The J-TAC

Issue date: 3/27/08 Section: Features

The sun sets behind a pier in Port Aransas, Texas, which lies about 40 miles northeast of Corpus Christi on Mustnag Island and features a number of attractions for tourists.

Some crumpled foil and left-over barbeque sauce is all that is left of a Jim Bob's brisket, egg and cheese breakfast taco as we get up from our table with the cedar post legs and head out the front door. It's Tuesday, March 18, and today's the day I depart for Port Aransas, Texas on a three-day retreat from school, work and reality itself. I venture to the coast with five good friends, all as excited as I am to reach our destination.
We leave Austin and head southbound on Interstate 35, our golden path that will conjoin with Interstate 37 in San Antonio. The drive from Austin to San Antonio was slow, probably due to my anticipation of reaching the sandy beaches of Mustang Island. Once on I-37 it is smooth sailing down the flat southeast Texas terrain. Nothing really of interest, but everything I see catches my attention. Being in unfamiliar territory perks my curiosity and I want to familiarize myself with everything I gaze upon.
We are greeted by angry-looking clouds when we enter the city limits of Corpus Christi. The muffled flashes of lightning in the clouds made the sky look dark, desolate and uninviting. No perturbed clouds full of water will deter us from reaching our destination.
As the thought of pressing onward circles through my head the sky opens up, as if it were looking at my journey as a challenge. With great winds and thunderous blasts the sky brings down a wrath of water and electricity, inhibiting the view of all drivers on the highway. The speed of the vehicles slows to a crawling 40 mph, rendering drivers helpless. We make our way out of the storm and are greeted by the sun, and just in eye's view, lies the Gulf of Mexico. Every time I make my way to the ocean I am astounded. The skies over the water are a magnificent blue, and the smell of the ocean in the air is intoxicating.
We pull up to our destination, Port Royal off of State highway 361. The massive condominiums with the green roof was the most glorious building I have seen today, and after a four-hour drive, I was ready to become acquainted with the dwelling I will be calling home for the next three days. After check-in and all the other preliminaries a feeling of accomplishment and success come over me and it is time to start the vacation.

Continued...

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