After our quaint NYE spent in our newly acquired home on wheels, we woke up on the first day of 2021 to some pretty decent weather and an antsy to get out Momma. Yea, that had already started haha. We quickly decided to start the year on the right foot with a state park visit! Something we hadn’t done since March of 2020! And how convenient we now lived in this new region chock full parks we haven’t hit yet. 👍🏻

We decided on Goose Island, home of the “Big Tree,” for some nearby entertainment. Located on the other side of Rockport, it was only a 40 minute drive and would be easy to experience in a day as it is rather small.

We started our visit after a quick and pleasant check in at park headquarters with a drive across the park to basically the only trail they have. Along the way we scoped out the camping situation and decided quickly it wouldn’t be for us. While each site is ultra private tucked back in a bunch of brush, they are TINY. You basically have a clearing for your tent/camper and a small area to access the picnic tables. It looked so claustrophobic! And I could only imagine in the heat of summer not feeling the breeze and mosquitoes just feasting!

The trail was similar to the campsites as it was cut out of thick brush with occasional sprawling oaks cutting across. But it was well maintained and we enjoyed just stretching our legs. Weston even spotted a buck rub on one of the trees just off the trail and was quite proud of his observation skills. That area of the park also offered numerous birding areas where feeders and water features were set up within view of blinds. I just don’t think we have what it takes to be birders lol!

Back in the car, we drove to the island part of the park and found the opposite of what we had just experienced! Wide open water front campsites, a fishing pier, and a long beachy peninsula to walk out on. And the wind was getting it and we were cold! We opted to skip walking out on the pier this trip. But I would like to come back for some fishing!

On the way back we spotted a CCC building constructed unlike others we have seen before. Known for being resourceful and constructing with what nature made available to them, we’ve previously observed buildings made from limestone, logs, and iron ore rocks. The blocks used to construct this building were made by mixing oyster shells with cement! Too cool!

Oddly enough, the “Big Tree” isn’t located within the state park boundary and can be viewed by the public anytime. So we drove to it on the way out. While it isn’t officially the oldest or even the biggest in Texas, it is pretty famous, well taken care of and quite impressive. And, really, just one of those Texas bucket list things you gotta do. 😉

It’s too easy to revisit this park, so I’m sure we will be back. I’m slightly intrigued by the water front sites and wonder what fishing with lights at night might be like. But….mosquitoes…perhaps the breeze stays and would help with that. We’ll for sure attempt a pier fishing trip in the near future! And maybe say hi to the tree a few more times.

-Lindsay