Padre Island National Seashore

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.

One of our concerns had been the beach traffic.  Monday is surely not the busiest day of the week for day visitors so we enjoyed infrequent interruptions.  We also positioned our tent and vehicle between the driving ruts and our site.

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.

 We took our positions:

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.

Staying in this National Park will run you $10 per vehicle for a week.  I have been on some amazing vacations and can attest that this is the most valuable retreat I am aware of offering great beach experiences.  You will know you have reached nature when your cell service drops before the park entrance.  Two days without connection is peaceful.

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

Gear worth getting for getting started with family car camping

I like to read reviews and analyze customer ratings before I buy.  The following products were carefully selected for the ideal combination of form, function, and value as perceived by me during research.  I use various sites on the web to gather information.  Some of my favorites are Amazon, Google, and wirecutter.  I also find Consumer Reports to be helpful for some types of products.  When I spend I prefer to know I'm putting in for something valuable or to at least know it is disposable.   I'm that guy that has a spreadsheet built for buying and researching stuff.

Here is how we geared up for the recent camping trip and what I thought of the stuff:

Coleman Red Canyon tent purchased from Blain's for $99

-pros: BIG tent 17x10 floor, dividers and rain fly removable, well ventilated with four windows, one ankle high vent and mesh roof, setup by myself with preferred help to pull rain fly over, keeps mosquitos out, packable bag with handles that I managed to repack everything into, price, stayed dry inside during some decent rains when tested in backyard

-cons: I'd expect rain fly to not hold much heat in during cool weather, lacks magical anti-bug forcefield, stakes could be longer to help with dry soil crumbling, would prefer a vestibule cover extending from door (you get what you pay for), windows in tent ends don't offer zip-up covers for privacy when rain fly isn't pulled down

Coleman LED Quad lantern purchased from Amazon for $57

-pros: more than bright enough for any need including giving medical care with syringes at midnight, backup battery system built-in, removable quadrants offer all walking family members individual, lightweight lights

-cons: none

YETI Tundra 65 cooler borrowed from generous brother-in-law (model to be verified) valued at $389

-pros: YETI claims it's bear proof and holds stuff cool for super long times, rugged design held up well and seals at drain and lid kept out a troop of ants found on top of it one morning

-cons: ice melts when exposed (we were so disappointed ;), not cheap to buy

Intex Classic Downy Queen Air bed with hand pump from Amazon for $27

-pros: great price with hand pump included, much more comfortable than the ground (I slept well using my own pillow), pumping not terribly hard with a two year willing and able to help, held air for three days + with use, feel of top material comfy

-cons: ribs don't offer level feel of 'home' bed (preferred sleeping on side), pump and bed didn't easily repack into original box (pet peeve)

Huge Double Sleeping Bag from Amazon for $42

-pros: good size with space for two adults, stuff sack included, materials seem reasonable for cost

-cons: too hot to sleep inside at temperatures above approx 72F, once slightly cooler it was better

Disney princess sleeping bag from Target for $18

-pros: priceless enjoyment

-cons: there is a model somebody sells with an airbed built-in that looked better

Lasko 3520 20" Cyclone Pivoting Floor Fan from Amazon for $40

-pros: see this review from wirecutter.com's sister-site sweethome and read the 'other options' section about CFM ratings, we were more than satisfied with the circulation provided at night by this single fan on less than it's highest setting cooling us off from days with highs in the 90s (F), can be mounted in a garage setting

-cons: there are some battery operated fans out there which would free up your car camping options, this fan is large

July 4th camping

One successful family camping trip in the books.  We went down south of Dallas to Cedar Hill State Park on Joe Pool Lake for two nights over the fourth of July.  It was quite an endeavor with the three kiddos.

The weather was probably close to as warm as we could get the kids to tolerate with lows around 70 at 6 am.  I had reserved the campsite in advance through the Texas SP website.  What I hadn't done was CHOOSE the site so when we arrived July 3rd at check in time there were only two site options with views of the water.  Yeah, views across other campsites.... 

