Padre Island National Seashore, Corpus Christi, Tx, 219 mile jump
That makes 1,084 miles in four days (one rest day at Boerne), but the end result is worth it!
It was surprising how quickly we came into the north side of San Antonio after leaving Bergheim CG by a more direct route.We planned to leave after the morning rush was over and that worked out. The interstate was wide and looked newly remodeled with beautiful landscaping, mosaics on the abutments, and artistic fencing across the overpasses. After leaving the high volume traffic areas, Penny took the wheel all the way to Corpus Christi. Whereupon I resumed driving through what seemed like one long pair of strip malls, one on each side of the road. And, they seemed to repeat, Walmart, Walgreens, McDonalds, Taco Belle, car dealerships, Target, Shell, Exxon, repeat. Reaching the Cayo del Oso and then the Laguna Madre, we were high fiving as we celebrated our return to sea level!
Padre Island National Seashore “protects the world’s longest undeveloped stretch of barrier island. It embraces 70 miles of sand-and-shell beaches, windswept dunes, endless grasslands, tidal flats teeming with life, and warm near shore waters. The nation’s prime nesting beach for endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtles, it is also globally important for migrating birds.”
Thank God for our National Park Service!
We didn’t get into the Malaquite campground on the ocean side that we hoped for, but Bird Island campground, on the Laguna Madre side of the island, allowed us to back up to the water, whereas Malaquite had a big dune blocking the view. So, we got to sit on our lawn chairs behind the camper and watch the sea birds and windsurfers while soaking up the abundant sunshine. The sun set with the help of scattered clouds made for a spectacular sunset!
We paid $2.50/night for four nights, no utilities. Our batteries, fresh water, and holding tanks did just fine. Cell phone service there was poor to none. As a result, we were able to read books and periodicals instead of our phones, a nice respite from current affairs.