There's nothing better on a long weekend than to hop in the car and set off for a road trip. Our adventure over Memorial Day weekend was to South Padre Island, a 6.5 hour drive all the way to the southern tip of Texas. Of course, it wouldn't be a road trip without our friends Mike and Lisa or without our bikes, so we brought them all!
Hanging out at the beach by our hotel -
the weather was perrrrrrfect
So, it's a bit humorous when the four of us go
on trips together. You've got me, the obsessive
photographer capturing every moment possible
with a still camera; Mike, a fellow photography
lover who captures the amazing nature shots we
get on our trips; Neal, who would be another Mike if
he had his own camera to shoot with (more on
that in the near future hopefully :), and Lisa, who has
recently discovered her love for videography and
now brings her video camera everywhere. It's
impossible to go on a trip with us and not be
filmed in some way. Above is a picture of Mike
taking a picture of me taking a picture of him.
Mike and Lisa on the bike
Oh...what does Lisa have in her hand?
You got it, her video camera!
On Saturday we drove down a stretch of beach
where you are allowed to drive your car. We
found a cozy spot and set up camp.
Our little spot of heaven
As we were splashing around in the water,
we saw this absolutely beautiful creature washed
up on shore. Neal informed us that it was a
Portuguese Man of War, which are supposedly
very common in this area and often confused
with a jellyfish. Naturally, my first reaction
was tremendous pity for this dying creature,
and I wanted to somehow throw him back in the
water. Unfortunately, however, it does sting like
a jellyfish and some nearby parents became afraid
for their children so they took this beautiful thing
and buried it alive in the sand. Although I know I
would be extremely protective of my children as well,
it was still very painful to watch. :-(
A short video of the Portuguese Man of War
Neal in action!
On this gorgeous evening we decided to take a
little cruise out on the water to see some fireworks.
The sunset was amazing.
This pirate ship tourist adventure that we passed
is very characteristic of the island. There is a whole
pirate theme going on and you see it everywhere
from shops to restaurants. One night we ate at
Black Beard's, which had his pictures and history
all over the walls.
South Padre at dusk
Hot biker dudes and chicks
Neal and I in front of the statue of the "Padre"
that South Padre is named after
On our last night we found a miniature golf course!
Since we're all kids at heart, we just had to play.
It was a blast and we had a perfect view of the
water from every hole!
Before driving home we found this neat
"shell shop." It had everything from lighthouses
to practical joke gadgets, while everywhere was
an overall Christian theme with books and music.
Very unique!
Did I mention that we're kids at heart? On our
long drive home Lis and I pulled out our newly
purchased coloring books and crayons and got
in touch with the child within. It was fantastic.
Below us is the cage that houses Lisa's also
newly purchased hermit crabs, which she bought
at the "shell shop."
