Regatta in Corpus Christi

Riverfest

Freeport Municipal Park, Texas
April 29 – 30

Riverfest is the quintessential festival. They truly have something for everyone:  BBQ Cookoff, Beauty Pageant, Youth Talent Show, Sailboat Regatta, Car and Bike Show, Horseshoe and Washer Tournaments, 1K Kids Run, 5K Adult Run, Beer Garden, 3×3 Basketball, Fitness Competition and Fireworks!  All in two days.

The carnival is open from 6 pm on Thursday. Entertainment begins Friday evening with the Annual 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament hosted by the Recreation Center.  Fireworks are Saturday night at 9 pm. Check the website for full schedule.

In the Area

Surfside Beach

I grew up in Houston. My friends and I went to Surfside often. Gas was cheap and the beach was just over an hour away. In the face of Hurricane Carla, we drove to the beach so we could ride the waves. The storm surge was recorded at 22 feet near some back bays. Winds blew from 88 mph in Galveston to 115 mph in Matagorda, with gusts of 170 mph at Port Lavaca. If we had misjudged the timing of our trip, we would have died. As it happened, we were able to get back to Houston after driving several hours through serious Texas weather.

When petroleum processing plants and related industries crawled down the coast, we had to drive farther afield to find uncrowded spaces, clean beaches and bigger waves. Quintana Beach was made to order for crazy teenagers learning to surf and to drive. Although I have not been there for years, Quintana still looks clean and uncrowded. Just our luck, there is a RV park with full hookups (see below).

Quintana Beach County Park

This county park is located on the Gulf and offers full RV hookups. Each site has a picnic table and grill.  There are restrooms with shower, laundry facilities and a dump station.  Historic Quintana homes are used as museum, park office and community building. Cabins are available to rent.  Day user facilities include access to the museum, pedestrian beach, fishing pier, outside showers and boardwalk.

Note:  The entire length of the Texas Coast has been hit again and again by hurricanes.  These storms have scoured beaches, flattened sand dunes and devastated coastal communities. All the communities are rebuilding and look to tourism to provide revenue in the wake of a collapsed fishing industry. Help them and enjoy the Texas coast.

Rally Time

Livin’ La Vida Loca in Yuma – February 20-23, 2011

Yuma, Arizona

Click Here for Details

2nd Annual Spring Fun Rally – April 7-10 2011

Fort Walton Beach, Florida

Click Here for Details

Fun Rally at Amishville – August 16-20, 2011

Goshen/Elkhart, Indiana

Click Here for Details

Rocky Bayou State Park began as a bombing range for the Air Force. After WWII, development in the area precluded continued use of land as a bombing range. Colonel Frank Gannon, Director of Civil Engineering at Eglin AFB, was the driving force behind converting a tool of warfare into a state park, state recreation area and an aquatic preserve. When completed, the park became part of the Florida parks system.

Rocky Bayou State Park sits on the shore of Choctawhatchee Bay, which is 27 miles long, with a surface area of approximately 129 square miles. They bayou varies from one to six miles wide.  The bay is an estuary, a semi-enclosed body of water where freshwater and saltwater mix. Estuaries function as nurseries for fish and invertebrates. Wetlands, oyster bars, mud flats and sea grasses provide a diverse environment that shelters and feeds the nursery residents.

Rocky Bayou State Park spreads over 357 acres.  The park has 42 campsites, complete with water, 30 or 50 amp electrical service, picnic table and ground fire grills.  Most sites have shade and there are several ADA sites with concrete pads and sidewalks to the bathhouses.

There are three hiking/biking trails: Sand Pine Trail, Rocky Bayou Trail, and Red Cedar Trail.  Sand Pine Trail is the longest and roughest trail.  It follows the shoreline of Puddin Head Lake (I am not kidding), Rocky Bayou Trail is well marked and easy to walk, and Red Cedar trail is a short loop to and from the playground.

There is also an exercise trail, with exercise bars, workout benches and stair stations.  In the same area is a large playground, picnic tables, a pavilion, boat ramp and a kayak/canoe rental kiosk.

When you stay at Rocky Bayou State Park, you also receive day use of Henderson State Park on the Gulf of Mexico for free.  At Henderson State Park, you may sunbathe, swim, fish, hike, picnic or just enjoy the beautiful water of the Emerald Coast.  If you visit Henderson SP, check out the camping area, accessed by the boardwalks through the dunes.