic (Mothers Day weekend). As I drove through places like Jamaica Beach, Follets Island and Surfside Beach the traffic thinned out. I was headed to Port Lavaca, a sleepy old hippy style enclave known as Magnolia Beach to camp for the night and grab a shower, before pressing on the next day to Padre Island.
Hopping on a second Ferry at Port Aranas I was soon on Mustang Island and headed to my destination. With provisions and fuel I was entering the National Seashore of Texas, Padre Island. Over 60 miles long this sand island is home to laughing Gulls and White Pelicans also strewn on the beaches if lucky enough to find Lighting Whelk. Plus an abundances of other types of creatures, birds. snakes, ghost crabs and plants make Padre Island a go to destination. A popular appeal is that you can drive on the beach the entire length of this thin sandy island and primitive camp, which is one of many reasons why I came here.
The weather was really not ideal the wind was blowing steady at 20-25mph with gusts up to 35+ so it made camping a bit rough. Just driving on the beach was fantastic the sand was firm most of the way with soft spots you really had to give it some right foot to plow through. Mile markers at 5 mile increments along the way let you know your location. At about MM 15 I turned off through the dunes to Yarborough Pass (1/4 mile wide)(the only turn off on the 60 miles of island) to get on the leeward side of the island and hopefully get some shelter from the wind. Not much better but at least I wasn't getting all the sea mist churned up by the pressing waves and wind.
