Day 3 - Lake Jackson to South Padre Island - Count Your Texas Blessings (371 miles)

After a stop in Lake Jackson, Texas, for the night, we stopped for breakfast in Brazoria at The Kolache Shop. The helpful staff shared with us that their store, opened in 1985, was along the Texas Kolache Trail. Is that not a trail you could sink your teeth into?

As we continued to travel south west headed to the southernmost tip of Texas, we came into the small town of Blessing and found Quilt Fabric & More, one of the stops on another trail in Texas, the Texas Quilt Trail. You’ll know you’re along the trail by the quilt squares painted on the building.

Heading further south, we did a quick stop in Port Lavaca to take a quick picture of the Half Moon Reef Lighthouse, one of several lighthouses in Texas.

I had visited Goose Island State Park near Rockport back in the fall but Morgan and Debra had never been so we had to stop to see the magnificence that is the Big Tree. At one point, the tree was the largest in the state but in 2003, the San Bernard Oak in the San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge surpassed it. That said, the Big Tree is still indeed big. It’s circumference is 35’ 1.75” or 10.71 meters and it’s height is 44 feet or 13.4 meters. Not only is Texas big, but it’s trees are, too.

Driving into Corpus Christi, we cranked up the stereo to listen to the late Selena Quintanilla-Perez (1971-1995), Queen of Tejano Music, sing fan favorite Bidi Bidi Bom Bom. We visited the Selena Memorial in Corpus Christi along the seawall.

We didn’t have much time to explore Harlingen so I’m sharing some photos I took at the Iwo Jima Memorial the last time I was there. Check out the Harlingen website for more information in the link above.

“If he brings your happiness” and Freddie Fender has done so for decades, even though he’s been gone since 2006. Fender, a native of San Benito, was a wonderful American Tejano crooner. If you haven’t had a chance to listen to his music, take the time. You won’t be disappointed.

We thought we were in Memphis for a hot minute, when we discovered Little Graceland Museum in Los Fresnos. No time to stop but our hope was the owner would be dressed in his finest Elvis clothing. Maybe we can come back for a peak.

Needing refreshments, we took a break at Brenda’s Snowiz in Port Isabel. Great stop and wonderful raspas. After seeing all the other trails along this trip, we’ve decided to create a Texas Raspa Trail. Stay tuned!

We also stopped in to see the Port Isabel Lighthouse. Great place to explore the town on your way to South Padre Island.

We arrived on South Padre Island and enjoyed a great night at the brand new Courtyard Marriott on the Gulf of Mexico. Needing dinner, we joined Ed and Susannah Caum at Laguna BOB. Ed works for the South Padre Convention & Visitors Bureau, the destination marketing organization for the city.