A COVID Vacation - Port Aransas/Corpus Christi

With the pandemic still in full force, our usual destinations were off the table. First of all, European countries won't let Americans in. Second of all, I'm not sure I'd want to get on a plane for that long. 

Anyway...This year, with nothing else to do, we've been working hard and needed a break. It came in the form of a road trip to Port Aransas/Corpus Christi. As long as I've lived in Texas (1980-ish?) I've never been south of San Antonio. This week, that all changed. 

Port Aransas is the only actual town located on Mustang Island.  Mustang Island is one of the longest barrier islands on the Texas coast, bordered on one side by the Gulf of Mexico and Corpus Christi Bay on the other.  In the early 19th century, Mustang Island was a favorite haunt of none other than the pirate, Jean Lafitte! Legend has it that there's buried treasure...

Then during the Civil War, the locals took the lens out of the Port Aransas Lighthouse so that the Union ships couldn't maneuver around at night, hence jacking with the plans to blockade the ports.

Mustang Island got its name...no, not from the very famous car but actual wild herds of mustangs that roamed the island back in the 1850's... 

But I digress.  Back to the story.  Our original plan was to go closer to the end of the summer but we waited to long to book. We booked a house that had a pool (thinking that it would be inadvisable to stay in a condo with a community pool). We looked for a place in Corpus Christi but all the cool choices were in Port Aransas so...we went there. 

We rented a house from Monday to Friday and brought everything we thought we'd need, including food, for a lovely relaxing week on the beach. We booked this getaway back in April when things were still...not good. Restaurants were still closed, etc. 

Initially, the plan was similar to our weekend in Oklahoma. Take everything we need so we don't have to go into any stores or eat in any restaurants. We would be self-sufficient in our own little...well, it wasn't really little as it had three bedrooms and two bathrooms, house. We drove, leaving our house on Monday about 10-ish. A little later than we planned but not bad. Waze took us down I-35S (is there really any other way to get to the coast?) but when we got to Round Rock, we took the fancy new toll road so that we could completely bypass Austin. In doing so, we took some smaller highways, going through towns like Cuero, Gonzales and Lockhart. We never came close to San Antonio. But this was so cool! We love a good road trip. And what better way to explore the state you live in than driving down the lesser know roads? What can you see from the highway other than the highway, am I right? 

This is the bridge to the ferry.

The drive was interesting, to say the least but we enjoyed every minute. When we got to Aransas Pass, we had to take a ferry (I'm not kidding! How can you not have a bridge over this small amount of water??) to Port Aransas. Well, that was just too cool. Unfortunately, you couldn't get out of your car. I considered asking.  "Uh, Sir?  This is my first time on a ferry.  Would it be okay if I....?  No? Okay."  Anyway, there were about 20 cars/trucks on the ferry and it took about five minutes to cross. It was free.  I think it took longer than that to disembark but how cool is that? When are you ever going to be on a ferry down south?

Waiting in line to board the ferry from Aransas Pass

It was about five by the time we got off the boat and headed toward our rental. The place we had in the GPS was a liquor store that was supposed quite close (that's a good start..) as the houses were "new construction" and may not be available on GPS.

Ours is the second from the right.  The house itself is pretty cool.  It's on stilts and everything is upstairs.  It's a fully stocked place and it even has a little...pool?

This is the ground floor where the grill is.  On the other side of the fence is where you can park.

This is the balcony that I loved so much.  We had happy hour and coffee out here daily.

This was the pool.  A little misrepresented as it's more of a large spa.  No matter.  The water was too cold to swim.

Happy hour after we arrived.

This was my favorite spot.  The weather was perfect and this balcony was the best happy hour place in town.

This is a view of the house from the back.  It has enough space for a boat and several cars.  The family truckster fit in there just fine.

Once we got settled in, we drove around a bit.  The lovely beach and the Gulf of Mexico.

