New Years Day 2009
We had a nice time at Matagordo Bay with good weather and many beach walks but it was time to move on to Galveston. We really enjoy traveling the back roads, seeing the countryside, passing through small towns and avoiding the stress of major highways and cities.
Tina and I have been mapping out trip plans between the big Atlas, Google Maps and our 2006 Trailer Life Directory of places to stay. It has been pretty successful so far. When we were looking for a place to stay in Galveston the first place we looked at was a State Park on Galveston Island. Fortunately, their web site indicated they had not finished cleaning up after Ike so we picked a place on the inner harbor closer to town.
So with directions and map in hand and miles of road before us we headed down the road. About half way into the drive we missed a turn due to construction but with a little judicious map reading a quick re-route got us headed back in the right direction. As we passed through the town of Jackson a pickup truck pulled along side and signalled to open the window. It was a nice couple asking where we were from. They saw our WA license plate. After telling them we were from Whidbey Island they said they were from Spokane and Moses Lake. They were down here for the winter. We were stopped at a light and chatted a bit more then we were both off again. At the next light they signalled us again and asked where we were headed, we replied Galveston. Then they suggested we pull over for a minute so we did. It turns out the route we had planned was not open. The road onto the south end of Galveston Island was closed. They would lead us back to a route that would get us into Galveston from the north. And they took off with us following, got us headed in the right direction and waved goodbye as they headed off to their home. Talk about a series of coincidences!! WOW!!
With the new information we researched a new place to stay rather than go into Galveston and decided to stay at the "Via Bayou" about 19 miles north of Galveston. With the car we could drive in to Galveston the next day. We arrived at the RV Park and got registered. Apparently this place had just managed to reopen about two weeks ago. With all the water surge every one of the electrical pillars (50 amp service post for our electrical hookup) had to be replaced. Floors in the club house, laundry and restrooms had all been replaced and walls were being repainted. What a mess it must have been and this place was 19 miles inland towards Houston. Todays leg, 75 miles. Total for trip, 3,750 miles.
Tuesday, January 2nd
The next day we took the dogs and headed in to Galveston to check things out. Driving into town on Hwy 146 we exited at 61st and headed for Seawall Blvd which runs along the edge of the island along the gulf. The damage became evident right away. Boats were tossed up onto the sidewalk from the inner harbor, piles of rubble everywhere, businesses closed, houses destroyed but not yet torn down. Along Seawall Blvd the larger resort hotels had been reopened but many smaller businesses were so badly damaged or wiped out completely they'll never recover. Down in the Historic District along the "Strand" and along "Broadway" many of the large Victorian homes were restored while many of the smaller homes will take another year to be rebuilt. Many will never come back. Less than a quarter of the small shops and businesses, restaurants, etc., have reopened. 
We stopped for a tour of the Bishops Palace in the Historic District. It was a very interesting home build in the late 1890's. Originally built for a private family, it was sold in the 1930's to the catholic church for the Bishop of Galveston, hence the name, Bishops Palace. After the tour we dropped the dogs off at the groomers and went for lunch. It took 20 minutes to find a place to eat. After lunch we picked up the dogs, drove around some more and took photos of some of the historic buildings mixed in with the damage. It's amazing how much damage the town sustained.Before going home we went up towards Houston to purchase a better camera for Tina, a Canon Powershot SX10 IS - 10 megapixel, 20x optical zoom, with image stabilization. This will help with the birding and wildlife photos without going pro - heh, heh!
Tomorrow we visit the Johnson Space Center.
To see all of today's photos click on this link:
Today's side trip, 82 miles.
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