Too much excitement for one day

We woke to a clear blue sky and mild temperatures. It was going to be a great day for the drive to South Padre Island (SPI). We visited there 45 years ago. It was miles of sugar white beaches and tranquility. 

Crossing the causeway to the island, the view was shocking although after 45 years we should not have been surprised. Where there once had only been a Holiday Inn and small mom and pop fishing motels, there was mile after mile of restaurants, hotels, typical beach shops and condos. Imagine Grand Bend on huge quantities of steroids. 

Oh well, not to worry as we were going to camp on the beach like we did in Port Aransas. The SPI website said it was possible and some faceBook groups talked about it, so why not give it a try. There’s nothing like listening to the waves lapping on the shore to sooth the soul.

Our first clue that this was not a good idea was squeezing past the parking attendant booth. We eased through with mere inches to spare. Turn left at the beach and there were cars parked for as far as the eye could see. The beach was only about 2 car lengths wide and the tide was coming in. We had no choice but to keep on going as there was no where to turn around. The sand was very firm and we drove on dry sand sometimes and sometimes we were in the water as the waves came in. We got past most of the cars and found a spot that seemed hard enough - I bet you know where this is going. We unhooked the Jeep to go scout ahead for either a spot to camp or another road out. We found neither but did find a spot where we figured we could turn around. 

Back to the motorhome and it wouldn’t budge. Lawrie tried some gentle rocking (hard to do with a 32000lb bus).  Plan B, hook the Jeep up to the bus with the tow attachment Lawrie made before we went to Alaska. We tried, but the Jeep didn’t have enough weight to overcome the inertia of the bus. We weren’t stuck, just couldn’t get going. 

Plan C. We had spotted a Dodge duallly truck down the beach so back into the Jeep we went to see if they could help us. He came down, hooked onto the bus and away it went. We went down the beach, turned around and headed for the exit. By this time, the tide was only a couple of hours from its high point. A motorhome can create quite a bit of wake with its rear tires!

Next was finding a spot to hook the Jeep back up. We headed north and found probably the only driveway in the area. The road was good and wide and Lawrie backed in. A truck blocked the lanes so that he could pull out and we hooked up on the southbound wide shoulder.

Lawrie had wanted to return to SPI for years, but when we got back on the road he said he had seen all of SPI that he wanted to and let’s go find a campground. 

Then the day just kept getting better. Campgrounds in this area and most popular snowbird areas are cramped. There really isn’t much room for a bus to maneuver so we are cautious about where we go. I had seen a new park with wide roads and spacious sites. We called several times but got no answer so we decided to head there as parks usually have a board at the office indicating procedures for late arrivals. We followed the GPS that lead us to an empty field. At that point Lawrie suggested we find a Walmart and call it a day. 

I found one that allowed RVs to stay overnight and they even had lanes specifically designated for RVs. When we arrived at Walmart, most of the spots were filled by tractor trailers but we could see 2 empty places. We couldn’t get into the first one as it was too close to the corner and not enough room for us to swing in. The second one was our only hope as there was no way to get out unless you drive through a spot. (There’s a pattern to this day.) We headed in and got partway when I panicked and figured we were going to scuff mirrors on my side of the bus. We stopped and shut everything down. We were in so tight that we couldn’t open our door. Luckily we had no need to go anywhere and had everything we needed inside. 

Lawrie was confident that he would be able to wiggle past the mirror in the morning if the tractor trailer was still there. His favourite tshirt has a picture on the back of a Jeep susp

ended in a crevice under the words “Confidence is the feeling you have before you fully understand the situation.” Luckily the trucks were gone this morning. I can only imagine them scratching their heads when they saw us parked there. I’m laughing about it today, not so much yesterday.