This is the beach that was less than a mile from our house.  There was a pier where people would fish.

The dinner plan was to get a pizza or a sandwich.  But I said, we're on the coast.  We should eat seafood.  John said, make it happen.  I yelp'd up a restaurant called Tortuga's Saltwater Grill.

We've become much more comfortable eating restaurants as long as we can sit outside.  This place had a great outdoor seating area.  I got seafood pasta, which had scallops, mussels and shrimp.  It was delicious!  It was the perfect ending to our first night.

On Tuesday, we drove over to Roberts Point Park, which had a marina and a park where people could picnic.  We saw a turtle swimming around in the Marina.  By the time I got my camera out, he dove deeper into the water.

After our interlude at the park, we decided to drive around some more and we ended up in Corpus Christi.  This is the downtown skyline.

They have this amazing seawall that goes along the bay.  We got out and walked at several different places.  This place in particular was quite...splashy.  

Back in Port Aransas, we went back to the beach for an after dinner walk.  The pier was free at this time so we took a stroll to the end.  There were lots of people fishing.

I thought this was interesting as well.  Surfers!  It wasn't just guys either.  This girl was keeping up with the best of them.

We decided that we were at the beach.  We at least needed to put our feet in the water.  And it was quite chilly!

And the sun sets on day 1.

The next day we decided we were hanging around the house.  It was, after all, vacation.  So we got up around nine-ish and went for a walk on the beach.  

They had a jetty that was being reinforced with more rocks but people were walking and fishing from it so we decided to check it out.

This guy was just sitting around waiting for his breakfast to come his way.

After a day of lounging and eating followed by more lounging, we decided to go for an after dinner walk on the beach.  Walking on the beach was addictive.  The colors out over the ocean as the sun went down were incredible.

The sun setting behind the city.

The moon had come up and it looked so cool with all the night colors.

The pier looks pretty cool in the evenings...

This was a tree behind our house.  Again the colors are just amazing.

The next day we hung out around the house until about two and then we headed over to Corpus Christi.  The goal was food but we decided to walk around a bit and soak up some ambiance.

All along the seawall they had this little gazebo like structures.  Most were so that you could chill out in the shade and just watch the water.  In one, we found someone's suitcase full of clothes, like it was his house.  Luckily, he wasn't "home".

This big pavilion is a memorial to Selena

This is the Corpus Christi Harbor Bridge.  Apparently, if you come at night, it's all lit up and quite amazing.

This appears to be a random government like building that has been closed off, perhaps for renovation? Maybe a teardown.  Either way, i thought it was a cool looking building.UPDATE: it’s the old Nueces county courthouse!

In Corpus, they had this place called Heritage Park where they had all these old historic houses that have been moved into this one area.  This is the French-Galvan House.  Built in 1908 by A. M. French, it was bought in 1942 by Rafael Galvan, who was the first Mexican-American Police officer in Corpus Christi.

Not really sure what happened here.  This is a statue by Mel Chin.

This is Sidbury House built in 1893 for Mrs. Charlotte Cook Scott Sidbury.  This lady was a do-er!  During the 1900's SHE was a bank manager, rancher and lumber manager.  Girl Power!

This looked like it was a heritage house in waiting.  It was across the street from the park.  I wanted to go in but it was all fenced off.  All John could say was "Money Pit".

This was how we spent our mornings...sitting out on the porch, sipping coffee and reading.  It was heavenly.

The house itself was actually pretty nice.  They had a nice kitchen that was rather well-stocked with cooking apparatus

This was the living room.  Not the most comfortable chairs but good enough.  Down that hall and to the left was the master, which had a HUGE closet.  The room you can see from here had a queen size bed and then there was a bathroom and another bedroom behind the wall.  The master bath was also quite big.  Overall, it was satisfactory.  The internet a little sketchy but I liked the place quite a bit and would be happy to stay here again.

