BackRoads: Galveston - Texas Treasure Island

Ride The Blue Water Highway Distance: 80 miles round trip. Highlights: Parasailers, Outstanding Food, Ocean views, Colorful Sunsets

This run is 40 miles and, for the most part, is alongside the ocean. Actually the ocean is just beyond the sand dunes that block the view for some of the trip. Often the sand is packed so hard that riding on the beach can be a very enjoyable experience – just be aware that salt spray is not a friend of chrome. If you do ride on the beach you will want to stop at the closest car wash and give your bike a thorough cleaning.

Beach houses line the road for the first 18 or 20 miles. In the past few years many new ones have been built and they seem to get more and more elaborate. If you would like to spend some time on the beach there are many beach houses on the West End that are for rent, just call one of the property management companies.

Don’t over eat before you start the Blue Water Hwy ride or you will miss several opportunities for some very memorable dining.

If you are hungry or thirsty this can be a delectable run as there are several good restaurants along the West Beach. Two with the best locations are Richards On The Bay 409-737-5151 located on Burnet Road at the Sea Isle Marina and The Waterman 409-632-0203 located at 14302 Stewart Road in Pirate’s Cove.. In addition to outstanding food (seafood is particularly outstanding at both) the views overlooking the bay are peacefully serene and the sunsets are the stuff postcards of which are made.

Eleven miles out you will see Galveston Island State Park. The beaches here are some of the best on the Island and the park offers hundreds of covered picnic tables, showers, tent camping and RV spots. Reservations for camping and RV may be needed – call ahead. 409-737-1222.

When you ride about 22 miles you might very well see thrill seekers flying on motorized parachutes over the ocean. In this area the beaches are wide, the wind is constant and there isn’t much development so it has become a popular spot for this sport.

About 25 miles out you will be at the San Luis Pass Bridge. This is a toll bridge and will cost you $2 to cross.

At Surfside you can enjoy Kitty’s Purple Cow for burgers & seafood or the selections offered at the Red Snapper Seafood Restaurant. These places are side-by-side on your left just as you get into Surfside – can’t miss them.

From Surfside you can retrace your route back to Galveston and enjoy the views from the opposite direction.

Ride The Bolivar Peninsula Distance: 60 Miles round trip Highlights: Free Ferry Ride, Point Bolivar Lighthouse, Hunting Seashells, Secluded Beaches and Colorful Sunsets.

A free ferry will transport you...

We hope that you enjoyed reading this excerpt from "Galveston - Texas Treasure Island". If you would like to read the entire article and more, you can order a back issue of Jan / Feb 2007 where this article was originally published.

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