We’re in Brownsville, Texas, which I had never heard of before this trip but is important for a number of reasons. First, it is the southern tip of Texas on the Gulf Coast as the U.S. begins to border Mexico. Second, The Port of Brownsville is the beginning of the Intracoastal Waterway that winds its way along the gulf, around Florida, and north up the East Coast. Third, the Rio Grande River that begins in Colorado ends at the Gulf Coast just east of the city. Before we start following the Rio Grande, let’s finish the gulf coast.
but also oil platforms are being built.
It’s the SpaceX Launch Site built by Elon Musk for private, commercial space flight. This is only the bottom of the capsule. The top was blown over recently in a storm. Lots of work is going on in the area, so they may be getting ready for another launch of his Mars rocket ship prototype. Kinda looked like Buck Rogers to us, but if it works, great!
The nearby STARGATE facility: a radio-frequency technology facility to provide students and faculty access to RF technologies widely used in spaceflight operations and will include satellite and spacecraft tracking. We loved watching Stargate SG1 on TV.
We had lunch on South Padre Island at Dirty Al’s. This island is where the college students go for spring break. Glad that was a few weeks ago. I had grilled Gulf shrimp that was just delicious.
inside was basic but the food was so good 
Zulem, our server, was a delight to talk to and so helpful! See the fishing poles on the ceiling?
We’re done with the gulf coast; we have so enjoyed this trip through Pensacola, Mobile, Morgan City, Waco, Galveston, Corpus Christi, and now Brownsville. Now we’re on to the Rio Grande as it winds its way between Texas and Mexico. First some history on the conflict in this area that’s been off and on for almost 200 years
