Galveston: Day 1

We began our day with some made-to-order omelettes and super-fresh berries at the Hotel Galvez. SUCH a classy hotel....le grande dame of all Galveston hotels. A National Historic Landmark, it was completed in 1911 after civic leaders decided they needed something to bring back tourists after the devastating 1900 hurricane. The loggia in the lobby channels the 1910s.

Our bay fishing trip started at 1:30, so we didn't have a lot of time in the morning. Decided to drive around and get the lay of the land. For the most part, I'm pleased to report that "GALVESTON IS BACK!!!" We only saw the occasional beat-up building. Most hotels, restaurants, stores, etc., have rebuilt and are open for business, so come on down! I know there are areas of town that have not been so fortunate; we just haven't seen them yet.

In a happy coincidence, Bruce's brother, sister, and her husband picked this weekend to visit their parents in Conroe, and they booked a bay fishing trip for Saturday. We joined Steve, Sandy and Dom for an afternoon of fishing.

We benefitted from the morning bay fishing outing, which had to make two stops before landing on a school of red drum. Our captain beelined for the spot, and the boat ended up taking a whopping 37 drum! If yours is longer than 28" (and most are), you must use the "red drum tag" on your fishing license. Bruce bagged a 30" and one just under 28". They're beautiful fish. I also caught the biggest fish I've ever reeled in.... an 18" gaff-fin catfish, which the deckhand helpfully unhooked for me. (Them gaff-fins HURT. Bruce got pegged with a wee one several years ago and chummed the water for half an hour. Anticoagulants, don't you know.) Sandy and Steve pulled in a couple of good-sized catfish, and Dom got his own red near the end of the trip. We also saw a couple of sharks and an enormous stingray...have no idea how he got it on board.

Paid a nice fellow to clean our fish (we have a lot of red drum to eat!) and headed back to the hotel to clean up a bit. (Dead-squid-bait has a gift of scent that just keeps on giving.) We heard someone recommend Fishtales for dinner, just down the street from our hotel. Enjoyed a couple of lovely beverages, some fresh Gulf oysters, and my crawfish po-boy. Bruce's Mahi disappointed, as did the service.

We're looking forward to Moody Gardens tomorrow (I've never been) and perhaps other indoor activities, given the weather forecast.

Let's Go Camping! Part 2

Here's part 2 of my car-camping suggestions.

Other essentials:

• Rain gear: Even if you don't think it's going to rain, bring it anyway.


• Bug spray: Essential. We also like to bring an area fogger and fog around our dining/campfire area in the evening. If you are a bug-o-phobe, either get over it or consider alternative recreation. Expect them to show particular interest in your evening lanterns.


• Sunscreen/Hats: I mean, really, you're outside all weekend.


• If going in the cooler months, make sure to check evening temperatures and pack accordingly. You may need an extra blanket or two.


• First aid kit
  

Making your site more liveable

• Camp chairs: Most sites have a picnic table, but it’s not comfortable for long-term relaxation. We bring a couple of collapsible chairs and set them up around the campfire at night.


• Dining canopy: After experiencing a couple of campouts with rain and not-shady sites, we purchased a canopy. That way, you can get out of the sun or keep dry in the rain without having to hole up in your tent.


• Bring a small, portable cooler that you can take along on hikes/excursions to keep sodas and lunch cold.


• La Toilette: At most sites, you will share a bathroom facility with the other sites nearby. They’re very basic with toilets, a sink, and a couple of showers. You’ll need to bring your own toiletries and towels (they usually provide toilet paper, but we have an emergency stash). I have a plastic caddy I use to transport my necessaries to the facilities for my morning shower. Prime-time at the showers is 8:00-9:00am, so get there early. We find a couple of trees to run a clothesline at the site to dry towels, swimsuits, etc.
  

Other useful tips:

• We have all our gear in a series of about 5-6 bags and plastic bins. We simply make a quick check, throw it all in the truck, and we’re ready to go. We developed this after several frustrating trips where we had to search all over the garage for this and that, then ending up in the back of beyond missing something as basic as chair.


