Austin - How Far Is It From The Beach?

Here are my new old guy boardshorts!

After 3 years in Austin of asking myself how far is Austin from the beach? -- I finally received the definitive answer, well maybe. The answer for those of you wondering how long it takes to get from Austin to a Texas beach; it's a mission, but well worth it!

For my turning old birthday weekend, Leyla and I headed down to Port A. We took the scenic route (183 through a bunch of rural towns) that took us through the BBQ capital of the world, small towns where there are more Church's than bars (way more), then finally coming to a series of bays and lakes. As the farmland turns to water, the cowboys turned into fisherman, and worship time turns into island time.

Waiting for the Ferry

On a Friday afternoon, the ferry (a series of small tugboats that hold 20 some cars) was backed up about 45 minutes, so the birthday boy started drinking some Tecates on the other side at Aransas pass. When all was said and done, we finally got our first glimpse of the beach about 4.5 hours later (stopped multiple times en route), and upon our arrival and during the ENTIRE trip, the wind was blowing like Baja Sur at its finest (35 MPH).



Here are a couple of highlights of the trip:

Birthday Boy Trash Balloon

• I turned 30 years old with my love Leyla
• I forgot to bring any boardshorts to the beach... Had to buy some!
• Got sand in my toes and the car.
• We hung out with fellow surfrider Bill Morris
• Had some delicious margaritas (cash only)
• Picked up around 400 pounds of trash (3 of us total - two of us were really hungover - M&L)
• The GLO Cleanup was also on my actual birthday on Saturday, and buried in the sand I found a deflated "happy birthday" balloon, I think it was a sign!

Getting Ready to Paddle Out

Our Private World

• Went surfing a couple of times (I need more practice for Baja)
• Drove on the beach all weekend
• Leyla got sea lice in some bad places
• Leyla and I had a private beach and community all to ourselves
• Were able to adventure up and down Mustang Island, including exiting through Corpus Christi, where I surfed Bob Hall Pier,  saw the Texas Surf Museum (Steve Thomas sighting), and had a burger at the Executive Surf Club with refried beans, Fritos, onions, cheese and salsa.

Birthday Bread Pudding

Wifey!

•  Had bread pudding with real candles at a restaurant (they didn't sing), turns out I hate bread pudding.
• Went to the equivalent of the Jersey Shore T-Shirt store (there are several in Port A), with a live monkey and huge shark out front.
• Came home in one piece, sunburned, and stoked!

Bill and I Before We Hit The Trash

Central Texas Surfrider Ding Repair

Drive home from the beach to Austin was under four hours, taking the route on I-35 around San Antonio. Not sure which way I would take when driving from Austin to the beach, I guess the distance and time wasn't really a factor on this trip. Cheers to getting older, cleaning the beach, making new friends, getting surf (even if it is windy), and Living Happily Ever Now! If you want to see all the pics, you can view my wife's blog (we are a blogging couple now people) and all of her Port A pics here, or the cleanup here.