One of the benefits of summer bike touring is being able to travel light. My old Bridgestone MB 1 in photo at left with Detours Grassy Handlebar Basket and two small panniers holds all I need for sight seeing and photographing the Gulf Coast's scenic areas. There are however two must have items for this part of the country during summer. Mosquito Repellent and Sunscreen. A friend who travels regularly to the Phillipines, Thailand and Vietnam commented that the Texas Gulf Coast has the worst mosquitoes he's ever seen. For that very reason I carry a bottle of bug spray and a very small container of Sunscreen available at Natural Living. My reason for using those products is when I spray Mosquito Repellent all over face, neck and hat I don't worry about toxic chemical based products getting into my eyes from perspiration. It's also the best product I've found for spraying materials to keep the bugs off. |
The Texas Gulf Coast has a lot to offer—more than 360 miles of coastline, seven barrier islands, and more than 3,000 miles of bay-estuary-lagoon shores. All these provide hundreds of satisfying places to anchor your toes in the sand. | We camped on the beach at the Matagorda Bay Nature Park where the Colorado River enters the Gulf. Not "The" Colorado River but the mini Texas version. There is atleast fifteen miles of open beach bike riding in the direction east of the park's jetty. We camped near the jetty for easy access for our rides which included riding to town approximately seven miles. With mostly flat terrain getting anywhere in the area on a bike is easy with the exception of intense high winds and some fog. We stopped at the Matagorda Bridge to pickup our one year beach camping pass for ten bucks which is good anywhere along the Texas Gulf Coast that offers beach camping. For More Information Regarding Free and Inexpensive Texas Beach Camping visit the following links: FreeCamping.net and read this article about a guy who enjoys living a specific bohemian lifestyle as a "Texas Beach Bum". His article is both fun and informative for example this bit of facts which might just get you interested enough to plan a bike tour along the beautiful Texas Coast. |