Heading South to the Texas Coast

After returning from our trip to San Diego, California we packed up the RV for our first RVICS project of the new year. Departing Smithville on February 2nd we traveled south to spend three days at the Goose Island Texas State Park.

Goose Island State Park (green dot), located on the Texas coast near Rockport on Aransas Bay, was established between 1931 and 1935 on land acquired from private owners and a state-owned island.

Developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930s, the park is famous for the "Big Tree," a 1,000+ year-old coastal live oak, and serves as a key area for birding.

Although it is located on the seashore, there is no designated swimming area at the park, as the shoreline consists of concrete, oyster shell, mudflat, and marsh grass. Instead, the main park activities include camping, birding, fishing, and boating. The park averages more than 60,000 overnight campers each year and has about 200,000 visitors annually. There are 45 shade shelters with electricity and water on the island. There are 57 shelters with electricity and water, and 27 with water and no electricity. A massive wooden wharf structure extends out over the water and is used for fishing the speckled trout, redfish, drum, flounder, and sheepshead common to the region.

While in the area I had an opportunity to visit another Coast Guard Flotilla in our Division. Flotilla 07-09 was meeting at the Rockport Yacht Club on Tuesday, so I drove into town and attended their meeting and later joined them for pizza at a local establishment.

Despite the windy conditions, we experienced some spectacular sunsets on the Texas coast.

After two of the three days booked, we deciding to leave the afternoon of Wednesday, February 4th for our RVICS project at Zephyr Baptist Encampment near Sandia, Texas.

Our RV area is next to the camp's ropes course and zip line down to the lake.

Zephyr Baptist Encampment is a Christian Camp & Conference Center located in South Texas. It was founded in 1957 by a group of individuals and churches who had a passion for Christ and a desire to see Him work through camp ministry.

The goal of Zephyr Baptist Encampment is to provide an environment that encourages development in spiritual, intellectual, emotional, social, and physical areas. Their constant desire is that each person who comes through the gates will feel the love of Christ through friendly service, well maintained facilities, quality meals and attention to detail.

We arrived the same day as our team leaders Paul and Janice Hazelet from Gilette, Wyoming. By Friday, February 6th, the rest of our team arrived. Tom and Shelley Stafford from Hays, Kansas traveled from the RVICS Village in Smithville. Steve and Kathy Yoshimi are on their first RVICS project and come to us from Yucca Valley, California.

Top row: Paul, John Tom and Steve and seated: Janice, Karen, Shelley and Kathy (front left to right)

Monday, February 9th is the first work day at Zephyr and we are looking forward to all working together and accomplishing our mission and ministry to the camp and its staff.