Stormy Texas and a visit to Red Bay

     Our first major visit after leaving Ca. was a 2 week stay at the Pioneer Beach Resort in Port Aransas, Tx.  Our previous excursions into South Texas took us a little further south in South Padre Island.  But we were a little tardy in getting reservations this year, and we think the destruction of Hurricane Harvey may have pushed the "winter Texans" a little further south.  Passing through Corpus Christi, any hurricane damage seemed minimal, but as we crossed ut onto Mustang Island and approached Port Aransas, the full impact of the destructive force of a Category 4 hurricane became quite evident.  The Pioneer Resort seemed to have recovered somewhat, but debris was piled all around the area.  The city was working pretty hard in keeping the beachfront sand stable and smooth, and many mornings we awoke to heavy machinery working the sand.

Few stores or restaurants were open in town, but as they opened over the 2 weeks we were visiting, we made an attempt to visit and support them.  Our favorite from last years visit,  MacDaddy's  was able to open, but the food quality wasn't what we enjoyed last year.  They did have a pretty good selection of draft beer, which Teddy and I enjoyed. 
      Our 2 week visit was soured with nasty, cold, windy weather, that just didn't want to quit.  Our Alabama friends, Teddy and Mary Anne, graciously decided to join us in our madness and met us at Pioneer Resort, and suffered right along with us, which actually provided a little comfort. Teddy brought along a bottle of sippin'  whiskey which took the edge off of the cold evenings, and I'm sure the ladies grew tired of listening to endless BP stories. 

     We did venture to the north a little and visited an area called Goose Island State Park, which is home to the oldest tree in Texas.  Amazingly, this area took a direct hit from Harvey, but the Big Oak and all the uncles, seemed to have survived in one piece.  

      Back during the Civil War, the nearby town of Lamar was an actively growing seaport, reaching out into the Port Aransas Harbor.  A Navy bombardment nearly annihilated the city, and it never really recovered as a seaport.  We also had the rare opportunity to view 8 whooping cranes, or as they are affectionately called "whoopers".  It is estimated that there are only about 600 cranes alive after being pushed to nearly extinction by hunters and loss of habitat.  They flew overhead as we were arriving at the Big Tree, and we didn't find out till sometime later, just how rare they are.  I wish I had grabbed my camera just a little quicker.

     As our 2 weeks were drawing to a close, we ventured out into the cool weather, to visit the USS Lexington Museum in Corpus Christi.  The USS Lexington, CV-16,  is an Essex Class carrier, built during WWII.  The Lexington was commissioned in 1942, and was originally going to be named The Cabot, but after the previous USS Lexington CV-2, was lost during the Battle of the Coral Sea, she was renamed. 

     The hanger deck is spotless and has several aircraft displays.  There is also a 3-D Theater showing a modern day sea power documentary, demonstrating the capabilities of a modern US Navy.  There are passageways leading to most areas of the ship, although several were closed and used only for the "ghost tour", and I found myself glancing around corners to see if I could catch a glimpse of one.  The Japanese referred to Lexington as the 'ghost ship' because there seemed to be constant rumors of her sinking.  When Lexington CV-2 was sunk, the sudden arrival of Lexington CV-16, was thought to demoralize the enemy.  Ironically, my ship, the USS Forrestal, was selected to replace Lexington as a training ship in 1990, and planning for a museum in Texas began.  

                                                                Hanger Deck photos

                                                                     Bridge photo

                                              VF-11 (1939)  World Famous Red Rippers

Watch out for those knee and head knockers!!

     We departed Port Aransas and have decided to stop at the Tiffin Factory in Red Bay, Alabama and have a few things repaired on Big Red.  Seems like a nice opportunity before heading over to Tennessee to meet David and Eddie, and move Rosie closer to family in Va.  I think Red Bay will take up an entire post, so I'll end this here.  Besides it's raining again!!!!  Stay safe everyone, and we'll visit soon.