South Padre Island - And The Cameron County Disaster (Isla Blanca County Park)

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I'm not sure how many pictures we have in front of this sign as you enter SPI, but there are many.  We've been going to SPI since 1984.  I watched Juan perform at the high school in Port Isabel with his dance troupe.

We made it to SPI in the early afternoon.  We truly enjoyed our stay at the Casa Del Valle RV Park, but it was time to move on.  I had made reservations for Isla Blanca, a massive 600-space RV park on the oceanfront way in advance.  Their website is a mess, and you can't make out the site maps.  On the phone, the desk clerk mentioned that the park was being renovated, so they were using the overflow section in front of the park.  We could still walk into the park and have access to the waterfront and beaches.

Parked at the office and signing in.

We signed in, got our spot, and headed out only to find that the row they had put us on was flooded.  I drove back to the office, trailer in tow, and explained the situation.  The distance from the office to the overflow section is less than 500 feet, and yet no one had been out over the weekend to check things out.  Well, I got them moving.  When they told me that the other sites were reserved, I asked them what was going to happen when those rvers showed up and their sites were flooded?  We ended up in a semi-dry site, and within minutes, six county pickups and two SUVs with big shots showed up.  They then ordered backhoes, a topographer, generators with pumps and hoses, and began working.  

It ended up to be a great evening, and it gave us plenty to talk about.  We went for a beach walk, had a drink, and watched a great movie.  The next day we headed to Port Isabel on the other side of the bridge for breakfast at the famous Isabel's Cafe.  Still good food and a fun place, but all things change with time.  We did some shopping looking for things we could use in the new trailer, took pics of the lighthouse, and scouted out some garage sales and Goodwill stores (there are none).

Back at our site, we went to see the work being done on the Isla Blanca RV Park.  Last September, they kicked everyone out of the park.  Those owners who lingered or weren't found and notified had their rigs demolished and hauled away.  The park was supposed to be ready this month, but this is where it gets worse.  SPI and Cameron County rely on Spring breakers and Winter Texans.   They had no place to go last winter, and it will happen again this season.  

Sunset on the bay side just steps behind our rig.  We've seen sunsets at five-star resorts and even better ones parked in front of a fisherman's coop in Carboneras in Tamaulipas.

This is the Isla Blanca County Park as it sits today, abandoned.

Isla Blanca County Park before, when it was alive and vibrant and filled with Rvers.

Imagine, two small towns such as SPI and Port Isabel have been drained of their income due to poor government oversight.  The park stands empty with mounds of sand, unfinished plumbing, electric, pavement, and pads.   The four days we were there we saw zero activity, no workers, and abandoned machinery.   The Winter Texans and the semi-permanent residents account for at least 1600 people.  Lost revenues for the county park alone are upward of $12,000,000 per season.  

North end of South Padre Island, no people, no vehicles, just us!

As we spent the weekend there, we asked all of the businesses we went to about the current status of the park and the effects it is having on their businesses.   Many small businesses have closed; people are unemployed and have moved away.  If you know SPI, you remember how vibrant the main strip was at night.  It is no more.  Big government says that revenues have risen, while the debates say "fewer bodies, higher prices".  We walked through the Holiday Inn Resort and Hotel Magaritaville and saw little to no activity.

Maxan Street Festival next to the Port Isabel lighthouse.  A big crowd, family fun, and good music.

Apart from some great beach walks, we also attended the Maxan Street Fair on Saturday night.  It was a blast with free live music, food booths, amusement rides for kids, and more.

Out on the pier, people were catching mostly channel bass.

Waiting around to see what their take on the catch would be!

A huge tourist attraction is the Pirate's Landing pirate's ship that gives rides and fun out on the bay.

Fantastic sunsets on the bay!

That afternoon we scoped out our big meal out at the beach and decided on Pirate's Landing, which is on the big pier on the Port Isabel side of the bridge.  Pretty cool place to walk around and watch people catch some really big fish.  No alcohol is allowed on the piers, and it is a very family-oriented place.   Everyone throwing in a line, chewing the fat in English and Spanish, tourists walking about and feeling the wonderful end-of-summer breezes.   

Parked at our site on Goose Island.  What a huge difference from an RV park.  A lot of space, greenery, wildlife such as deer and javali walking past your site, and most of all, the peace and quiet.  We had some good stargazing last night.

We left Sunday morning after our last walk on the beach and we are now at Goose Island State Park.  As we rolled into Rockport and Fulton, we noticed one thing.  A lot of RV parks look more like RV sales lots and parking lots.  Here at the state park, it is a whole other world, and I am glad we made this decision to do some state parks.