Texas Vacation Wrap-up

The Texas Vacation of 2006 has come to an end. A week in Corpus Christi, and my brother and I are both still alive. Now that is an accomplishment!

Having lived in Florida for eight years, I've always been biased toward that state. But, Corpus Christi is a great place, and I would definitely vacation there again.

Texas State Aquarium

While my brother was deep sea fishing, I was encountering aquatic life in a much different way at the Texas State Aquarium in Corpus Christi. I enjoyed the experience very much, and you can experience some of that by visiting the aquarium's web site. The link can be found in the Landmarks I've Visited section.

Entrance sign.

Interesting fish in the upper left.

Some type of eel or sea snake. I vote for eel.

I liked the lighting in this photo.

This aquarium features many animals in addition to the underwater inhabitants.

A seahorse. I've always like seahorses, probably because one was featured prominently in a cartoon when I was a kid.

Amphitheatre where dolphins perform.

Dolphin performances can also be viewed from under the surface.

More dolphins.

The lighting in this tank makes the jellyfish glow.

I think these are so cool, I had to include two.

Return to Port Aransas

These photos were taken Friday morning from the ferry taking us from the mainland to Port Aransas. I was dropping my brother off there for his deep sea fishing trip that day.

One of the other ferry boats.

Looking toward the shore.

Shoreline.

South Texas Botanical Gardens, Corpus Christi

Wednesday found us at the South Texas Botanical Gardens, also in Corpus Christi. The gardens are renowned for their orchid collection, which was fortunate for me because it was mostly overcast that day and the outdoor photos were not good. Unless otherwise noted, all the photos in this post are of orchids. As usual, more information about this attraction can be found by following the link in the Landmarks I've Visited section.

Not an orchid.

OK, I did get one outdoor shot in this post.

USS Lexington CV-16

On Monday, we went to the USS Lexington, a retired aircraft carrier that has been converted to a floating museum just north of downtown on Corpus Christi Bay. A visitor to the Lexington could literally spend hours on the ship. More information is available by following the link in the Landmarks I've Visited section.

Entrance sign.

Ship's propeller.

Approaching the ship.

Stern.

Inside the ship/museum.

On deck.

Base of the superstructure.

Superstructure in the background.

Looking up from below deck.

View from the bridge.

Crew quarters.

Another part of the museum.

Padre Island National Seashore

After Port Aransas, we headed to Padre Island National Seashore, which is south of Corpus Cristi. Learn more about this location by following the link in the Landmarks I've Visited section.

Entrance sign.

Lots of sand.

Posts lead into the Gulf of Mexico.

Road leading to the beach.

More mountains of sand.

Road back to town.

Ferry Ride to Port Aransas

We decided to drive up to Port Aransas, which is about 20 miles northeast of Corpus Christi. Part of the drive involves a ferry ride. Here are some photos from the occasion. You can learn more about Port Aransas by following the link in the Landmarks I've Visited section.

Pulling away from the terminal headed toward Port Aransas.

Another of the ferry boats.

Cars lined up on the boat.

Another ferry at the terminal on the Aransas side.

Homes along the water.

Back on land, the high sand along the beach road.

Heading south along the beach road.