Texas Trip Report (the last two days)

Written by ceddammit

Day 8 was slated to be all about Padre Island National Seashore. When I got there, I decided to throw down the cash to get the annual interagency pass – this is a card that gets you into all of the National Parks in the USA. I figured buying this pass should help motivate me to do more traveling, because I’ll want to make sure I get my eighty bucks worth out of it. I was already thinking Glacier National Park (Montana) this summer, and Dinosaur National Monument (Colorado) in the fall; I might could add a few more between now and this time next year. But hey, let’s get back to the present.

I started by walking the 3/4-mile Nature Trail, which is just inside the main entrance. This trail has numbered stops, as though there should be some accompanying literature or app, but I didn’t see any pamphlets at the trailhead, nor any signs saying to download something – and I had already lost my T-Mobile signal anyway. But I roamed about the nature trail, saw many a lizard, and took only a few quick pics. Yeah, they ain’t much, I know…

Next stop was the visitor center, which was closed for renovations. The toilets were open, though, so I took the opportunity to change into my beach attire. It was a warm but very windy day. I decided to brave the waves. The water was quite nice – just the right temperature and viscosity. I wandered out to where it was waist deep, then I squatted, making it neck deep. Then I stood up, allowing the wind to attack my torso. The air was also just the right temperature and viscosity, but it was moving too fast. Being wet in that wind – I wouldn’t call it freezing, or even cold. Let’s just say it was uncomfortably chilly. So I gave up on the idea of enjoying the water, and just walked around the beach for awhile.

Padre Island National Seashore is 66 miles long, making it the “Longest Stretch of Undeveloped Barrier Island in the World”. And the entrance road only goes about 5 miles in. So if you’re prepared to do some serious beach trekking, I’m sure you could secure yourself a stretch of “private” beach for the day. Otherwise, unless you’re really into shore birds or sea turtles, there’s really not much to see here. The portions of the beach that can be accessed by a reasonably short walk from a parking lot aren’t spectacular. If you’re in the area for some reason and you have the aforementioned parks pass, go ahead and check it out. But the way I see it, a visit to Padre Island National Seashore isn’t worth a special trip unless (1) you come equipped to reach an isolated stretch of beach that you can have all to yourself, or (2) you come when the sea turtles are laying eggs, or the eggs are hatching.

Day 9 was to be the grand finale: the Texas Sand Fest! This is an annual event where people from all over (some amateur, some professional) gather to show off their sculpting skills. Their sand-sculpting skills, that is. The Sand Fest takes place right on the beach at Port Aransas, Texas, and the sculptures are made entirely of wet sand.

Unfortunately, the wind was even worse than the day before. MUCH worse. And it was coming in from the Gulf, so everyone attending or participating in the Sand Fest was subjected to a continuous sandblasting. Both I and my eight-dollar Dr. Pepper were quickly coated with salty grit. I didn’t want to expose my camera to much of the briny breeze, so I didn’t do nearly as much photographin’ as I had planned. But I did get shots of some of my favorites…

Some flags, just to show how windy it was
If you’re gonna have sand sculptures, some of ’em have to be sand castles.
Another view of the same sand castle
Another view of the same sand castle
The title of this was something punny…I think it was “Ape-peeling”
Eeek! The Borg!!
Back of Borg
“Brainstorming”
More sand castle fun
Yet another sand castle
Yet another photo of yet another sand castle
Still more sand castleage
Side 1
Other side
This one reminds me of friezes I’ve seen on some old art deco buildings.
“I’ll huff and I’ll Puff…”
Who knew you could get a sand arch to stand like that?
Another view of “I’ll huff and I’ll Puff…”
I think this is Jabberjaw.
Apparently some people take LSD in their “Living Room”
Again with the arching sand.
Pac-Man!
Even the Snoopy sculpture was being damaged by the sandy wind…
…but Snoopy soon woke up, and was back in the air.
I’m not sure whether those are trees or poop emojis, but they look cool either way.
And finally, the obligatory shot of the beach itself.

The city of Port Aransas is located at the north end of Padre Island. There are only two ways off the island if you’re traveling by automobile: a ferry at the north end of town, or a causeway/bridge at the south end. As I was leaving the Sand Fest, I learned that there was a three-hour wait for the ferry, and the line for the ferry was blocking traffic all across town. So I headed south for the causeway. Due to construction on the bridge, there was a significant traffic jam on this route as well. From what the locals told me, it sounds like this happens every weekend. So if you wanna visit Port Aransas (or the Padre Island National Seashore), I recommend doing so during the work week unless you’ve got a boat. As for me, I have seen and done everything that I wanted to see and do in Texas. I’ma goin’ home.

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