Day 1
We sat in the driveway after loading up going through checklists and running back in for half a dozen items like the portable kid potty.  Check in was 2pm so we stopped at In-and-Out for lunch on the way down.  Checking in we lucked out and ended up next to another site bought out by some big family across the street who needed the parking spots for boats and did not use the campsite.  We didn't have much of a choice of sites which meant we didn't have a site where our tent was shaded in the daytime.  This made any nap in the tent between 8am and 9pm worse than shade in the open breeze.  So the girls didn't nap while we were there.

 

We setup camp and unloaded the gear.  We took the afternoon to cruise the park which spreads a good ways up the east side of Joe Pool Lake.  Stopping to walk by the lake was a high point of the day.  There were very few crowds away from the swimming beach on the 3rd.  Dinner was grilled BBQ chicken and asparagus.  Yum.  We started to roast marshmallows, but the girls didn't want the cooked ones.

Our neighbors arrived soon after to setup and the father of the family came over and humbly asked me where to start with pitching his tent.  They had all the poles together in the tent when I got there without a single stake in the ground.  I enjoyed guiding them through this rite of passage.

Returning to our site I was quite proud of the calmness we were managing with our adventure.  We took our time with everything giving Calvin medicines and breathing treatments in between other events.  Calvin was the first to sleep.  In some ways he is so easy.  A little walk around our campground area ended the night.  I should say it ended the first day.  The night was just beginning.

We started the bedtime process late around 9pm.  Ella was winding down easily enough and passed out in her sleeping bag very excited to be camping.  Ava was doing laps in the tent and jumping on the air mattress every lap.  We brought the portable crib for her, but she wasn't having that.  Ava played and chatted with us until near 11pm.  I had decided to just let her wind down on her own rather than upset her.  Cassi was more determined to get her down and therefore more frustrated when she kept popping in our faces with that grin to say 'Hi' for the 31,000th time.  She slept with us.

She woke up regularly for a couple hours with coughing fits related to allergies.  Finally, around 1am she coughed and gagged and threw up.  Another sleepy smile and she was out for most of the night.  A couple waking moments to care for Calvin and the night passed otherwise without incident.  

Day 2 - July 4th
Early sunrise woke me first.  Either that or the ants on the inside of the tent wall a couple inches from my face.  My arm had been up against this tent wall so I brushed a couple off and extradited myself from the bed.  There is a little window just above the tub floor level in the tent for ventilation that these brilliant little suckers had penetrated somehow.  I still have no idea how.  The visitors were thankfully only on the tent wall and hadn't made it anywhere else inside our residence.  I was relieved to not need to wake anyone.

We cruised up the road to scout sites for the day's activities with the friends we were expecting.  Crowds had swarmed every day use picnic area with a grill by 10am.  There was a line at the entrance gate which would be there until sunset.  We decided to have friends eat lunch with us at our campsite and then setup a spot on the beach.  Two other couples with kids joined us for a hot dog lunch.  We then migrated to the gravel beach.  This area was very busy with hundreds of Independence Day celebrations going on.  Tons of folks having a good time and one shameless group who setup DJ speakers in the back of a pickup bed rocking Tejano and Country across the masses.  I loved it.  Others rolled eyes. 

Our friends retreated mid afternoon to let their kids nap.  We took the opportunity to change the swimsuits out for clothes, but still looked and smelled like the lake.  We had a few desired objects to acquire from a store so we headed up to the Target we passed at the exit off highway 67.  One of the realized needs was dinner as the steak package in our cooler had not been sealed.  We rationalized a dining out experience by noting we had used up our charcoal and wood already.  We spent a calm evening at the campsite after hunting ICE in and outside the park.  There were some fireworks far across the lake visible from our picnic table and some closer ones we could walk a ways to see.  Unfortunately anybody less than five feet above ground couldn't see them over the campsites and trees. We opted to not worry about the big close ones and enjoy the far show which was far less likely to devastate infants and toddlers.

