Hugh Ramsey Nature Park 2024

 

First of the new year trip to Hugh Ramsey Nature Park in Harlingen, 

and I was not disappointed. 

From the delicate and beautiful egrets,

vibrant cardinals . . .

and mourning doves . . .

To the wild and rugged javelinas

Always a nice excursion!

The Rolling Sea

 

Today I went down to the Jetties, but this time I had my new water shoes (which are basically elastic slippers with a rubber sole), so I felt relatively safe in walking further out on the big, rock barrier. Someday I may walk all the way to the end, where I have been told there are sometimes sea turtles and dolphins to be seen, but, for now  . . .  baby steps.

But I did see an amazing view of the business district/hotels, etc, all lined up along the beach. And I did see some really cool blue-and-white waves rolling in along the edge of the barrier. And, of course, an egret, some really cool pelican dives, and plenty of sunshine.

My Favorite Walk - Heading to the Jetties

My favorite and most frequent walk along the beach is the one that starts at beach access #1 and ends up down at the Jetties. Not that there's anything particularly special about access #1, but it's the closest to the Jetties, so I start there. 

I love the look of the Jetties. I love seeing the boats and ships from a distance as I start my walk, and often seeing them cruising through by the time I get there. I love seeing the fishermen and women lined up on the barrier and the wildlife that tends to hang out around there. I can usually get a better glance at the pelicans from here, which I truly enjoy. 

I have been curious as to how long my walks along the beach really are, since I pretty much just go from one beach access to a certain point and back. My health has improved significantly since coming here five months ago. A few years ago I was barely able to walk a few blocks without needing to use a walker. Then a year ago, I moved to Spokane and improved a great deal, so that I was able to walk blocks - and eventually a mile or more, on more than one occasion - without a walker. 

My walks along the beach have steadily increased, day by day, and I have been wondering just how far I can walk these days. Going from beach access #1 to the Jetties is pushing my limits a bit. I can walk it with no problem, but once I stop, get home, and plop down, it starts catching up with me very quickly. I definitely can't walk that two days in a row. 

I don't use one of those step-counter apps, since I generally walk with my phone in airplane mode, but with the help of Google Maps, I was able to calculate my walk at just about two miles each way. A four-mile walk, done on a fairly regular basis, is quite an accomplishment for me. But I would say that most days I walk about two miles total. And I'm still very happy with that, considering where I was a few years ago. 

Today there were three egrets  - one gray-brown one, wading in the waters, and two snowy egrets making their way to the barrier. One was larger, one smaller, so possibly some mother-child bonding going on here. Very nice to observe them for a while against such a beautiful backdrop.