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The Cruise--Details

I didn't include more details in the prior "The Cruise" post for two reasons. 1)  I didn't think anyone would be interested; and 2)  This trip didn't include much of the normal topics:  good beer, good coffee or John-style travel. But there are details, which may be useful to some people contemplating how such a trip is put together. On the first day of the trip, we drove three hours to pick up my mother in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  At 85, she isn't comfortable driving for long distances and hadn't flown for many years. We then drove 3 1/2 more hours to Chicago, where we checked into the Wyndham, where you can get a room that includes the cost of parking for up to 12 days.   We were up early on the hotel shuttle to O'Hare, where we then boarded the a non-stop American Airlines flight to New Orleans. Here, we checked into a Hampton Inn near the port.  My mother was pretty tired, so Julia and I went out for a Cajun dinner and live music.   Rememberi...
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Malaquite Campground



Malaquite Campground in the Padre Island National Seashore fit our needs perfectly for four nights.  While there were no electrical or water hookups, the gulf breezes kept the temperatures around 80 during the day and around 70 at night.  There was ample sun to top off the Brew Hut battery with our solar panel. The amenities were flush toilets, cold water shower (which felt refreshing during the heat of the day), fresh water, and dump station–all for $14/night and $7/night if over 62.  Of course the biggest attraction was the gulf view and wind protection provided by the sand dunes buffering the beach. No Verizon service, but I didn’t miss it.




On our second day, we drove twenty miles down the beach to Big Shell Beach which had small shells.  Little Shell Beach had no shells.  We found our biggest shells by walking a couple of miles up our own beach by the campground.  We also saw many crabs.  Julia wanted so badly to see a sea turtle, but the Turtle Patrol reported to us that only one had been sighted so far this month–none during our stay.


We found a little seafood shop with fresh local fish.  One night, I cooked red snapper.  Another night, we tried black drum.  Both were delicious.  I made French toast one morning that had Julia so happy that she performed seaside acrobatics.




On our one overcast day, we took the Port Aransas Ferry to get to Rockport, where we dined at Mac’s Pit BBQ.  I had the sliced beef sandwich, along with sides of bacon mac cheese and peach cobbler, washed down with sweet tea.


The manager was kind and welcoming, stopping to chat at our table when the lunch crowd slowed down.  In fact, he gave us his personal card, telling us that if there was anything we needed during our stay, we should call him.  I think that’s a first for me at any restaurant.

We ended our day at Rockport with Julia leaning into the wind.


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