The second night we we prepared with some bug defense measures.  Ava was very tired again and so I opted to drive her around the park watching a DVD of her choice until she passed out.  I made it to the south boat ramp and she was out.  I watched the lengthy line of trucks and trailers lined up to pull the matching line of boats out of the dark water.  The wardens were busy managing a record day at the lake.  We cruised back to the site and all was quiet until sunrise.

Day 3

We woke up after sunrise and leisurely packed camp away.  I had to work at noon so we had to head out.  The troops were rewarded with hot Krispy Kremes on the way home.

Many memories were made and I've suffered some real award winning bites either from the infamous ants or chiggers.  Probably both.  All the work was worth doing multiple times over to enjoy some great family moments we have rarely had this past year.  One highlight was Ella telling everybody good night and that she loves camping because the whole family is together.

Planning a family {camping} trip

Calvin will be one year old July 14th.  Since the girl's birthdays surround this (Ella turned 4 June 12th and Ava will be 2 on July 18th) I've had it in my mind to start some sort of family tradition during this season.  The beginning of summer makes for an easy time period to depend on kids being out of school so the family vacation tradition needs to begin.  We have big dreams for what this could grow into as the kiddos sprout up, but this year will start simple.

This past year we have not been planning any sort of vacation for this summer for a few reasons:
#1 we have been focused on paying bills and paying off debts with no budget for blow money
#2 Calvin spent his birth date to almost Thanksgiving in the hospital last year and has required 24 hour nursing since coming home (more on this another time - he's a handful)
#3 my family usually goes on a trip every summer somewhere and we had discussed skipping this year
#4 taking three preschoolers/infants anywhere is sometimes more work than play

These are minor speed bumps.  Those who know me well can tell you I can get determined and downright obsessed with things when I set my mind on them.  This applies to just about anything that interests me including but not limited to: toys, work, games, projects, etc.  The trick is getting interested and the difference is best described by showing you my college transcript.  The sneak peak is that my best semester included two economics classes and a couple other business courses with a dash of Scuba for athletic credit.  This was my heaviest hour load of any semester.  I went from hitting the Dean's list this semester to taking ten years to complete my Bachelors of Business Administration.  (It gets bad when I lose interest)

Also, this year the upcoming Independence Day Holiday here in the USA on July 4th has inspired me to overcome the above mentioned obstacles.  It holds a unique meaning for our family as well since Calvin has been dependent on life support since his birth to a decreasing degree.  This month we are going to get out there as an independent family!

So now I'm in planning and research mode.

First obstacle: How do I pay for anything?  Well, I've had a few opportunities pop up to do some on the side work that suits my experience in home theater equipment and have made some great money on a few days off.  I don't want to spend all this on some big trip though.  The 'what can we afford?' factor kind of decides a lot of things for you.  We would love to go on a cruise, take the kids to Disney, or many other grand adventures if money was not a factor.  Since we live in a culture where folks want to get paid for products and services we will have to work with what we've got.  I've been scrounging the web for the basics of family camping as this seems to be the most affordable overnight outing I can imagine aside from going to the in-laws.  So far I've been quite satisfied with the stuff we've put together for some easy car camping and have spent far less than my on the side jobs have made us.

Second: Can we take Calvin out?  Can we take him camping?  Calvin has only recently become more easily mobile.  This has been the single largest motivator and such a relieving, however slow transition. We would not consider such an endeavor without very high levels of confidence in our ability to keep him comfortable and healthy.  I can assure this obstacle has been the most carefully reviewed.

Three: The larger family vacation didn't seem to be coming together as my two brothers had lots of commitments over the summer and my father has to plan fairly far in advance to leave his workload in the hands of others.  This is harder to overcome so we were determined to do a little trip with my family if we could.  (Last year my parents and brothers took the girls to Florida while Cassi was in the hospital on bed rest with me working)  As of this writing we are planning a shorter than average time together which I'm very happy about after missing last year's beach week.