We left on Friday after a lovely breakfast and a beautiful sunrise.  I can't tell you the last time I was up in time to see a sunrise.  I've been missing out.  The trip home was more direct.

While Port Aransas is a great place to visit, there's no place like home!

Broken Bow, OK: Travel During Covid

Last time we met, it was March and John and I were in upstate New York.  Covid 19 was on the verge of a break out that would cripple New York City.  We narrowly escaped the mayhem that ensued.

Since then, the country has been on lock down (or some version of this).  All non-essential businesses were closed.  Only healthcare workers and those working at grocery stores were risking their lives to provide what we needed.

My travel schedule stopped.  Canada closed the borders to International travelers and toilet paper (of all things!) was scarce.

What was happening???

But we thought it was temporary.  So we followed the rules and stayed home.  The only places I've been in the last four months are (1) Lowe's (our toilet flusher broke so I had to get a new chain), (2) Tom Thumb (but only to pick the few items we couldn't get from Kroger delivery) and (3) Mr. Parcel to pick up any mail that came in for us.  Always masked and sometimes gloved.

This is us masking up to go to the grocery store.

Meanwhile, here in Texas, the last four months have been monotonous.  John and I have been incredibly lucky in that our jobs allow us to work from home.  But all we do is work and our only "breaks" are the walks we take around the neighborhood.  Things were okay but we were mentally drained.  We needed an escape.  We wanted a little getaway but where could we go?

John had heard of this place called Broken Bow, Oklahoma and suggested that we check it out.  Pros: it was a three-hour drive (so we wouldn't have to stop for a bio-break); the cabin had a kitchen (so we could bring everything we needed and not have to go to a grocery store); it was some place we'd never been.  Cons: it was a lake town.  But we decided to check it out.

Then Covid-19 sort of exploded.  We had the 4th of July holiday and everyone went crazy.  People had quarantine fatigue!  All over the country, beaches and lakes were packed!  Bars and restaurants were not following the capacity rules.  There was no social distancing.  There were no masks.  People were sick of being at home!  New cases jumped to new record highs in states that had opened way too early like Texas, Florida, Arizona, and other southern states.  Some states, like New York or Connecticut, required that if you were from these southern states, that you quarantine for 14 days when you entered their state.  Now what?

Well, Oklahoma didn't have a quarantine requirement.  I had visions of us being stopped at the state line and possibly turned away...But we weren't.  The plan was this: Drive straight through, don't interact with any people and then leave.  Avoid people at all costs.  

So we went.  What could go wrong?  The drive out there was lovely.  We took 121 through Bonham to Paris then headed north to Hugo and over to Broken Bow.  We were going to stop in Paris but I told John, if we stop, my bladder will wake up and then we'll be in trouble.  Isn't that how it goes?  You'll be fine on a road trip....until you stop.  But then I digress...

We drove on through.  We left around noon on Friday and got there at three.  Our cabin was called (and I'm not kidding) "Just A Swingin".   (Note the swing there under the stairs - hence the name).

This was a whole neighborhood of cabins with silly names.  Some were huge and had floor to ceiling glass windows so that, as we drove by, we could see right in.  Ours was one of the smaller cabins.  It was, after all, just the two of us.  

It was a two-room cabin where the second room was the bathroom.  There was a two-sided fireplace that divided the bedroom and the living room.  The kitchen was mostly stocked.  I've made some notes of things we'd want to bring if we went back. (Note to self: Bring napkins, extra toilet paper, paper towels and potato peeler).

The cabin was really nice.  It was perfect for the two of us.  It had a swing underneath the stairs, a nice front porch and a lovely covered back porch.  

There was a hot tub and a gas grill, even a fireplace back there.  

The bathroom was huge!  There was a fancy bathtub and a separate walk in shower.  There was even a fireplace in the bathroom.  Again, not kidding.

