Blue Goose ~ Day 219

January 1, 2015 ~ Galveston, TX to Sulphur, LA

There were groups of gulls spaced in intervals along the beach, mostly Laughing, but some Ring-billed, along with a couple of fishermen and few runners / beach-walkers. With a parking lane on the beach side, one can easily pull on and off to scope birds (at least this time of year).

It was still windy. The Gulf waters were murky. I remember this from three years ago. Both times, though, I drove through here on cloudy days. The area is defined by oil with industry infrastructure everywhere: flares, billowing emissions, pipelines, derricks, wells, huge ships in harbors and offshore, great cylindrical storage containers, valves and pipes, steam, fencing, towers...and an oily smell to the air. What are the health statistics of the population in these areas?

I drove to the ferry, waited one minute, drove ON the ferry, waited ten minutes and then we crossed, accompanied by Laughing Gulls and Brown Pelicans. These ferries are free and run 24/7. This ride was 13 minutes.

Galveston to Bolivar Ferry - TX

I continued up the Bolivar Peninsula to Anahuac NWR and spent some time driving the refuge - out to Galveston Bay on two different roads. A car with Connecticut license plates entered just ahead of me. A dozen fishermen were casting from shore where the roads ended.

A lone Roseate Spoonbill startled me when it erupted from the watery roadside ditch as I passed, looking like a bird-shaped pink and white bakery confection...utterly beautiful in this nearly colorless landscape under featureless light grey skies. While not in numbers, there were many birds. The Great and Snowy Egrets, dotting the landscapes either singly or in small groups, embody visual purity. They are nearly always pure white, striking in the otherwise muted colors of the marshes and fields. Sometimes they lift off slowly, great wings flapping, black legs dangling. The flocks of snow geese against grey skies are another stunning vision as they bank and turn and move in loose unison. Sometimes the light catches their black-tipped white wings at a particular angle for a second or two, always making me catch my breath.

Nice bird for January 1, 2015 - Anahuac NWR - TX

I was low on gas, AGAIN, so left Anahuac in search of a station. That the price of gas the last several months has been half of what I expected has certainly helped with the cost of the trip as fuel is my greatest expense. I usually pay between $2 and $2.20 a gallon.

I hadn't read the maps all that closely when I decided to go to either Texas Point or McFaddin NWRs which are on the Gulf south of Port Arthur. I thought I could then cut across at Sabine Pass into Louisiana very close to the Gulf; however, I had to return 25 miles north to Port Arthur, cross the Sabine Lake outlet and then come down the east side of this waterway.

I turned into Texas Point NWR, saw litter, a locked gate to the right and what seemed a small trail to the left. As far as I could see, there was no refuge information available. I suppose I could have investigated the trail, but it was gloomy and deserted here so I figured I might as well drive another 12 miles west to McFaddin, which was even more remote and lonely. There was a road around a large lake, but I only drove partway before turning around. It was kind of like a Minnesota Lake with grasses and reeds instead of trees on the shores. I think these places are maintained mostly for duck hunters. Nearly the whole Gulf coast is wetlands so having a design nated refuge here isn't quite the same as other places in the country (in my humble opinion). McFaddin and Texas Point together comprise over 100 square miles. Do they have mineral rights? Is oil drilled here also? They seem more remote than they actually are, especially on this late afternoon, on a grey, misting New Years Day. I passed a state park with the lovely name of Sea Rim and saw a few vehicles and people with heads down, searching in the mud flats for? I have no idea...

The road ends at McFaddin which adds to the sense of its remoteness. Dave VH would love these duck hunters' refuges, although the mosquitoes are truly ferocious. One blogger said they "came right through the walls of the RV and our neighbor's also." These beaches are not the lovely Gulf beaches found farther east, but therefore are even more of a sanctuary for the birds.

Laughing Gulls - south of Port Arthur, TX

So back to Port Arthur and then down to the Gulf again, eventually turning north and passing through Sabine NWR in intermittent rain on the way to Sulphur where I found a motel, discounted because they were having hot water problems.

(How would you like to say you lived in Sulphur?)

An hour after I checked in, three teenage boys knocked on my door with fresh warm towels. The proprietor was a Mr. Patel. The room had an exotic pleasant scent; the walls were uniquely painted; there was an actual china coffee cup.