Finally leaving Texas

Spent the past 5 days in Texas enjoying their record hot temperatures.  Never did the temperature drop below 100 during the day, and once we hit the gulf coast, it was humid as well.  Two nights were spent traveling out of this enormous state.  The first night was spent still in far south Texas in an RV park just off of South Padre Island.  In desperate need of showers, we paid with quarters, and then decided not to camp and ditch the next morning.  We actually did try and pay, but the office wasnt open. Oh well, can't be slowed down on this trip.  Next we went to Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, and saw some cool birds, plus an Armadillo and our first American Alligator of the trip. 
Unfortunately, after this it was time to make the big push north.  We drove 6 hours through brush country to Brazos Bend State Park just south of Houston, an area of cattle country, but the park we settled into was an oasis of large moss covered trees, kinda like the trees in the scene of forest gump when he's running down the driveway away from those bullies.  There were also a few lakes and swamps containing huge alligators.  We arrived into the park at sunset, and set up our tent in the campground loop.  We were stalked by a raccoon as we prepared some leftovers.  I had to scare it away multiple times before it finally decided that we werent worth the effort to receive handouts.  But a great park, and I wish we could have spent more than one night in the park.  There were plenty of hiking trails, great birds, a natural learning center, and most importantly, free showers!  I saw my first ever Roseate Spoonbill and Mississippi Kites here, and both Justine and I enjoyed watching the alligators swimming in the swamp right below the boardwalk.  After our time in the park, we made the long 9 hour drive out of the state.  On the map, it doesnt look like it's that far to go from Houston to Texarkana, at Arkansas border.  But texas really is a huge state.  Don't be fooled.  Granted the drive is much nicer than the brush country south of Houston, covered with oak and pine woods.  It finally starts to have a feel of the east, of lush greenery that I havent seen for over 2 months.  Things are slowly looking more familiar, and the birds are too...