Down the Open Road: Cool & Unique

As we wait for better weather for fishing on the Gulf we are enjoying some of the simple things in life on South Padre Island. We came across this particular item on an app called “Field Trip” that gave us the idea for this Blog post titled, Cool & Unique.

It was the World’s Largest Fly Rod & Reel that caught our attention (imagine that!). The towering yellow rod points skyward, angled to hook an equally large Gulf tarpon. The 70 foot long fly rod was certified as World’s Largest in 1999 by the Guinness World Records. It is a functional fly rod made of fiberglass with a working, 4 ft. diameter reel. In fact there is a tarpon that can be seen leaping out of the water just off Pirate’s Landing Fishing Pier nearby. A sign in front of the fly rod says that the operation of the fly rod would require the combined strength of two dozen strong men or one large Texan! But, first they will have to repair the fishing line and the upper portion of the rod which appears to have been neglected along the years. Still, it was something pretty unusual.

We met our good friends, Chip & Daisy, for lunch in Port Isabel at Joe’s Oyster Bar. They ordered oysters on the half shell to start and then followed that with fried oysters. We ordered their 8 pc grilled shrimp which was absolutely delicious. Other menu items include flounder and fresh crab cakes – fried, grilled or baked per your liking. What an awesome get-together with friends.

On another particular day that was not good for fishing we took a road trip to Port Mansfield. From the RV park where we are it is pretty much 120 miles round trip. Not much has changed since we visited this area 3 years ago - but the ride is always fun. Port Mansfield is famous for the miniature deer that roam the town, but still excels as a major marina for this area on the Gulf. We met a fellow back at the RV park that charters his 25 ft. fishing boat through this Port and calls it, Reel Therapy. We hope that he'll be able to take us (plus two other people) fishing for Red Snapper. How awesome would that be? Time and weather permitting will definitely dictate that for us before we leave.

It’s always fun to visit a Mexican bakery and here in South Texas is no different. I think the best one we can honestly say that we’ve been to is Ornela’s Bakery in Rio Hondo. Fresh and delicious pastries of all kinds are attractively displayed that will make your mouth start to drool. Keep in mind though that most of their baking is probably done with Lard, so it’s not on the top of the “healthy for you” list. Not extremely sweet for pastries but entirely reasonably and the variety is awesome. The little market attached features Mexican Coke (in bottles), homemade tortillas and other Mexican snacks. The ladies were so sweet to let us take some pictures. We’re still working on the apple fritters here at home . . . they are the size of a saucer and very sinful!