Monday, January 14, 2008

We intended to visit the Maritime Museum on our way out this morning, but we arrived an hour early and the building looked tiny so we decided to skip it and took the slow road across Mustang Island to Padre Island. Dave got his Golden Eagle pass at the gate and now we will not have to pay the fees. We got the the National Park visitor center and took a long walk on the beach. We saw lots and lots of beached Portuguese Men of War. They were everywhere! We will publish a photo when we next unload the camera. We picked up a few shells and barnacles and then headed back to the car. We drove down about a mile and discovered that the rest of the island was only accessible by driving on the beach. We drove for 3 1/2 miles and found that the sand was getting too soft to safely continue so we turned around and drove back. Obviously, one needs a 4-wheel drive to go the entire 60 miles! We decided against staying on the island as rain was predicted for the next day and drove into Corpus Christi. We found a hotel right on the beach and once settled, got out and walked around to explore the city. This is the oddest city we have ever been in. There is no downtown, no shops! There are many large business buildings, a few restaurants, and some nightclubs. All of the shopping is at malls on the way into the city. We went to dinner at the Oyster House right behind our hotel and then went back to the hotel as it was eerie walking around in the dark with nothing open. We read for a while and then went to bed.