We spent the last few days in Rockport, Texas. We pretty much slept there as we made our way to Port Aransas via ferry the first day, a day of TV and laundry the second day, and Padre Island National Seashore the third day before leaving the next morning. The RV park we stayed at cost us just $18/night because of Passport America, so the less-than-ideal location was justified.
This area was hit hard by Harvey in the late summer of 2017 and is still picking up. The huge piles of debris and trash lining the roads was breathtaking. There was quite a bit of damage still waiting to be cleaned up, much less fixed. It was both amazing and sad at the same time.
Anyhow, the highway from Rockport to Port Aransas has a vehicle ferry ride to get over to the island. It was a pretty cool experience to ride on a boat while sitting in your vehicle. The beach there was incredible. Unlike any beach we’ve ever been to. You can drive on the sand, right up to the water, and have a fun day. It stretches seemingly forever, so even on a busy day it doesn’t feel crowded. The water is shallow and the waves are endless. The icing on the cake is that the sand is perfect for building castles or any sculpture. We had a great day out there.
After a recovery day, we drove over to Padre Island National Seashore. It’s a National Park and the longest undevloped stretch of barrier islands in the WORLD! With 60+ miles of undeveloped beach, it’s truly unique. We drove about 15 miles into the beach before getting sick of driving. The dogs loved being free at the beach since there was literally nobody for miles, and we had another great (but cold) beach day.
Next up, we’re trying something new – boondocking. That is, camping without any hookups. Since the beach at Port Aransas allows RVs to park and camp up to 3 consecutive days on the beach, we decided it was our time to literally sleep on the beach and give dry camping/boondocking a go. Wish us luck!