Arrival in Galveston, Texas

We left Sandy Creek at around 10:00 AM on October 27. We loved the campground and will certainly stay there again if we are back in the area. We had about 140 miles to make it to our RV park on Galveston Island.

During the drive we got a call from our son Scott. He was out visiting a friend in California. He decided to get on a train there and meet us in Houston for the party. That was a pleasant surprise.

There is three ways to get on to Galveston island. Most people go through Houston, and come across the cosway on I-45. We hate big cities and especially hate driving through Houston. Coming from the north, you can go to the Bolivar Peninsula and cross on a ferry. This is a heavily traveled route and they have about 5 ferries running during busy times. This is the route we chose. It does not hurt that Kim loves to ride on the ferry. We would actually make three crossings on this day. I will explain why later.

I think they had 3 ferries running on this relatively quiet time on a Thursday afternoon. We did have one hitch when we arrived at the landing. I forgot to turn off my propane. When the attendant asked if I had, I said no and went to do it. That gave her time to look over the rig. She then asked about the gas cans I carry in the bed of the truck. She told me those would have to be emptied and filled with water. I had to turn around and pull over to the side and dump the diesel in the truck and then we flagged down a car and dumped the 2.5 gallons of generator gas in his car. He was happy and we were on our way. When we got back to the landing, they just waived us through.

The best thing about Texas ferries is they are free! If you are in this area, you have to take a ride on the ferry. It is fun and you almost always see dolphins. This crossing was no different. I counted about 20 during the 20 minute crossing. Here are a few shots.

Large ships coming in or leaving the port of Houston

The Ti on the ferry.

Shrimpers heading out into the gulf

Shannon and 4 of her kids were driving to Galveston at the same time we were. They met us at the Dellarena RV park in the early afternoon. Here are a few shots taken from the boardwalk going over the dunes. It is a nice park and not too expensive at $205 for a week with full hook-ups.

That is our Ti in the middle of this picture.

Shannon and the kids did not waste time and we headed to the beach. We have been to many beaches over the past 3 years of travel, but it has always been too cold to swim. We had a blast at the beach.

Isabella and William 

After having a quick dinner, we headed back to the ferry for a sunset cruise. We parked the car and just walked on for the over and back trip. We even saw a cruise ship departing.

It was a busy first day in Galveston. We got everybody bedded down in the trailer and I am sure everyone slept fairly well. The next day we had a bunch of arrivals to look forward to. I will cover that and one of my favorite days ever in my next entry.