Mini Padre Trip report (spring break trip)

BrettinSanAntonio · 03-21-08, 06:37 PM

I did a short trip to PINS with my daughter Wednesday morning and returned late last night.

The weather was perfect during the day and a little cool at night. There is still a fire ban on the beach but the ranger indicated they expected it lifted soon due to more rain along the coast.

We hit the usual spring break traffic as we approached the island. It was bumper to bumper over the JFK Causeway but decreased greatly one we passed the Port Aransas turn-off.

PINS was quite crowded at the headquarters and Malaquite beach areas but it was primarily families with an exception of two or three small groups of college people “looking for the action”. I felt a slight tinge of guilt seeing their disappointed faces and stopped to inform them they had missed the naked college girls by only 25 miles. They decided to drive north to Port A the following day.

As we reached the “4X4 ONLY” sign, the crowd turned to a trickle. By the 10 mile marker, there were only a few SUV’s and it started looking like the Padre I know and love. No people as far as the eye can see.

The beach was in fantastic shape. With the exception of the “Little Shell / Big Shell” areas between the 20 – 30 mile markers, the sand was hard packed. It was quite easy to maintain 40 mph on the beach. There was very little Sargassum grass (seaweed), little trash and driving conditions were excellent.

We decided to try our luck fishing and crabbing at Yarborough Pass. As we entered the pass, I wasn’t paying attention and found my forward progress came to a halt. I was stuck halfway into the pass. I went to low-4 and turned on my lockers. This helped but wasn’t quite getting the job done. I seriously misjudged the momentum needed while pulling Kelly’s tent trailer. Pulling her trailer through the deep sand was similar to pulling a skid. The tires are relatively useless and just sort of drag along. After a few minutes of digging and carefully placing some driftwood under the tires, I was on the move again.

We fished, enjoyed the solitude of the bay side of the island and then drove back to the beach. Going from the bay side to the beach side was very easy. We drove down to the 35 mile marker and made camp. The full moon made the need for artificial light unnecessary. The next day was all about hanging with my 7 year old daughter. We built sandcastles (while watching my fishing pole with one eye) and collected shells on the beach. The wind began to pick up in the early afternoon so we moved back to the bay and fished again. We caught a few trout and a flounder but nothing worth the time required to clean then so we practiced catch and release.

The drive back was uneventful but it certainly has primed my need to head back to the island in a few weeks for fishing and beer.

Instead of posting individual photos, here's a link:

Picasa Web Albums - Brett - Spring Break ...

rrdogma · 03-21-08, 06:47 PM

Awesome!! I'm glad you guys had fun. I love Sydney's play by play of the tires losing air and the priceless, "Daddy will fix it".

rmartinez2453 · 03-23-08, 10:39 PM

I was down there this week also. we did not camp but made the trip to pins several times. I also made that crossing at the pass and forgot that i had my overdrive on but i turned it off halfway through the crossing and made it just fine. I must say that the weather was absolutely beautiful, although the water was still a bit chilly. I did a tune up in the truck before the trip and I was pleasantly surprised to average 15 mpg

even after 120 miles of beach driving for the week. I think we put on around 1000 miles over the last 5 days. Now if only I can get rid of that bright CEL.(p4002)

03-21-08, 06:37 PM	#1
BrettinSanAntonio IH8MUD Lifer Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: San Antonio, TX TLCA# 11186 Posts: 1,272	Mini Padre Trip report (spring break trip) I did a short trip to PINS with my daughter Wednesday morning and returned late last night. The weather was perfect during the day and a little cool at night. There is still a fire ban on the beach but the ranger indicated they expected it lifted soon due to more rain along the coast. We hit the usual spring break traffic as we approached the island. It was bumper to bumper over the JFK Causeway but decreased greatly one we passed the Port Aransas turn-off. PINS was quite crowded at the headquarters and Malaquite beach areas but it was primarily families with an exception of two or three small groups of college people “looking for the action”. I felt a slight tinge of guilt seeing their disappointed faces and stopped to inform them they had missed the naked college girls by only 25 miles. They decided to drive north to Port A the following day. As we reached the “4X4 ONLY” sign, the crowd turned to a trickle. By the 10 mile marker, there were only a few SUV’s and it started looking like the Padre I know and love. No people as far as the eye can see. The beach was in fantastic shape. With the exception of the “Little Shell / Big Shell” areas between the 20 – 30 mile markers, the sand was hard packed. It was quite easy to maintain 40 mph on the beach. There was very little Sargassum grass (seaweed), little trash and driving conditions were excellent. We decided to try our luck fishing and crabbing at Yarborough Pass. As we entered the pass, I wasn’t paying attention and found my forward progress came to a halt. I was stuck halfway into the pass. I went to low-4 and turned on my lockers. This helped but wasn’t quite getting the job done. I seriously misjudged the momentum needed while pulling Kelly’s tent trailer. Pulling her trailer through the deep sand was similar to pulling a skid. The tires are relatively useless and just sort of drag along. After a few minutes of digging and carefully placing some driftwood under the tires, I was on the move again. We fished, enjoyed the solitude of the bay side of the island and then drove back to the beach. Going from the bay side to the beach side was very easy. We drove down to the 35 mile marker and made camp. The full moon made the need for artificial light unnecessary. The next day was all about hanging with my 7 year old daughter. We built sandcastles (while watching my fishing pole with one eye) and collected shells on the beach. The wind began to pick up in the early afternoon so we moved back to the bay and fished again. We caught a few trout and a flounder but nothing worth the time required to clean then so we practiced catch and release. The drive back was uneventful but it certainly has primed my need to head back to the island in a few weeks for fishing and beer. Instead of posting individual photos, here's a link: Picasa Web Albums - Brett - Spring Break ... __________________ Brett in San Antonio, Texas Alamo City Land Cruisers Lone Star Land Cruisers - Austin '97 Lexus LX 450 TLCA # 11186 Sold - '82,'86,'95 Land Cruisers; '85 4Runner

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03-23-08, 10:39 PM	#3
rmartinez2453 IH8MUD Rookie Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 29	I was down there this week also. we did not camp but made the trip to pins several times. I also made that crossing at the pass and forgot that i had my overdrive on but i turned it off halfway through the crossing and made it just fine. I must say that the weather was absolutely beautiful, although the water was still a bit chilly. I did a tune up in the truck before the trip and I was pleasantly surprised to average 15 mpg even after 120 miles of beach driving for the week. I think we put on around 1000 miles over the last 5 days. Now if only I can get rid of that bright CEL.(p4002)