• We usually go places after breakfast and return for dinner. After packing the food in the truck, we put lanterns, the Coleman stove, chairs, etc., in the tent and close it up. No, you cannot lock a tent. In 25 years of camping, no one has ever “messed” with our stuff. It’s kind of a “camping code.” Having said that, I wouldn’t leave the family jewels in there, either.


• Most sites have a fire ring, and some campsites sell firewood. We usually bring a bundle of our own and some charcoal. During a burn-ban, they’ll usually allow charcoal fires. I am looking forward to the lifting of the burn ban….nothing better in this world than an evening around the campfire.


• It’s a cliché, but when you depart, make absolutely certain the campfire is completely out and leave the site cleaner than you found it.

Next on Alamo A La Carte: our Columbus-Day-weekend trip to Galveston!

Let's Go Camping! (Part I)

My seven-year-old nephew recently experienced his first Cub Scout campout and became instantly hooked. My sister and her family now find themselves in camping-gear-acquisition mode, and I shared some of our tips, developed over 25 years of camping. I thought, "Hmmm, this might be a fun blog post." It's lengthy, so it'll be 2-3 parts.

I'm sure many of you already enjoy camping. But if you don't/haven't, I highly recommend it. Spending nearly 100% of a weekend outside is highly rejuvenating. You don't need a lot of gear, and in fact, can borrow from friends if you just want to give it a try for a time or two. Texas has many, many parks suitable for tent camping, in all areas of the state.

For starters, we always make campsite reservations at parks with tent-only campgrounds, with water (but no electricity) at the site and nearby flushies/showers. (And I highly recommend reservations; nothing stinks more than getting all geared up and finding out there are no sites available.) You *can* tent camp at an RV site (has electrical hookups), but we don’t like these, as many RVers bring televisions and whatnot, which doesn’t really seem like “camping” to us. And you want water at your site….very useful for cooking, cleaning, and dousing your evening campfire. Otherwise you’ll have to pack in water or lug it from a tap nearby.

1) The Basics

**A tent: You will need some kind of shelter. We like a tent big enough to stand up and move around in. I recommend one with a “fly” (a piece that goes over the top of the tent) as it promotes good air circulation while keeping rain out.

**Something to sleep in/on: You don’t necessarily need sleeping bags, but on cooler evenings, sleeping all snuggled up inside something has definite merits. I use a camp cot, and Bruce brings an Aero bed. (Our only electrical item, inflated using a car battery adapter. He can’t sleep on the ground without ruining his back for days.)

**Food and a means to cook it: Yes, you can do cold cereal and sandwiches, but that doesn’t make for a very interesting campout in our book. We carefully plan all our meals and buy food ahead of time, just in case the surrounding area doesn't include a grocery. We like a hot breakfast (cooked on the Coleman stove), sandwiches/fruit for lunch (we’re usually out somewhere enjoying the scenery), and a campfire-cooked dinner.

You can bring regular dishes and cooking utensils from your kitchen and use paper plates/forks. We have a plastic bin with basic cooking supplies (pots, a griddle, can opener, knives, cutting board, etc., plus a set of camp dishware). We developed this strategy after one too many campouts where the can opener or cutting board didn’t make it out of the kitchen into the truck.

IMPORTANT note about food: we have a plastic bin for non-perishables and a cooler for perishables (refilled daily with ice). DO NOT store food, even in coolers/plastic bins, in your tent; don’t even take food in there. This is *particularly* important if you camp in bear habitat; but you don’t want raccoons in your weekend abode, either. We keep food in the cab of our truck at all times, except when we’re actually cooking. Raccoons are devious little devils and can get into most anything. A corollary: keep trash carefully confined in a trash bag, and take it to the dumpster *immediately* after the meal. Campground raccoons have learned where to look for treasure, and you don’t want that to be in your site.

**Lanterns/lighting: With no electricity, you’ll need a lantern or two (either battery or kerosene operated) for light in the evenings. Most tent sites have poles with hooks specifically designed for lanterns. We have a battery-operated model for inside the tent. (NO kerosene-fueled anything in the tent.) You’ll also need flashlights for evening trips to the facilities and for exploration.

Next: optional items to make your site more pleasant