Jamaica Beach RV Resort, November 21, 2017 to January 21, 2018

This is the second stay for us at this RV Park. Below is a short wrap up of our 2-month stay. For a more detailed review, see windsofdestiny-rvlife.blogspot.com/2015/04/jamaica-beach-rv-park-32015-to-42515the.html.

Rating:  5 on a scale of 5

Location: The park is located about 12 miles west of Galveston on San Luis Pass Road. We also enjoyed exploring the west end of Galveston Island during this visit. The beach is within walking distance. Also, it is a short drive (or long walk) to Nate’s West End Seafood Restaurant and a market/gas station. For major grocery shopping trips, we went to Kroger’s in Galveston.

Lot size: We had a paved, pull-through, full hook up site, located near the dog park. We had plenty of room for our RV, tow dolly, and car. There were also several palm trees, grassy area, and picnic table on a concrete slab. 

Amenities: This RV park has loads of amenities (pools, spas, really nice miniature golf course, and more). Wifi is very slow (barely usable), but cable TV is provided. We had lots of cold/rainy days during our stay this time, and a free DVD-lending library was great. New this time is the Lazy River water feature (although it was too cold to use during our stay). Propane is also sold here; one of the few places on the island to get it. 

Cost: $655/month

Management: The folks that run this place are great; always helpful and friendly. We received lots of Amazon packages and mail during our stay (due to the holidays) which is no problem at this park. Activities are planned for guests, although we did not participate in them since we were close to our daughter who lives in Houston. We spent time socializing with her instead.

General Comments: The one thing I do not like about this location is that the weather can be very windy. And, this year, it was much colder (a few nights in the high 20s) than we prefer.  It even snowed here, a very unusual event for the region! We were thrilled to see the African tortoises here (Mr. and Mrs. Humphrey) again. They have produced offspring on multiple occasions, although they usually hang out in their burrow. Their fenced area is on the miniature golf course (which we played many times!) 

There are lots of RV parks in the area, but we really like this one. 

Website: www.jbrv.net

Let’s Fly a Kite, 1/15/2018

With the unseasonably cold weather in Galveston, we had spent a lot of time inside. Also, our sweet doggie, Sadie, had a cyst surgically removed from her shoulder at Banfield Pet Hospital on 1/09. 

(Side note: As full-time RVers, Banfield is a great pet care option. They have 900 locations throughout the US, and maintain a healthcare record on your pet that is available at any of them. Sadie has been getting all of her immunizations, annual dental cleaning, heartworm/flea/tick medicine, and other random vet needs from them. They also maintain her chip number and our contact information. Overall, it is very convenient for us.)

We had to keep Sadie’s incision dry for 10 days (until the stitches were out). But, we all had cabin fever, so went to the beach to fly the kite Amanda had given us for Christmas and to let Sadie run around a bit. 

To keep Sadie from scratching her incision, the vet told us to put a shirt on her to cover it. This is what she looked like...

Although it was a little chilly, it was beautiful at Jamaica Beach.

John (and Sadie) ran along the beach to get the kite aloft...successfully! I flew the kite for a while too, and honestly, it was so much FUN. It’s probably been 55 years or more since either of us have flown a kite.

I highly recommend it. Exhilarating! 

The string was fully extended in the photo below (can you see the tiny speck that is the kite?) 

Sadie was so good and never ran into the water. She was just so happy to be outside that she was running around like a puppy!

Not ready to return to the RV just yet, we hopped in the Mini (that we parked on the beach) and drove west on Galveston Island. We stopped at a random beach access point just to see something different.

Crabs, fish, and other marine life were washed ashore. Sadie loves to sniff new things and never hesitates to stick her nose (and head) into any hole she can find. Fortunately, this has not yet resulted in any harm to her. 

I will never grow tired of walking on the beach here.

Go fly a kite! You’ll love it. We plan to attend Kite Day at Padre Island National Seashore on February 17, 2018, 10 am to 2 pm, at Malaquite Beach (in front of the Malquite Visitor Center). Activities for kids are planned and kite-flying clubs will give tips and demonstrations. 

