Josh's Birthday Adventure: Goose Island State Park & Port Aransas

Last weekend was Josh's birthday, and even though we wanted to check out some local sights, it was too cold and rainy to do much of anything. So we pushed our plans to today. It's still cold and a bit windy, but we needed to escape our camper for a bit and enjoy the outdoors. So we're off to Goose Island State Park and Port Aransas!

Goose Island State Park

• Location: Rockport, Texas
• Geography: Located on the southern tip of Lamar Peninsula and the island south, between St. Charles Bay and Aransas Bay
• Activities: Camping, picnicking, hiking, fishing, geocaching, boating, birdwatching
• Website: https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/goose-island

Both visitor centers in Rockport and Aransas Pass suggested we check out Goose Island State Park. Since the weather was more cooperative (though still a bit cold and windy), we made it our first stop during Josh's birthday celebration.

St. Charles Bay and Aransas Bay

We started by just driving around the park to get a feel for the land. After exploring via our truck, we drove to the southeast point of the island, where St. Charles Bay and Aransas Bay meet. There was a notable fishing pier stretching 1,620 feet out into Aransas Bay.

Josh and I chose to walk along the shoreline for a bit, but it was no sandy beach. It was quite uneven, full of oyster shells and marsh grass, leaving a rather unpleasant smell. Between that and the frequent cold gusts of wind, we decided to head to the mainland part of the park to check out a hiking trail.

Turk's Cap Trail

• Distance: 1.1 miles loop
• Difficulty: Easy
• Duration: 30 minutes to 1 hour
• Parking: Lot at start of trail
• Note: Pets must be leashed.

The trail was a nice change of scenery. The wind was far less severe than when we were out on the water. The path was easy and dotted with nature signs labeling the plants along the way. The best part was how the trees and bushes formed a canopy over most of the trail, making it feel like wandering through a secret garden.

The park is known for whooping cranes in the winter, which we weren't fortunate enough to spot during our hike. But there were a great number of other birds to observe, serenading us for most of the walk. There were even a couple of dedicated bird viewing areas, where you could sit, slow down, and lose yourself in the show.

The Big Tree

• Trunk circumference:  35 feet 1.75 inches
• Average trunk diameter:  11 feet 2.25 inches
• Crown spread:  89 feet
• Height:  44 feet
• Age: centuries old

You can't visit Goose Island State Park without stopping by the Big Tree. This coastal live oak has been standing here for centuries, and it shows. We're talking 44 feet tall, with branches that stretch nearly 90 feet wide. And that trunk? Over 35 feet around. You'd need more than seven people just to wrap your arms around it.

Nobody knows exactly how old it is, but honestly? That mystery makes it even more magical.

While you can't climb or touch the Big Tree itself, right nearby there's some gorgeous trees, where you can get up close, climb those massive branches, and snap some epic photos.

Port Aransas

• Drivable: Yes
• Parking: Parking permit required, available at most gas stations and souvenir shops
• Pet Friendly: Yes, but must be leashed
• Website: https://www.portaransas.org/beach/
• Travel Note: There are two main ways to get into Port Aransas -- from the south side of the island via State Highway 361 or across the ferry from the north. The Port Aransas Ferry System, operated by the Texas Department of Transportation, provides free transportation seven days a week, 24 hours a day.

Port Aransas is one of the beaches you can drive on, so we wanted to take full advantage of that. With it being so cold, we drove right up to the shoreline and parked our truck. We took our time barely wading, careful not to let our feet or pants get wet.

After enjoying the sand and water for a bit, we settled in to watch the shore from the comfort of our truck. We stayed until the sun was almost completely set before heading back, wanting to make the ferry before dark.

Want to see our full Port Aransas and Goose Island adventure come to life? Catch all the action in our YouTube video, linked below!

 Josh's Birthday Adventure in Coastal Texas! | Goose Island State Park & Port Aransas

Hobbies at Home

With our love for travel and our commitment to living a life that allows us to explore as much as possible, it might be surprising to learn that Josh and I genuinely enjoy participating in our favorite cozy hobbies at home. Of course, we love going out and discovering new places, but one of the biggest selling points of RV life for us is that it allows us to travel the country while still being able to come home at the end of the day and spend our free evenings doing the things we love.

We are not debt-free, and we're actively working to sustain our lifestyle. This means we can't travel as though we have an unlimited budget, so we have to be financially responsible about how and when we explore. We tend to do our sightseeing and adventuring on the weekends, sometimes only on Saturdays. That leaves a significant amount of free time during the week, and we need fulfilling ways to fill it.

Plus, we simply enjoy our cozy hobbies.

