North Padre Island - July 2012

[WeeJeep2]

North Padre Island - July 2012


We missed our annual trip to PINS over Labor Day so we could attend Overland Expo so we decided to try and end of July trip and invited our niece down from the Northeast. She just graduated high school and was up for a camping trip and the opportunity to learn to drive a standard transmission while towing a trailer. We left the Houston area early on Friday morning to beat the traffic out of town. We took the Aransas Pass ferry over to the island. Not much traffic and we drove right on to start the beach portion of the trip.

The trailer wasn't a problem on the ferry. You can take a full size RV if you have one.

We made a stop at one of the local beach supply stores to pick up a third boogie board. Nothing like a shark to help you decide which one to stop at.

We pulled in to the National Seashore just in time for lunch. We stopped at Bird Island Basin on the Laugana Madre to watch the windsurfers. After making it past the seagulls that guard the trial to the picnic table.

We were rewarded with a water front table to enjoy lunch in the shade under the watch of the guard seagulls and 50 of their buddies.

We picked up a last bag of ice at the visitor center, filled up our solar showers, and checked on conditions going down island. No jelly fish, little seaweed, keep and eye out for stingrays if the water calms. Didn't sound bad at all. We headed off down the beach for a first stop at the warning sign at the 5 mile mark.

The crowd in the first 5 miles was light compared to what we've seen on Memorial Day weekends in the past. Next stop was the 15 mile mark to air down at Yarborough Pass.

We aired down to 18 psi on the Jeep only. The sand was a little too soft this year and after too failed attempts to climb up over the pass with the trailer we retreated to the beach front to continue the journey down the island.

We typically set up camp south of Big Shell Beach. We found a good spot just short of the 30 mile mark this year. Got camp set up in time to hit the water before dinner.

After dinner there was time to relax and watch the sun set from the top of the dunes.

The next morning the sun rose on our camp with more clear skies and a light to moderate breeze.

The fish weren't biting down the beach,

or up the beach.

The pelicans were out on patrol over the dunes

They flew over camp on the dune line all day long.

And kept an eye on activity over the water too.

 

[WeeJeep2]

North Padre Island - July 2012 cont.

We spent some of the morning strolling along the beach and collected items for our camp sculpture.

After lunch we took a drive down island to explore and beach comb.

There were scattered groups of fisherman every few miles, but the beach was mostly open.

We stopped here and there to climb some dunes.

Back to camp we took advantage of the shade we brought, and did some more swimming, fishing, etc.

The pelicans continued to fly overhead.

As the sun got low in the sky to took a few more photos looking down on camp,

And out over the dunes,

And the various selection of tracks that everyone had taken during the day.

After dinner we caught the sunset with the pelicans,

And looking over the Laguna Madre and the wind mills back on the main land.

We were up with the sun once again,

I did a little fishing while we looked back at camp and the prospect of picking it all up.

The hot sun started its climb into the sky so we stayed for a while to play in the waves before heading up island.

We made it back up to the visitor center for noon time. We stopped on the beach to air up, (much cooler than in the parking lot). After a quick shower to wash most of the sand off we were on the road back home.

There was one happy camper that now knows how to drive a standard, with a trailer, in the sand.

This weekend was spent cleaning the sand off of everything else. Another good trip to PINS.

Bill & Pam

 

[mph]

Outstanding photos!!! thanks for sharing...

 

[LexusAllTerrain]

... and next month I am on my way!

Great pictures, sand looks very soft, how were the winds during the day!

 

[Capt Eddie]

Very good report. We just got back Sunday night. We just missed each other. I would have stopped and looked at your trailer. We went to Mansfield Pass and went snorkeling. You most have brought extra gas. The sand sucks it out of Jeeps.

 

[r3run33]

thanks for posting this is going on my list for next summer.

 

[Mr. Leary]

Lots of memories down there. Nice pics and thanks for sharing.

 

[WeeJeep2]

Thanks for the replys,

You most have brought extra gas. The sand sucks it out of Jeeps.

We carry an extra 10 gallons on the trailer along with enough water for freshwater showers.

Great pictures, sand looks very soft, how were the winds during the day!

Winds were light compared to what we are used to. Maybe 10-15 mph during the day and not much different at night. Not enough to blow to the sand around.

 

[roninjiro]

I don't remember ever seeing PINS that clean.... Gorgeous pictures though!

 

[theicecreampeople]

very cool we were there june ....lots of fun ....

 

[Karma]

My Trip To Padre Island; Much Different Than Yours.

HI,
Great report and it looks like a great trip. Thanks.

A few years ago we camped on Padre south of Corpus. Our trip can only be imagined if you were a pot smoking hippie driving the only 2WD Jeep Wagoneer in the state of Texas on the soft sand of Padre Island. We selected our campsite carefully by the only logical means at hand. We drove down the beach until we got stuck. Oh, we said, this looks like a nice spot! And it was. Of course we couldn't see anything. It was very dark.

Since we arrived in the dead of night setting up the tent in 40 MPH winds was an adventure. Especially since the tent owner had never set it up before. But we did have the Owners Manual which almost got blown away several times. After the tent was set up it was time for a joint. We were tired after chasing that stupid Owners Manual down the beach several times. We made the necessary smoking time sacrifice and then into the tent for a round of hippie stories and then blissful sleep. Until the tent blew down. Somehow we managed to make it to morning.