Dinner (1/14/2018) and a Show (1/19/2018)

Our two-month stay in Galveston, will end Sunday, 1/21. We had made plans with our daughter, Amanda, and Kaitlyn for dinner in Galveston on Sunday, 1/14. They came to Jamaica Beach RV Park where we are staying for some socializing, snacks, and wine.

We stopped on our way to dinner at the 1900 Storm Statue and seawall. 

The girls made reservations for us at Olympia the Grill at Pier 21. (www.olympiagrill.com). We arrived early so we could explore the area before dinner. The Port of Galveston is here as well as the Cruise Terminal. 

Nearby is the Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig Museum (www.oceanstaroec.com). 

John and I visited it when we were in Galveston in 2015 and found it fascinating...highly recommend. We also wandered down to the marina where we saw commercial fishing vessels. 

The restaurant has both indoor and outdoor dining with great views of the harbor. It was a little chilly so we chose to eat inside. Our dinner was great with a couple of appetizers and a bottle of wine (I had halibut that was divine). But, of course, the best part was the company and conversation for dinner!

The following Friday, we went to see Kinky Boots, a Broadway show tour at Jones Hall (JonesHall.org). Thanks, yet again, to Amanda for the tickets. This is one of the absolute best benefits of having a kid that works in theatre! We have been so fortunate to see many shows in many US cities (Boston, St. Louis, Chicago, Manhattan, and more). Because we got a back stage tour after the show, we got a close up look at the infamous red kinky boots!

We really enjoyed the show, a Grammy-winning musical, that is based on a true story. The music by Cyndi Lauper was great and the performers fantastic! 

We were able to spend some time with Amanda after the show, so it was the perfect way to wrap up our two-month stay. We already know we will miss spending time with her!

Hiking at Galveston Island State Park, 1/08/2018

Galveston Island State Park is located west of Galveston and east of Jamaica Beach, so a short distance from the RV park where we are staying. This is our first visit to the park. I never realized there was so much to see and do here!

Our first stop was the headquarters building where we paid the daily fee ($5/adults) and picked up a couple of maps of the park. 

The park has beachfront property along the Gulf of Mexico as well as a larger tract of land with hiking and paddling trails on the opposite side of San Luis Pass Road (bay side).

We explored the Gulf side first. There are 36 campsites (electric and water) and a dump station. A large picnic area (for day use visitors) is located near the beach access path. 

Since we came here to hike, we hopped back in the car and drove to the bay side of the park. There are 4 miles of hiking trails.

Our first stop was the short (.3 mile) interpretive Duck Lake Trail. A Nature Center is located here, but it was not open when we visited. The trail leads to Duck Lake, a freshwater pond that is a critical component of the coastal prairie. 

Next we drove to the parking area near the Clapper Rail Trail (.5 mile) where we saw the wetlands restoration work that has been underway here. Along the way we met a lovely couple, the Wilsons, from Michigan who were enjoying the beautiful coastal weather of Texas. An observation deck provides great views of the area. The Intracoastal Waterway can be seen in the distance.

We learned that Margin Wilson is a breast cancer survivor and has written/published a book about her journey, It’s Not the End of the World: Life Lessons of a Breast Cancer Survivor. It can be purchased from Amazon. It’s always so interesting meeting new people during our travels!

Crossing the bridge, we continued our hike onto the Heron’s Walk Trail (1.4 miles out and back) through marshes and salt flats to another observation tower. We saw lots of crabs in the shallow water of the bayou and shorebird footprints everywhere.

There were great views of the wetlands from there tower. 

We made our return hike to the Clapper Rail Trail on the Egret Loop (.5 miles) where we saw prickly pears (have not seen many here), hawks, and more.

Our last stop at the park was the access point to Como Lake (where there is a boat launch). We saw lots of shorebirds (great blue heron, white heron, white heron in flight and roseate spoonbill in flight).

We never realized there were so many hiking trails at Galveston Island State Park. It is a great place to visit if you enjoy learning more about this coastal environment, hiking (or paddling) trails, and birdwatching. For additional information, go to tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/galveston-island.