We finally made it to South Padre Island. This was on our list of places to visit while we were in South Texas. It was a great day. We started the day at Sea Turtle Inc. What an amazing place. They are dedicated to rehabilitating and educating the public about sea turtles. I had an amazing connection with a Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle. I think they have the most soulful looking face. They even work with sea turtles with prosthetics. There are two different tank rooms. One near the road and another further down the pier. There is a nominal cost but it was worth the entrance fee to spend some time with sea turtles.

Right next to Sea Turtle Inc. is the South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center. Another place with an entrance fee but so worth the cost. Since we came to the Island late in the season some of the birds have started to migrate north. However, we did get to see a Green Heron mating pair sitting on an egg. My pictures are just so so since I was using my cell phone. It was a delight to see.

There is a nature walk that is about 1/2 mile long. Along the way we spied many different species of birds. Before I retired, I rarely gave a bird a second look. Now I have a great appreciation for all the differences we get to see.

We capped off the day with lunch at a seafood restaurant. It was the first time we have been in a restaurant in a year. Donna had fried shrimp and I had shrimp Cesar salad. We enjoyed the meal. It was a outstanding reintroduction into eating out.