We were set!  We unloaded the truck and chilled out for a while as we read the rules of the house  (make sure you run the dishwasher before you leave, no diapers or foreign objects in the hot tub and $100 fine for vomit. What???  Who leaves vomit....nevermind- I wish I'd take a photo of that page) and figured out where things were.  
We cooked our first meal (chili stew).  There were some "compromises" for things that we hadn't thought to bring, like cooking oil.  We had to use butter to brown the meat but and it changed the flavor a bit but, hey!  we're roughing it out here! 

After dinner, we headed out to drive around and see what's what.  

Here's a little history lesson.  This land was once owned by the Choctaw tribe prior to being settled. It grew up around a lumber company that was owned by two brothers.  It lies within the "Little Dixie" region of Oklahoma, an area that was originally settled largely by Southerners starting a new life after the Civil War.
There's a big lake here made by the Army Corp of Engineers (are they part of the US Army or are they their own entity? Inquiring minds want to know...).  It was created by damming the Mountain Fork River (see above.)

I've never been to Broken Bow but it's a very small community.  We saw one grocery store and a Wal-Mart.  The restaurant chains available were McDonald's, Sonic, Domino's, Pizza Hut and Subway.  There used to be a KFC but it closed.  They had some local restaurants and ice cream shops.  There were several liquor stores and a couple of wineries.  In normal times, we'd have checked it all out.  But in times of quarantine, all we did was drive around.
When we got home, we thought we might check out the hot tub.  Then John opened the back door and the cacophony of noise scared the crap out of us.  It was pitch black out there so we couldn't see what was making the noise but my mind saw bugs, frogs, snakes and all kinds of things.  

We immediately shut the door and locked it (just in case). (My reaction was not so calm.  For those of you that know me, it was more like "Oh my God! Shut the door before they get in!"  And that would be with me standing on the bed with a "fly-swatter")  We'd do the hot tub during the day, perhaps, when the bugs were asleep.
The next day we drove around the lake and checked out the various places to swim.  One spot we went to was called "Foggy Bottom".  You can see the fog over the water!  Somehow that wasn't really very inviting.  We drove around to several boat ramps where folks would put their watercraft into the lake and then park.  We wouldn't know what to do with a boat.
The lake itself was beautiful.  There were all kinds of boaters and campers (like, with tents and stuff. I'm sorry but the art of camping has always eluded me.  I need...plumbing at a minimum.).
We did find a short hiking trail and we walked it but then we gave up and went back to the cabin where we were able to relax without the ghosts of impending chores hanging over our heads.  It was actually quite nice.
We cooked all our meals at the cabin, hung out, watched tv, and read without guilt.  

We brought out own "Provisions"...

The back porch of the cabin...

There was one main "drag" through town and on it was this group of cabins.  I would have LOVED to go in and checked these out but it didn't look like that was a viable option.  There were about five or six of these in a semi-circle and in similar disrepair.  

Also in this town were all kinds of wineries, saloons and themed restaurants.  We didn't partake because of  COVID-19 but would have in any other circumstance.  They had street vendors that were similar to food trucks that were not working during this time.  We didn't see any people wearing masks and the saloon parking lots were pretty full.  So we opted out and hung out at our cabin.

The cabin was beautiful!  While it lacked a few things, we now know what to bring.  I would absolutely want to stay here for a temporary get away.  They said the internet was a little "shoddy" but we did not experience that at all. 

Our trip home was pretty interesting.  Unfortunately, I was not "camera-ready".  Who would have thought?  "Waze" took us the back way out of there. Waze told us to turn right onto a single paved road.  Then it told us to turn left. It was a single semi-paved road and there was a random cow on the side of the road just munching on some weeds.  He/she gave us an odd look as we passed by.  

Gotta love it, right?

Overall, we had a great time.  This would be a fabulous place if (1) you're a lake person, (2) there was no Covid-19 or (3) it was fall.  Our plan is to go back in the fall and just hang out.

This is what it's like to travel during a pandemic....