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The sun sets behind a pier in Port Aransas, Texas, which lies about 40 miles northeast of Corpus Christi on Mustnag Island and features a number of attractions for tourists.

A rendevous with the Gulf

A spring break trip from Austin to Port Aransas

By: Mike Cedeno

Posted: 3/27/08

Some crumpled foil and left-over barbeque sauce is all that is left of a Jim Bob's brisket, egg and cheese breakfast taco as we get up from our table with the cedar post legs and head out the front door. It's Tuesday, March 18, and today's the day I depart for Port Aransas, Texas on a three-day retreat from school, work and reality itself. I venture to the coast with five good friends, all as excited as I am to reach our destination.
We leave Austin and head southbound on Interstate 35, our golden path that will conjoin with Interstate 37 in San Antonio. The drive from Austin to San Antonio was slow, probably due to my anticipation of reaching the sandy beaches of Mustang Island. Once on I-37 it is smooth sailing down the flat southeast Texas terrain. Nothing really of interest, but everything I see catches my attention. Being in unfamiliar territory perks my curiosity and I want to familiarize myself with everything I gaze upon.
We are greeted by angry-looking clouds when we enter the city limits of Corpus Christi. The muffled flashes of lightning in the clouds made the sky look dark, desolate and uninviting. No perturbed clouds full of water will deter us from reaching our destination.
As the thought of pressing onward circles through my head the sky opens up, as if it were looking at my journey as a challenge. With great winds and thunderous blasts the sky brings down a wrath of water and electricity, inhibiting the view of all drivers on the highway. The speed of the vehicles slows to a crawling 40 mph, rendering drivers helpless. We make our way out of the storm and are greeted by the sun, and just in eye's view, lies the Gulf of Mexico. Every time I make my way to the ocean I am astounded. The skies over the water are a magnificent blue, and the smell of the ocean in the air is intoxicating.
We pull up to our destination, Port Royal off of State highway 361. The massive condominiums with the green roof was the most glorious building I have seen today, and after a four-hour drive, I was ready to become acquainted with the dwelling I will be calling home for the next three days. After check-in and all the other preliminaries a feeling of accomplishment and success come over me and it is time to start the vacation.
The beach is amazing. The storm from earlier is now moving away to the north, leaving nothing behind except puddles of water in the sand. The swells of the ocean were just as angry as the storm that had just departed and did not look welcoming. I had no intentions of driving four hours to be dejected by malicious looking waves.
I press into the Gulf and almost as soon as I touch the water the defenses of the mighty ocean kick in and the piercing cold raced through my body. I am mentally prepared for such cold and I will not be deterred by this attack. About-thigh deep in water I came face-to-face with the first batch of waves. They come at me like soldiers, in lines, almost synchronized. The angry swells toss and roll my body like a rag doll and being helpless I just let the ocean do its bidding and collected myself when possible. It goes on like this for about an hour and I enjoyed every moment of it, this is what I had been dreaming about in months past. The ocean, the palm trees, the sand, are now all in my grasp.
Drained from my battle with the Gulf, I return to the condo, to enjoy some of the perks my $152 had to offer. From the boardwalk off the beach sit two three-stories high water slides that empty into the frigid ice water of the monstrous pool. I slide down and felt as if I were eight years old again. It's amazing the effect a water slide on spring break will have on you.
Vacationers and locals are everywhere, enjoying their time and looking at me as just another face in the crowd as they pass. Outlining the pool are hot tubs, which are filled with people of all ages and sizes. I glance at the faces of people relaxing in the water and such joy radiated from them. How nice it was to be in such a tranquil place.
By the time I make it up to my room the sun is setting over the horizon and painting the sky orange-red over the water. Night is falling and it was time eat. The sun is now retiring from Mustang Island and the moon prepares to take it place in the sky. How I pity the sun, it may have stories to tell about the daytime in Port Aransas, but it will never have the opportunity to experience the night life. I am blessed to get to experience both.