By Irene Butler
Pix by Rick
Published in TravelLady E- Magazine
Scouring a map for a southern vacation niche, my husband Rick pointed to a dot on the Gulf of Mexico saying, “Corpus Christi has a nice ring”. A bit of investigation revealed it had enough sand, surf and delightful amenities to fit our classification of “glorious”.
Gaining its appellation from the Roman Catholic feast day on which Spanish explorer Alonzo Alverez de Piñeda discovered the area, we arrived in the only city so named on the planet.
On our very first morning, we headed out of the city proper and over the bridge to Padre, the world’s longest barrier island, with a phenomenal 70 miles of beach. Part of Padre’s appeal is for what it does not have – crowds – with the exception of an influx of college students during spring break at its southern tip.
Near a row of resort hotels we moved with the flow of beachcombers. Children raced up and down the rolling dunes edging the beach, fishermen bobbed their lines from docks and piers, and bird-watchers focused their binoculars.When our legs gave out we took our cue from vehicles slowly manoeuvring along the firm sand periphery and drove to an isolated spot where only the lapping of waves could be heard and
seagulls soared. We waded along the glistening turquoise shoreline and then perched on a dune to savour our picnic fare of chilled jumbo shrimp dipped in delectable sauce and crusty French bread spread with Camembert between sips of Wolf Blass Cabernet Sauvignon.During the following weeks a leisurely routine
evolved of beach excursions interspersed with walks along city streets and stops at attractions no visitor would want to miss.The USS Lexington commands front and center stage in the bay. Dubbed the Blue Ghost for its
steel blue colour, this WWII era aircraft carrier has a grand display of vintage planes on its 3-football-field length upper deck. Turned museum, after serving longer than any other carrier in US Naval history, its 16 deck height now houses a 3-storey IMAX theatre where white-knuckled and queasy we dipped and dived as if in a cockpit with fighter pilots doing training manoeuvres.
From the lowly salt marshes to the dolphins at the upper echelon, we followed the evolutionary path of sea inhabitants at the Texas State Aquarium. We learned that Padre Island is one of the few nesting grounds in the world for the endangered Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtles. To help regenerate their numbers, eggs are collected and hatched in protective nurseries. We imagined the thrill of joining scientists and volunteers on the shores of Padre during summer for the hatchling’s release and to see them race across the sand to their briny home.The Art Museum of South Texas captivated us with early western themes of riders and horses thundering across landscapes. In another area were the works of Dale Chihuly. The patch
covering the visionless left eye of this world renowned glass artist was not a result of his trade, as I would have thought, but from an auto accident in 1976. Since then, lacking the necessary depth perception, he conceptualizes projects with sketches and paints; then has a team of artists bring it to fruition in molten glass. Several of his vibrant works, including the massive Cascade Blue Chandelier, were stunning.
Nestled under the shadow of the harbour bridge, the Museum of Science and History displays artefacts from shipwrecks off Padre Island dating back to1554, as well as replicas of two of Columbus’ three ships. The third, the Niña, is moored in the downtown marina.An evening on the Texas Treasure Casino Cruise did not bring us nearer to a pot of gold; but it did award us a golden sunset upon embarking and a wealth of fun. Live entertainment and a scrumptious buffet went on for the first hour of the sail. I rested my slot arm until the ship reached international waters and gambling could legally commence.
Bird watchers flock to Corpus Christi to see the many winged beauties that skirt the shorelines
when migrating between North and South America, and species that stay for a spell. Of notable interest are the endangered Whooping Cranes who make an astounding 2,400 mile journey annually from their summer abode in Canada’s Northwest Territories to spend their winters in Aransas National Wildlife Reserve.Early one morning we boarded the 75ft Wharf Cat and sailed out to meet these dual citizens,
who as adults stand 5 feet tall and have wingspans of up to 7 feet. We found them happily scooping up their favourite blue crab and wolfberry lunch. In the early 1900’s only 16 Whooping Cranes remained in the world; today, the result of conservation efforts, there are 475 world-wide (both in the wild and in captivity), and the count at the reserve this year was…..drum roll, please…. 235!Though our people pleasures digressed
somewhat from the cranes, we agreed there was a lot to “whoop” about in their choice annual R&R location. Lounging at an outdoor café on the bay watching yachts and fishing boats cruise by on our last evening was a divine end to our enjoyable and memorable stay in Corpus Christi.Corpus Christipop. 380,000 (2005 census)Average winter temperature – 70 -80 F288 days of sunshine annuallyhttp://www.corpuschristicvb.com/
Turtle tidbits:www.nps.gov/pais/naturescience/stsr.htm
Whooping Crane wooing:www.mb.ec.gc.ca/nature/endspecies/whooping/index.en.html
Whooping Crane & Birding Boat Tourshttp://www.texaswhoopers.com/(361) 729-4855 or 1-800-782-2473
Hotel Suggestions:
Radisson Beach Hotel3200 Surfside BlvdCorpus Christi, Tx (361) 883-9700http://www.radisson.com/
Bahia Mar Extended Stay Hotel15201 Windward Dr.N. Padre Island(361) 949-2400http://www.corpuschristibeachhotels.com/
PHOTO CREDITS: Rick Butler
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