Road Trip to the Gulf
We motored south from a busy week of Calvin graduating off of needing a breathing ventilator and Cassi's Family Reunion in Wimberley, TX.
From Wimberley we were half way to the beach and drove down Sunday afternoon. We took the scenic route pictured through Gonzalez and Goliad. I'd have loved to stop to see the 'come and take it' cannon in Gonzalez, TX and the fort in Goliad, TX. Unfortunately we had to move on as setting up camp after dark was not the goal. We stopped for a seafood dinner on Corpus Christi Bay, and then hustled through the grocery stocking up on last minute food and supplies.
Arriving just before sunset on Sunday evening
I knew we should have left earlier in the day....
What followed these gorgeous campsite arrival pictures was a four hour process of setting up camp, bedding down kids, breaks, routine medical attention for a kiddo, double and triple checking tent anchors, and distracted stargazing bliss. a Labor of Love.
I prepared with three different types of metal stakes and a backup remedy found online. My post sunset learning process summarized: to anchor tent rings, guy lines, and rain flys in soft sand loop plastic grocery bags through the anchor points, fill them with sand and bury each in a 1' hole = this otherwise lightweight tent and rainfly held perfectly for nearly 48 hours of good wind. All of my stakes were insufficient for Padre Island winds.
We were anxiously wondering how the kids would do this round of camping. Previously the relatively easy campground experience tested our 'putting kids to bed' skills. We were hoping to have an easier time based on the familiarity the girls would have now with sleeping in the tent outdoors. The way night one turned out the girls more or less passed out as soon as we had a standing tent with beds rolled out. We unloaded the gear to care for Calvin and get a nights rest and sank into the air mattress by midnight.
Morning View
At Padre Island National Seashore there are 60+ miles of beach you are allowed to drive on and camp. We stopped within one mile of the end of the pavement. Our location choice was mostly due to the impending sunset, but Sunday evening there were hardly any others there when we arrived. We observed a stream of folks leaving from down island as we setup camp. Driving in the soft sand ruts or on the hard packed tidal areas is pure little kid fun.
Morning required the breaking out of the umbrellas, chairs, table, and breakfast. We cooked up some savory sausage and bacon on the grill/stove and had a leisure morning with close to a 1/2 mile of private beach. Throughout the day visitors would stop for different periods, but there was so much beach everybody had plenty of space. I brought a rake from home to clear away the seaweed from our site. This was a must have as flies floated over the seaweed areas. Thankfully they seemed more interested in the seaweed than anything else.
The little ones had naps, snacks, and lots of fluids. Calvin was content as usual. Here he is napping in a good strong breeze. I put sunscreen and insect repellant on all the kids, but really don't think the bugs were around.
Cassi: in the sun (burning to precede peeling)
Me: in the shade reclining
Calvin: in our laps, sitting, or sleeping
The girls: go go go
I encouraged Ella in her sandcastle interest. She was very attentive, serious, and calculating in learning the wet sand engineering methods.
She began without confidence "Daddy, I can't do it"
I showed her examples and she persevered "Look what I made"
The winds in the afternoon really pick up. This is the panoramic view of my umbrellas fully tested. That tent back there in the background was luckily locked in place. We were able to continue our leisure day without much concern for the building winds.
Dinner with a view was grilled and we moved the fold out table into our tent. We couldn't have used plates on the table outdoors with those winds.
You can see the view from our dinner table couldn't have been improved. Did I mention the steaks were legendary?
The evening brought some neighbors who decided our half mile of beach looked great to them too. We were somewhat baffled by the considerable void they left to either side of our tents. The couple had one dog and a tent larger than ours. I was regularly glancing at them setting up their tent only to see the wind yank it away or collapse it. The sun was going down and my nature wouldn't allow me to see them make a late night noisy mess next to my site. I wandered over and proudly shared my bag anchor technique. After making the suggestion I offered the use of some bags and a shovel if they needed it. They had a pickup bed full of supplies including a full size grill. Nonetheless it would not have surprised me if they'd neglected to bring a shovel. Turns out they had a full size shovel ready. They obligingly thanked me for the suggestion and went to work upon my exit.
Bedtime was easier this night for Ella and Calvin. They got to bed at very normal times. Ava wasn't having that of course. This is her chance to party it up. I spent the late evening packing up what I could to save time breaking camp the following morning. She wanted to follow me everywhere and we ended up trying all sorts of things before she passed out after 11pm. The trick was to not let it bother us.
I could see a decent view of the heavens from my pillow, but the view stepping out was staggering. I wandered down by the surf and watched the waves reflect galaxies. I observed no less than four shooting stars at different points this night. Miles from a lamppost I turned off my lantern and stood amazed at the wonders above. One shooting star dramatically brightened before disappearing from view. Money cannot buy everything and I stood in the shallow water gratefully taking it all in.
Final morning panoramic
Some kids have all the fun. We are determined to give Calvin the best life any little guy that has been through his short past can enjoy. The trooper slept peacefully in the warm night air and stayed even more comfortable during the day in the breeze. We know him so well we are able to keep a heart monitor on him at night and with the right regimen of breathing treatments and medications he stays very stable and happy.
Breaking. Bad. We brought a good deal of sand home with us in case you're wondering.
not on purpose
One last shot of our site the final morning. Aug 6th. Our 9th wedding anniversary. My wife is cool.
There is a noticeable amount of trash left on the beach which the park offers cleanup and free trash bags to any visitors to help with. As you can imagine 60+ miles of beach navigated by 5 mph roads can be a lot to keep clean. I think some of it washes up on shore, but the local fishermen that visit daily seem to be most suspect in cleanliness.
This would not deter me at all from a return trip.
Porter Vacation 2013
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