Last weekend we took a spontaneous road trip to Port Aransas, Texas. My family made yearly summer trips to Port Aransas throughout my childhood. As an adult, I’ve only been back a few times, but each time has been beautiful.
This time, however, was absolutely devastating. The beach was covered in a type of seaweed called Sargassum. There are usually small amounts of seaweed on the beach and that’s never been a big deal to me. This was monumental.
In addition to the Sargassum along the water, there were giant mounds of it all up and down the beach. It smelled. It was depressing. I left with a tear in my eye and we never went back.
I reached out to a few friends who had visited earlier in the summer and they suggested driving to North Padre Island. I have no family memories there, but it was sure nice to create new ones without mounds of Sargassum. It was all along the waterfront, but nowhere near the amount found on Port Aransas Beaches.
I was able to walk in the sand along the shore like I used to and look for seashells. I was gifted half a sand dollar.
It was a whirlwind trip and we only stayed one night. If we were to do it again, we’d stay on North Padre Island. The lodging is cheaper and the beaches are much cleaner. It’s not as quaint as Port Aransas, but for such a short trip, I’d rather not do all that driving back and forth.
Take that tip and run with it. At least this summer. It doesn’t sound like it’s going to get better anytime soon.
Before we hit the road and headed back to Austin, we drove to Port Aransas once again to visit a few seafood markets. We went home with fresh caught Red Snapper.
May your journey be your muse,
Rachel
Related links:
Road Trip: South Padre Island, Texas
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