Campin' in Corpus

 "Camping and the beach; I might have just combined my two favorite things."

-Me

The first time we went to Corpus Christi, John got left behind due to work.  This time the three of us, sans Karlie, decided to take a quick trip (before John was going to leave us for a month) to the coast for some much needed family time.

Since the coast is a long 7 hour drive, traffic permitting, we decided to take it in two days.  Our first

overnight we decided to go economy and boondock at the infamous Walmart parking lot.  We found a darker edge of the lot where other campers had set up, dropped our front bed tip out, made the dinette into a bed for Zoey (since we didn't want her bed to be sticking onto the road),  and settled in for the night.  First thing I noticed were the loud Semi-trucks roaring by and the other commotions of cities and parking lots, but either things settled down or tiredness won out and we all slept well.

The next day we found our destination at the Padre Island National Seashore where we would spend 5 days.  The $10 entrance fee was nominal and good for the week.  (Note: $20 gets you a year pass.)  There was a visitor center with park rangers educating young and old alike.  Zoey stood for nearly half an hour at a table where she learned of all the sea treasures displayed in front of her.

Although there are pay campsites just off the beach, we weren't there for that.  We went to where the road ends and he real camping begins.  Texas beaches are public highways, so you my drive right up onto the beach and park where safe. 

We chose not to venture far since there were few campers and our Armada is only 2 wheel-drive.

The week was a dream: waking up to crashing waves,...

morning walks along the shore,...

 bike rides along the waterway,...

 shell collecting,...

 castle building,...

dips in the chilly gulf water...

  lizard and crab chases, gull and pelican watching,...

 and even a small fire one chilly evening.  Going just after spring break, we found the crowds nearly non-existent and the wind often carried a chill but it was enjoyable.

We took a few trips into Corpus Cristi for lunch and a trip to the South Texas Botanical Gardens and Nature Center.  Even though it was a bit early in the year to catch many flowers the experience was wonderful.

One night we invited our friends from the area for a shrimp and crawdad boil.  They informed us that the tiny clams we had played with all week were edible coquina clams, so we made a delectable broth and had a good although sandy taste. The evening was a hit and we had a wonderful time together. 

Coming back to we decided to break up our driving once again and found ourselves at Kerville-Shreiner Park.  This time we weren't boondocking,  but at $35/night, we were willing to pay for the quick spot and hot showers.  It's a beautiful little park bordering the Guadalupe River which turned out to be the perfect ending to our wonderful vacation.

We consider this one of our favorite vacations and I highly recommend camping ON the beach if you ever have a chance.

Corpus Christi and All That

"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."

 -Marcel Proust

Fourth of July weekend was great!  Karlie had time off for the holiday and made plans for visiting the our friends in the Corpus Christi area.  If there's one thing I know, visiting the Lossings is a guaranteed good time!  I reluctantly left John behind (still sad about that) and happily joined Karlie for another adventure. 

Zoey got to "surf"

Corpus is a "short" 7+ hour drive if you don't stop; winding from the Big Bend area, through Hill Country, to the Gulf Coast.  We made the trip in 8 hours, cuz we just had to eat and stretch.  It's funny how a driving and distance becomes relative when you have to drive so much to get anywhere of consequence.  John averages two hours each way for work and we've averaged 2-5 hours to visit surrounding areas just for the weekend.  If we're willing to take five hours to San Antonio, Austin, or Dallas, what's another 2-3 to see old friends and the ocean?

We arrived Thursday afternoon and met up with Corey and Vanessa Lossing to head out into the Bay for a day of sun and fun; meeting up with our hosts Melissa and Trey Cross and their awesome little boys Luke(9) and Elijah(3).  The water was calm and the sun shone bright as we caught up on years apart, drank water and sipped on beer, snacked, fished, splashed, and after the sun set, spied a few bursts of fireworks across the bay.

"The Shell"

Zoey found a large spiral seashell, (I'm thinking Horse Conch but I could be wrong), and after inspection Karlie awarded it to her as her first ever found seashell. She proudly carried it around all day, holding it up to everyone's ears and claiming she could hear the ocean, (of course we were on the ocean, so hearing it was easy), then brought it home in the car.  The next morning we were belting up to go to breakfast and she let out a bloodcurdling scream.  A large hermit crab had emerged from the shell and was attempting to carry his home to a wetter location.  Sadly she returned her shell to the ocean, although glad to be rid of the dreaded creature inside.

Friday was filled with brunch in an art gallery overlooking the water and meeting up with Miki Amlin, and a brief tour of Corpus.  Melissa and the boys then treated us to a small water-park, Hurricane Alley, where the Zoey challenged herself to even go on a slide that splashed her in the face.
Evening was spent dining on great food at a Hampton's Landing, a breezy-all-deck restaurant perched above a small marina, and enjoying the company of Melissa and Elijah as the older boys fished.  We topped off the evening at Greg and Gail's house, enjoying some good laughs and stories as Zoey and Elijah played like old friends.

Karlie leaping on the beach!!!

Saturday was a treat as it was Zoey's first trip to the ocean to experience real sand waves and where we were privileged to meet some of their friends from the area.  The beach was packed with people enjoying the holiday weekend, and many flew kites-making the beach beautifully festive.  Karlie and I made sure to play like kids, swimming out and riding the wavers, making the best of our beach time.  Zoey said she wanted to build sandcastles and made a small attempt, but found searching for shells and sand-dollars to be much more fun.  She's always been whiny about water in her face, so I didn't think she'd really enjoy the waves.  WRONG!!  She loved it, laughing when the largest waves overtook us and hollering "in-coming" at every decent sized swell.  She had so much fun she lost her voice by the end of the day.

Me and my ocean hair.

Melissa and Trey have some great kids and were amazing hosts.  (They were there,  but I stink at taking pictures when I'm having fun.)  We loved catching up with their family and friends, and making new friends.  Karlie and I agree, we're going to have to visit again, maybe permanently.