And now we’re at North Padre National Lakeshore, east of
Corpus Christi, campsite #6, oceanside at Malaquite Campground, facing east, overlooking the
Gulf. The surf rolls and the sun shines once it burns through the morning fog. We
reserved 4 nights here.
North Padre – an exercise in getting used to no power and no
cell service. Our solar panels keep our batteries charged, and by the end of
our first day, Michael had wired the inverter to the battery in an outside
storage compartment and had run a cord inside the Siesta, so I could plug in my
phone! He also ran a wire from the rooftop Wilson booster antenna to inside, so
we have more cell service than we have without the booster (which is none.) So,
keep that guy around and you’ll have all the amenities of urban America even
when you’re off – grid (except maybe pizza delivery!)
My first morning walk on the island was white. Since the
evening before, we were encased in fog. White air, whitish sand, white surf: a
tunnel of whiteness. Down the beach I talked with a woman who was driving a
pick-up truck on the beach. Every so often her wader-clad coworker would get
out and walk out into the surf to get a water temperature. 48 degrees that day.
They were working with The Aquarium in Corpus Christie as well as Sea World to release
immature green sea turtles. The turtles had been picked up by boats since this
cold spell set in. The cold water temperature had forced the turtles close to
shore. When their bodies get too cold, they constrict and then sink and die.
Rescuers brought the turtles to indoor aquariums and now will release them as
soon as the water temperature rises into the 50s.
Saturday morning, after the government shut down Friday
night, a ranger set out a sign by the campground bathroom which read, “This
facility is officially closed.” However, the bathroom doors were left open and business
was carried on as usual. Campers were
allowed to stay on and not much changed, really. Then Sunday morning two park
employees came by and screwed boards across the bathroom and shower doors AND
turned off the water! This caused quite a stir among the campers. The
campground hosts were particularly upset that the water was off. There was a bit
of a rebellious spirit that ran through the campground it seemed to me, a sort
of disbelief and dismay at the ruthlessness of the National Park Service.
So, a couple of hours later, the water was restored by the
park employees so campers could get water from the outside faucet.
And a couple of hours after that a certain someone with an
electric drill backed 8 screws out of two boards and “freed” the
bathrooms. That certain someone had his
photo taken with a campsite “Occupied” sign, as in “Occupy North Padre!” The
other someone in the photo is our neighbor who camped next to us in a bright
blue whimsically painted school bus lovingly named O.A.H.H – Old Age Home for
Hippies. Power to the people!
😀❤️💯
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