Sunday May 12 2024

 Sunday May 12^th

Time to leave Louisiana and head for an extended run through Texas where we would spend the next 18 nights – Texas is big, and our first stop was Galveston Island State Park on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico.

The drive from Lafayette wasn’t too scenic, mostly interstate highways. The day was overcast and there were some storms predicted. Little did we know how stormy it would soon get! We had just passed Beaumont TX, approximately halfway to Galveston, when it got dark and started to lightly rain. As we drove the rain persisted and grew more intense. It decided to come down so hard that I pulled off the highway at an approaching exit with a truck stop close by. The truck stop had a huge parking lot and we pulled off to one side to wait until the rain eased up. After about 5 minutes the storm got real nasty with gusty winds, sheets of rain and small chunks of hail bounced off the truck. I immediately headed for the truck stop fueling area with its large canopy overhead which was almost wide enough to cover the truck and the trailer… with a bit sticking out on either end. The wind was thrashing now and the hail increased to golf ball size. Other vehicles started rushing to the shelter of the canopy, jockeying for position under the limited protection it provided. The hail lasted at least 10 minutes and the rain and wind continued for a time after that. When it was over, we pulled out from under the canopy and I did a quick inspection of the vehicles – good news, only a few almost imperceptible dings on the hood of the car. Free-da seemed to be unscathed, thankfully. Good thing we had the canopy for protection!

The rest of the drive was uneventful. We got off the interstate and took a backroads route along the gulf coast which lead us to the end of a peninsula that was linked to Galveston by ferry. Being Mother’s Day (I think), there was a lot of traffic on the roads and the wait at the ferry was about an hour. We didn’t mind the wait taking the time to relax after our harrowing hail storm experience!

Once in Galveston, we made our way to the grocery store before heading out of town in a westerly direction to Galveston Island State Park, a lovely campground right on the beach about 20 km west of town. We made our way to our campsite which was in a primo location, and got ourselves set up. Before dinner, we did a mandatory walk on the beach – lovely.

On the ferry to Galveston, after the harrowing hail storm