December Bicycle Ride

The December issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine is dedicated entirely to the Rio Grande Valley.  In commemoration of their 75th year in publication they decided to focus on a single area of Texas and the staff decided that focus had to be on the RGV.  They sent the entire staff to the RGV, housing them at Estero Llano Grande State Park south of Weslaco.  Every article in this issue of the magazine is about the RGV.  A one year subscription (10 issues) costs just $18.00.  There are regular offers in the magazine for $12 per year and 2 years for $20.  You should be able to purchase this issue at any of the State Parks in the RGV.  You can read any or all articles in this issue at:  https://tpwmagazine.com/

Our next bicycle ride will be at Estero Llano Grande State Park on Tuesday, December 5.  We will ride some of the trails in the park.  We take a short walk to visit the alligator pool.  Along the way we will visit the most photographed bird in the world, a Pauraque (a relative of nighthawks and whip-por-wills) which sleeps alongside the trail.  We will also see a variety of other wildlife.  The wetlands in the park host an amazing variety of water birds.  We'll also take a look a the floodway which guides flood waters of the Rio Grande to the Gulf of Mexico.  Another interesting feature of Estero Llano Grande State Park is the RV and mobile home park which became part of the park several years ago and is now returning to the wild.  Our final stop for the morning will be at Fat Daddy's for lunch.  Lunch is optional but if you like BBQ, Fat Daddy's is legendary.  Just a few miles south on International Boulevard from Estero Llano Grande is Progresso, Mexico, a popular spot for Winter Texans.  You could make a stop there on your own following our trip and lunch.  As of November 28, the forecast for our next bicycle ride looks like temperatures will be in the 60's and low 70's with partly cloudy skies.  Perfect weather for a bicycle ride.

We meet near the gate at 9:00 a.m. Please park along the road from the office toward Pizzazz.  We will travel in a caravan to our destination.   Many of the places we ride were featured in Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine.  The bicycle rides are excellent for Sandpeeps who are new to the RGV.  Explore the valley from one end to the other.  We always advise bringing sunscreen, water, and insect spray.  If you want to see the birds up close, bring binoculars.  If you want to capture a few of the moments, bring a camera.  We carry tools to make minor repairs and fix flats.  As we are often some distance from our cars, it is a good practice to carry a spare tube in case of a non-repairable failure.

Our last ride was on South Padre Island.  The ride was pleasant.  As with most of our rides, there are few or no hills.  We ride at a relaxed pace, stopping often to  sip some water or look at one feature or another.  South Padre Island is making some great strides, we enjoyed a very new bicycle trail along Gulf Boulevard.  The trail is so well done, smooth, wide, numerous parking areas with beach access,  that it made riding a real joy.  We also enjoyed riding along the beach front in Isla Blanca County Park.  The beach was brimming with sunbathers and swimmers.  Fishermen and kite surfers were enjoying a beautiful warm day.  We enjoyed lunch at Blackbeard's Restaurant.  Following the ride, Louise and I spent several hours walking the boardwalks of the South Padre Island Birding Center.  As sunset approached, the birds were very active and we saw many beautiful birds at very close range.

Questions?  Bicycle ride leaders:  Tom and Louise Butler, Lot 44