Palacios, TX (PSX)

tcard · #1 10-21-2009, 11:52 AM

You definitely need to be prepared for an adventure when flying in to Palacios (PSX). It is located on the coast about halfway between Corpus Christi and Houston. 13/31 is reported to be the best runway. It didn’t look that way from the air as we departed, but looks can be deceiving. The runway environment isn’t very well maintained, but it wasn’t a problem either. There were lots of cracks with grass growing in them, but we saw no large cracks or holes that would be dangerous to an RV nosedragger.

The destination is a tiny, hole-in-the-wall restaurant called the Outrigger. There is no courtesy car or taxi service, but the owner of the restaurant is happy to provide transportation. He suggests that you call before leaving to be sure they have enough staff to let someone leave to make the airport pick-up. Then, call upon arrival. The number is 361-972-1479, website is www.outriggergrill.com, and they are closed on Sunday.

The menu consisted of lots of shrimp: fried, grilled, and mixed with guacamole for dipping. Oh yeah, they had fish and oysters, too. Chicken and burgers are available for the non-seafood eaters. Palacios is said to have the largest shrimping fleet on the Gulf Coast, which would be very easy to believe after seeing the line up of boats. Our friends asked our host/owner/driver if he would stop for some shrimp they could take home. The answer was ‘Of Course’, and we stopped at the processor where some of the boats offload. Talk about fresh, the shrimp was shoveled off the boat and packed on ice. They were definitely in the jumbo category - $2.50 per pound, although that is below average as they are having an exceptional year.

A quick detour over the water, through the shipping channel, and along the island on the east side of the bay (with one closed and one private airport) is worth the time.

Louise Hose · #2 10-21-2009, 12:20 PM

Thanks for the tip, Tanya. I'm anxious for a free Saturday to go check it out!

Bubblehead · #3 10-21-2009, 12:48 PM

My Mom's family is from Palcious but moved to Houston a long time ago. Many happy memories visiting realatives there and then surf fishing or fishing on the Colorado River near Matagorda. These have been favorite places of mine for 45+ years. Bay City, TX has an airport (BYY) and cheap hotels and decent food, and is only a few minutes from Matagorda.

Be careful flying in this area - there is a Restricted Area and an unmarked surveillance balloon that goes to 15,000 feet at Matagorda. That's only about 10 miles east of Palacious. It's marked on the charts obviously but the thought of anything thin and unmarked stretching from the ground to 15k makes me nervous.

The Airport/Facility Directory says there are rental cars available at both airports - probably off the airport so call ahead.

scard · #4 10-21-2009, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bubblehead

Be careful flying in this area - there is a Restricted Area and an unmarked surveillance balloon that goes to 15,000 feet at Matagorda. That's only about 10 miles east of Palacious. It's marked on the charts obviously but the thought of anything thin and unmarked stretching from the ground to 15k makes me nervous.

Yep. For our little bay tour, I gave our less experienced pilot companions, flying a Dakota, a hard radial off the PSX VOR not to go NE of, just to be safe. It is kinda weird flying with people that dont have a full panel of instrumentation, moving maps, multiple gps...

Stu McCurdy · #5 10-22-2009, 09:23 AM

And if you are in a mind for an overnight, there is the historical Luther Hotel a block away from the Outrigger. It is on the waterforont facing the water, across from the municipal pier. It has seen better days, but is clean and finished in period furniture. Even comes with ghosts in the middle of the night. We stay there for an overnight and walk over to the Outrigger for supper.