Four: What kind of bum would I be if I let a few little toddlers keep me stuck at home on a stay-cation when we could be out entertaining them?  There was no way a stay-cation was gonna satisfy our traveling spirit unless Calvin couldn't get out.  I sought out inspiration and found it first in a stack of books from my local library.  See the resources section for the books I most appreciated.  The final decision was to go camping less than an hour from home at a State Park for two nights.  This in theory leaves us the close proximity of city conveniences, hospitals, and home.  Cassi, my wife, has been googling stuff as I've tasked her with the menu and packing the kids.  She has found this blog helpful.

With the obstacles seemingly out of the way we are just about ready to pack up and go.

See you next time

Nick


Resources:
  The Down and Dirty Guide to Camping with Kids by Helen Olsson was possibly the best resource I found and read it cover to cover.  The chapters include planning and gearing up (including specialized kiddie gear recommendations), camp grub, recreation, and boredom busters, with a dose of hygiene and safety.  The arts and crafts section I may have skimmed through, but the checklists listed in the chapters and organized in the back were worth taking notes on.

  The Best in Tent Camping: Texas by Wendel Withrow is a well organized Top 50 of Texas campsite guide.  Sorted by region as well as sites listed in handy topics such as Best for Scenic Vistas, Best for Families with Kids, Best for Cycling/Biking, Hiking, Fishing, and others.  This gives you insights into why certain sites are better for some than others.  I've made a campground trip wish list  based on some of these detailed reviews.

"Family Camping Packing Checklist" blog mentioned:
http://realfamilycamping.blogspot.com/2011/09/car-camping-packing-checklist.html

Ready for summer

The girls finished the school year and we surprised them with a new camping tent to get them excited about our summer plans. We setup in the backyard on Memorial Day and have since spent a couple nights in the tent. Well, Ella and I have spent a couple nights in the tent. Various reasons have prevented Ava from joining us and therefore Cassi stayed in. It has been getting close to 100 degrees during the day so I was pleased to enjoy the night cooling off with the help of a box fan plugged into the house. 

Coleman Red Canyon tent 

(Full gear review coming soon)

Big plans this summer include some close to home camping, Calvin's big first birthday, Cassi's family reunion, possible few days at the beach, and hoping for another fall camping trip. 

See you next time. 

Nick

Fort Richardson

Another good day trip this year I thought I'd add to the list.  Texas State Parks have events scheduled periodically throughout the year to spice up the nature walks.  This little outpost northwest of Dallas/FortWorth had a Living History weekend back in April.  For no charge over park admission you get to see reenactments, history experts (nice people obsessed with the 1800s), and some displays of life from the time the fort was in active use.  Specifically, the 1860s and 1870s were on display and Texas Parks and Wildlife was celebrating the 146 year history of the site.  

Fort Richardson website

Park Map pdf

Our best Bison faces in the nature center building.

The parade ground is surrounded by original and restored buildings.  The hospital is the largest and most impressive.  Next would be the Officer's Quarters and barracks and the list goes on.  

Ella, the 4yr old, was completely creeped out by this empty barracks and has mentioned the empty soldiers' bunk beds multiple times since this year.  

If you want to talk politics or history these dudes will go to war with you.  I am least likely to start a politics discussion among many I know.  Therefore, I only learned this trying to listen to some explanations of what equipment they used.

A hospital room.  Neglected to snap shots of the small operating room and medicine display.

Above: a trader about to get shot in a living history display - rebuilt barracks in background

Below: the hospital porch of historic displays

This wasn't quite the adventure for the two girls.  It was a nice day out of town for the family and we enjoy the little road trips. 

I really enjoyed the site most and spent a bit longer in the Interpretive Center reading the displays.  I imagine this must have been a busy place for only a short time.  This is not an Alamo where some significant battle took place.  Many little settlements west of Fort Worth, TX have come and gone throughout history.  This little fort didn't last much over 11 years in use.  Understanding Texas history requires you drive quite a distance to find only a little abandoned outpost.