Texas Gulf Coast to South Padre

We planned this as a short, easy trip for people who'd never traveled with a group, and it turned into one of our favorites. Most Texans only know one bit of their coast, the bit nearest to where they grew up. This trip covers the whole thing in five days.

Galveston was first. We did a walking tour of the Victorian homes in the East End, the Bishop's Palace, and the history of the 1900 storm, which a lot of the group knew only vaguely.

Then down the coast to Port Aransas, with a stop in Corpus Christi, where the very first Whataburger opened back in 1950. We ate there for "historical reasons." We ate at another one two days later for no reason at all.

The Padre Island National Seashore was the big surprise. It's the longest undeveloped stretch of barrier island in the world, and the beach goes on and on with almost nobody on it. A ranger told us about the sea turtle nesting program there, and in the afternoon we drove inland for a tour of the King Ranch in Kingsville, which is bigger than Rhode Island.

We timed the trip for spring bird migration, and South Padre delivered. At the birding center, the boardwalks were full of warblers, herons and roseate spoonbills, which are bright pink and look fake. One traveler, a retired accountant who kept a careful list, counted 86 species over the trip. He's since taken up birding seriously and sends us photos.

We finished at Sea Turtle Inc., which rescues and rehabilitates injured sea turtles. Most of the group made a donation on the spot.