Cycling the Island

This morning dawned sunny and warm (but with a cool sea breeze) after a very windy, stormy night:

We decided to bicycle out to the western end of Galveston Island.  We donned our cycling gear and off we went:

Next to our RV park is a riding stable.  As we turned out onto the highway, we spotted a group of riders coming back from a ride along the beach:

It was somewhere about this time that David took an accidental video, which sort of says it all about the bicycle ride.  If you want to get dizzy, feel free to watch it.

A few miles along the road, we encountered a tower for a new development that was designed to mimic a lighthouse.  While it was admittedly commercial, it had a certain character we liked:

Finally, after 11 miles of riding, we made it to the beach at the end of the island.  Here we are trying to push our bicycles through the sand:

Bicycles do have some artistic value:

The sky and the beach were so dramatic, we almost forgot about the ocean roaring near us:

At the end of the island, there is an outlet from the bay over which a long bridge runs.  We found some dunes near the bridge along the narrow waterway and found shelter to eat our lunch:

Having rested and feasted, we headed back the 11 miles.  Halfway back, we noticed a small canal on the ocean side of the highway/  It served as a migratory home for an egret --

-- and a huge flock of coots who got by us before we could photograph them.  You'll just have to take our word for the fact that they were there.

Back from our long ride, we retired to the campground's hot tub, where we soaked and warmed our weary bones and muscles, talking about our training schedule for the Broad Street Run and anticipating the festive time we'll have at Mardi Gras tomorrow in Galveston.