Living on the road does place some natural limits on the kinds of hobbies we can pursue. Anything that requires a large amount of materials or takes up considerable space just isn't practical. Video games are a favorite for both of us. They're entertaining and take up minimal space. We also love Legos, especially Josh. That one is still a work in progress. Completing a Lego build is no problem, but figuring out where and how to store the finished product is a challenge we haven't quite solved yet.

I love arts and crafts, so I keep markers, coloring books, diamond art, and oil pastels on hand, but my favorite is watercoloring. I've really been leaning into watercolors lately, especially as I've found a way to connect it to our travels. I'm working on a memory book of sorts, painting scenes and details from our journey as we go.

It might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you picture full-time travelers, but having ways to entertain ourselves beyond sightseeing is important, not just for living a balanced life, but for living a fiscally responsible one as well.

Visit Your Visitor Centers

In preparation for Josh's birthday, I wanted to research some fun places for us to check out together. Searching for "fun places to visit" online, however, can get overwhelming fast. To help with our planning, whenever we visit a new state, we like to stop at the welcome center near the state line to learn more about what to do. Unfortunately, it was well past closing time when we entered Texas, so we weren't able to grab any information there.

Luckily, both Rockport and Aransas Pass have visitor centers, so I made sure to stop by and pick up some brochures and packets to kick off planning for the next month, specifically, what to do for Josh's birthday.

If you ever feel overwhelmed making travel plans, I highly recommend stopping into a state's welcome center or a city's visitor center. Every one we've visited has had enthusiastic staff who can't wait to share their knowledge, advice, and resources with you.

For the full experience, head over to our YouTube channel and watch Maggie visit the local visitor center and plan some fun activities to look forward to!

Josh's Birthday vs Winter Storm

Blown Away by Rockport Market Days

Josh and I love markets and bazaars, so when we heard about Rockport Market Days, we made sure we didn't miss it. The only problem: the wind.

Since we've been here in Rockport, the wind has been going almost nonstop. Our first day, in fact, was so windy, it was shaking the whole camper. While I sometimes fear a Wizard of Oz situation, so far, we haven't had any huge issues. But the wind has been bad enough that it causes us to change our plans for doing things outside. And though the Rockport Market Days wasn't canceled by this wind, it definitely made it a little less pleasant.

Aside from the wind, it was a great market. There were vendors with food galore and so many artisans and crafters. It was impossible to walk passed more than a few booths without sampling the tasty treats along the way. Josh was tempted by all the knife options, while I couldn't stay away from the art and jewelry. 

In addition to the vendors, lunch was available from a variety of food trucks. Josh went with traditional carnival food of hot dog and chili fries, while I found someone making pho, which I had never seen sold outside a restaurant setting. 

I always wish I had a bigger budget when visiting a market, but I'm still happy with what we walked away with. Josh needed a new pocket knife, so he found one he liked from one of the vendors. Plus, we bought some popcorn, watermelon licorice, a cameral apple, and chocolate covered strawberry wine, which we will be enjoying tonight as we finish our Harry Potter marathon.

Want to see what Rockport Market Days is really like? Watch our full episode on our YouTube channel and feel like you were right there with us!

Rockport Market Days and DIY Toilet Upgrade

Today, we went to the Winter Texan Appreciation Day at the Fulton Convention Center in Rockport-Fulton, Texas to learn about local events and businesses.

Winter Texan vs Snowbird

Josh being from Wisconsin and I having lived there for 5 years means we knew lots of Wisconsinites who leave Wisconsin for the winter. This is particularly popular for the retired community. It's also popular among those living in the general upper Midwest states to "migrate" to the South for winter months to avoid the harsh winter weather.

Before we stopped in Texas this season, we had always heard the term "snowbird" for those who traveled south for the winter. But once here, we quickly learned that "snowbirds" refers to those who winter in Florida. "Winter Texan" is the proper term for those wintering in Texas, and it's a name worn as a point of pride for those who it applies to. 

Winter Texan Appreciation Day

We decided to attend this event to learn about possible future events going on while we're here in Rockport as well as local sights to sights to see. It was a very popular event, with a line out the door to get in, and barely more than shoulder room to move around. The facility had 35 vendors from Rockport and the surrounding area. There was a room with BINGO, which had prizes from the participating vendors. And there were drawings for more prizes in the main room.

Overall, we definitely got more information than we needed. Almost every vendor offered small deals to entice us to visit or make a purchase, and it gave us a nice chance to learn about some local events coming up while we're here. Now it's time to sort through our pile of brochures and pamphlets to pick out places to see or events to attend!