When I think of Galveston, I think of Hurricanes and Glen Campbell’s song. The above statue located on the beach along Seawall Blvd is hard to miss. In 1900 a hurricane flattened Galveston and killed over 8000 people.
In 2000, the 100th anniversary of that hurricane, this ten foot tall sculpture was installed. Then in 2008 hurricane Ike hit Galveston — but the sculpture survived. It also survived Harvey in 2017. As deadly and destructive as Harvey was, the 1900 Hurricane was the worst.
We chose Galveston Island State Park just a few miles west of Galveston. There is little or no boondocking in this area, and the RV parks were not rustic enough for us and seemed overpriced for what you got. Since this is a state park, we knew in Texas, as in many other states, there is a per person fee for each day to occupy a site. At $5.00 per person per day plus the $20.00 site fee, you have to do the math to decide if you would be better off with a Texas State Park Pass. The pass is $70.00 for one year from the date you purchase.
We were all excited and looking forward to spending Mardi Gras in Galveston. We were told that the Mardi Gras celebration here in Galveston is the Third largest in the US. When I heard that I thought OK, New Orleans is number One, where is number two? As it turned out and if you can believe the Internet, Lake Charles is second largest to New Orleans.
By the time Tuesday rolled around Galveston weather had hit the deck. It was windy and Cold. We were not going to be discouraged. We all grabbed every warm piece of clothing, including gloves we had on board and headed for downtown.
We found a parking place, and Bill figured out the parking meter system and we were off. Off to where? We weren’t even sure where the parade began or ended. While we waited at the traffic light, two local gals came up and starting asking where we were from — musta been evident that we weren’t local. Maybe the Camo Coats, Battle Born Beanies and Wisconsin Stormy Kromer Hat gave us away? These two gals promptly told us where the locals go, and we should go there too.
We learned the route of the parade, and we were able to see almost the whole street party twice by running to the end location. Double the Fun!!
Mardi Gras, the traditional festival of feasting and merrymaking that precedes the season of Lent, was first publicly observed on Galveston Island in 1867. Following a sabbatical imposed in 1941 by war and challenging times, Mardi Gras Galveston was revived in 1985 by Galveston-born preservationist and developer George P. Mitchell.
We soon forgot how cold it was after the parade began. We were having so much fun, Music, Bands, Crazy Floats, and of course BEADS. There are 22 parades during the two weeks that Galveston celebrates Mardi Gras. Just to name a few, there is an Umbrella Brigade, Low Rider Vehicles, Jeep Parade and Golf Cart Parade. The last night (Fat Tuesday) is the finale, and we were told this parade is really for the locals. It’s their celebration ending all the activities and work done during the days before. Everyone was in such a festive mood; including the four of us. But we looked like we are dressed for a Nevada winter evening.
Kinda’ hard to take a video and dance at the same time so my video clips might look a bit shaky.
You could tell this was locals night, the spectators and the people in the parade all seem to know each other and interacted with each other along the route. Remember this is the final parade after two weeks of celebrations every day. A very lively bunch!
At the end of the evening we walked down the main part of town and the beads left in the street were ankle deep in places.
Toward the end of our stay in this area, we took a ride on the Bolivar Ferry to do some exploring on the Bolivar Peninsula. The ferry, by the way, is a free ride which in addition to autos, accepts 10 wheelers and motorhomes. Vehicles should not exceed 80,000 pounds, may have a maximum length of 65 feet, a maximum height of 13.5 feet and a maximum width of 8.5 feet. So a motorhome and the tow can be accommodated on the ferry. There are three lanes on both sides of the ferry and motorhomes, and big rigs are parked in the middle lane. The boat operates 24 hours a day and saves you hours of driving time.
We ended up at High Island which is just a few miles south of Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge. We found the Great Egrets building their nests in this area. A few were already on the nest. No Roseate Spoonbills were spotted yet — one of my favorite birds to photograph.
Great blog
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I hope your dad is feeling better soon!
Thanks Holly, he is doing a little better.