With the morning Sun, we discovered that our carefully planned camping spot was beautiful. Thank God for good planning. Then it was time for breakfast. It was then we discovered that the food master had only brought eggs and bread, period (oh, and beer, his major focus). Fine for breakfast but ......... Some how we managed to get fed which was a bit of a miracle considering we had no plates or utensils. We joyfully ate scrambled eggs spread on bread (our only choice) out of a common pot with pocket knives and fingers. But we had a Coleman stove - with fuel! So, all in all, a good morning.

We wandered in the dunes and down the shore, did some body surfing (lousy in the Gulf but at least the water was nice and warm!) and finally ended up laying in the dunes toward the end of the day. We saw many gulls waiting to pounce on any food we might discard. If they knew the state of our food supplies they would have picked a different sponsor. Birds are smart. The gulls would hover over us riding the wind almost motionless. It was truly beautiful, like a ballet. A joint now and then helped magnify the effect. Then I got the wild idea of sailing slices of bread (we had plenty of bread) to the hovering birds. They would see the bread and multiple birds would dive for it. Pretty soon we must have had 50 gulls waiting for a handout, all hanging in the wind. Not a single slice hit the sand. It was an amazing show. It just confirmed our careful selection of camp sites.

On the third morning we were awakened by activity outside our tent (yes, it was still up). Sleepy eyed we wandered out to find a guy looking at our stranded Jeep. He explained that he had passed by the day before and noticed we were stuck. When he came by this morning he saw we were still stuck. We took the attitude that a stuck Jeep was better than no Jeep so why worry? We explained this philosophy to him. He looked puzzled. But, good Texan that he was, he offered to help get us unstuck. We might have been stoned but not that stoned. We accepted the offer.

We decided that fate had decreed that our camping trip was over. Our Jeep was free. Time to pack up followed by an uneventful return to Houston.

I must tell you that as screwed up as this trip was, it burns in my memory. It was as much fun as I have had on a camping trip with three of the nicest people I have ever known. It would be impossible to duplicate. Not that I would really want to. Maybe that trip caused my current compulsion for planning trips. I really don't want a repeat.

Sparky

 

[bugeyetex]

HI,
Great report and it looks like a great trip. Thanks.

A few years ago we camped on Padre south of Corpus. Our trip can only be imagined if you were a pot smoking hippie driving the only 2WD Jeep Wagoneer in the state of Texas on the soft sand of Padre Island. We selected our campsite carefully by the only logical means at hand. We drove down the beach until we got stuck. Oh, we said, this looks like a nice spot! And it was. Of course we couldn't see anything. It was very dark.

Since we arrived in the dead of night setting up the tent in 40 MPH winds was an adventure. Especially since the tent owner had never set it up before. But we did have the Owners Manual which almost got blown away several times. After the tent was set up it was time for a joint. We were tired after chasing that stupid Owners Manual down the beach several times. We made the necessary smoking time sacrifice and then into the tent for a round of hippie stories and then blissful sleep. Until the tent blew down. Somehow we managed to make it to morning.

With the morning Sun, we discovered that our carefully planned camping spot was beautiful. Thank God for good planning. Then it was time for breakfast. It was then we discovered that the food master had only brought eggs and bread, period (oh, and beer, his major focus). Fine for breakfast but ......... Some how we managed to get fed which was a bit of a miracle considering we had no plates or utensils. We joyfully ate scrambled eggs spread on bread (our only choice) out of a common pot with pocket knives and fingers. But we had a Coleman stove - with fuel! So, all in all, a good morning.

We wandered in the dunes and down the shore, did some body surfing (lousy in the Gulf but at least the water was nice and warm!) and finally ended up laying in the dunes toward the end of the day. We saw many gulls waiting to pounce on any food we might discard. If they knew the state of our food supplies they would have picked a different sponsor. Birds are smart. The gulls would hover over us riding the wind almost motionless. It was truly beautiful, like a ballet. A joint now and then helped magnify the effect. Then I got the wild idea of sailing slices of bread (we had plenty of bread) to the hovering birds. They would see the bread and multiple birds would dive for it. Pretty soon we must have had 50 gulls waiting for a handout, all hanging in the wind. Not a single slice hit the sand. It was an amazing show. It just confirmed our careful selection of camp sites.

On the third morning we were awakened by activity outside our tent (yes, it was still up). Sleepy eyed we wandered out to find a guy looking at our stranded Jeep. He explained that he had passed by the day before and noticed we were stuck. When he came by this morning he saw we were still stuck. We took the attitude that a stuck Jeep was better than no Jeep so why worry? We explained this philosophy to him. He looked puzzled. But, good Texan that he was, he offered to help get us unstuck. We might have been stoned but not that stoned. We accepted the offer.

We decided that fate had decreed that our camping trip was over. Our Jeep was free. Time to pack up followed by an uneventful return to Houston.

I must tell you that as screwed up as this trip was, it burns in my memory. It was as much fun as I have had on a camping trip with three of the nicest people I have ever known. It would be impossible to duplicate. Not that I would really want to. Maybe that trip caused my current compulsion for planning trips. I really don't want a repeat.

Sparky

After that story, I understand the name 'Sparky'. Some of the most fun you have ever had was either unplanned or horribly planned, like that time we forgot the can opener, and the fact that breakfast food would have really helped the hangovers we had and coffee... oh coffee.

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

 

[unkamonkey]

Yep, some of the best adventures are remembered by what didn't go right and we seem to have had a good time in spite of it.