(Gentle music plays over the sound of surf and seagulls)
We wander, and when we wander sometimes we come across beauty, destruction, and people who are rising up from it
We had no idea what had happened in Port Aransas, Texas, only 15 months before our arrival
But, keep watching and let us show you how much fun we had experiencing this beautiful island town as it is today
Kory: That's my shoe!
(soft instrumental music )
(music changes to a faster, staccato beat)
Denise: Cool little town, it reminds us a little bit of home......right?
Kory: Yah, It's flatter though, but yah....it's a Resort Community
D: It's just nice to be by the water again
K: Yeah
D: And, so, because we don't tow, we're back in that situation.....
K: So, how we gonna get to the water?
D: I don't know....but we figured it out!
K: Ahhhhhhh!
D: Check this out
D: This is gonna be the new toy for the day!
K: Wheels for at least 24 hours
D: We can get our shopping done, we can go to the beach
....we can go out to dinner, and you know, we can just all in all just enjoy driving this cart
K: Little unit. Yeah
D: I think it'll be fun
K: We rented it right here at the campground
D: Yeah, I know it, and it wasn't even that much money!
D: So! it's all gonna be fun, and let's see what we can see here in Port Aransas.
K: You guys should come with us!
K: This thing is Street aaaand Beach legal, let's go.
D: So I think you're gonna like this unit aren't ya?
K: I think it'll be handy!
D: Right!
K: just gotta take the garbage to the trunk....
(cans clatter).....It's in the trunk! (pat, pat)
D: So, I see you've got her all "Logo"ed up
K: Oh yeah,
D: Nobody's gonna miss who we are out there!
Everybody's gonna know 'ZACTLY who WE are!!
D: (giggles)
K: a little HIGH tho"
D: OH!
K: OK, we're IN
D: You got that!
K: Are you guys comin' ?
(Motor revs)
D: Do NOT knock me off.....
K: I'm trying not to, but its.......just, does this....thing
D: well, don't do that!
K: it just does a thing.....
D: Don't!
K: I'm not doing it! It just does that itself!
K: HONEST!
D: So, I just want to take a moment here before we get going to make sure we have agreement.....
that you're driving this vehicle, because that's what it is, a vehicle....
K: Oh Yeah
D: by the rules. It's got plates and it's allowed to be on the road, and you're going to drive it like a like a car, correct?
K: well, I have a license
D: and you're gonna drive it like a car, not like some Hooligan out in the bush?
Oh, of course
D: OK
K: Why do you even need to ask?
D: Yeah...Good to know
(Rockin' driving music)
(waves rolling in)
D: We had a really great time going out on the beach in our cart and everything yesterday and it was so fun,
D: But, then we got a little lost
k: Well, not really lost but there was no roads coming off the beach
D: and we went FOREVER!
K: a LOOONNNG WAYS!
D: And Ever, and Ever!
And there was no road coming off the beach, and the sun was setting, and it was so beautiful!
D: But you know what happens after the Sun sets, right?
K: What happens?
D: It gets DARK!
K: Oh, it gets dark. Yeah, yeah!
D: and then, we're driving around out there trying to find our way back
and you know, Kory mentioned how this thing doesn't have a whole lot of suspension
K: No, not much at all
D: Anyways, what it amounted to was a "Loss" that we have to try and recover today
K: We'll see if we can find it
D: Yeah, I'll show you
K: So, in this cart there's two compartments. One on the Passenger side, and One on the Driver side
Driver's side is Hats. I'm responsible for HATS
You take a look later, there'll be HATS there.
Denise is responsible for shoes. You'll notice that half of them are missing
SHOES!
HATS! Oh, the hat's still there! It happens to be your hat.
D: There A SHOE there! (laughs)
K: So, you have some work to do today
I don't know if we'll find it, but we're gonna go that way anyhow. So, we'll see
(driving- and searching- music)
K: So, any sign of the shoe?
(instrumental music plays)
K: Oh wait now....
D Look at what we found!
K: Really?!
D: Look at what we FOUND!
K: I was SURE that was a Goner
D: (Laughs)
K: That's a popular shoe, too
D: and nobody took it!
K: I'm surprised nobody took it
D: Imagine that!
K: Wow!
K: WOW!
K: I thought FOR SURE somebody would have taken that and used it.
K: Like, it's got YEARS of life left in it!
For those of you who are wondering WHY the obsession with getting this shoe back....
it's because there's not a lot of shoes that work so well for Kory.
(struggles) and we needed the one to go with THIS one! (laughs)
D: but, what good is the shoe with the lift, if you don't have the shoe without it
K: well, this is it
D: so, we're very happy we recovered the missing shoe!
K: this is, like, 16 hours later
D: so, I'm going to put it back in the compartment here
Oh my god, I don't know whether you should put it on your side at all. I don't know if I want you responsible
D: I would be happy if you were the one responsible for the shoe!
K: (chuckles)
D: OK, let's get this bugger in....
(wind blowing)
K: Don't WRECK it!
(instrumental music)
D: This is our last nice day of weather in Port Aransas, Texas
And we want to utilize that and go to the beach. But you know for us, we don't tow, we ride our bikes
So Kory's just trying to come up with some sort of contraption here
that'll help us get our chairs and picnic there
D: Give it a test
K: Oh yeah, Rock solid!
D: OK, but I still have one question....
K: uh, it goes on top...somehow.....is that what you're thinking?
K: kind of tying it down onto itself
D: Very secure
K: I think I'm feeling confident!
D: I guess I'll ride behind you
K: Okay, pick up the pieces
D: Yeah
K: Alright, off we go: Our Beach Adventure
K: Are you comin' ?
K: Let's GO!
(instrumental music and sounds of the surf)
K: How is it?
D: It's not bad!
D: It's not too cold
Kind of cool, feeling the sand getting sucked out from underneath your feet
K: Nice!
(waves crashing on the beach)
K: Oh, there goes another guy.....
....there goes two more
D: Great spot on this VERY empty beach!
K: The KEY thing though is that we have SNACKS with us this time, unlike other adventures.
D: Yup!
K: There's a reward for this one
D: This is a really beautiful beach, REALLY beautiful place. I guess we're just here at the right time of year
D: I think the weather's going to turn though, for tomorrow
D: So we're just making the best of today, coming down and enjoying the breeze, and the waves, and the beach
D: It's great!
K: last day good weather, probably
D: Alrighty, let's have a snack!
K: OK!
D: What are we doing now, what's next?
K: Oh, what's next? We're going on a......
K: Boat!
D: What kind of boat is this?
K: We're not sure, a PIRATE boat maybe
D: It was supposed to be a Sunset Cruise, but it kinda got cancelled, so.....
K: So, now it's a Booze Cruise! So...
K: We'll see how that goes!
D: Hopefully it's not TOO crazy
K: it'll be out on the water at least
D: Yeah, at Sunset, which is what we're aiming for
K: striving for
(Acoustic guitar strumming)
(upbeat electronic music)
D: Well, it's raining so you know what that means.....
D and K: (in unison) We're OUTTA here! (laughing)
D: But seriously, Port Aransas has been a wonderful stay for us
K: It has! We came for a couple days, we've been here for over a week
K: Weather's been good, VERY bike friendly. You can get to everything here. Easily.
D: Totally, all the stores, liquor, grocery, seafood market,
K: Restaurants, the Port
D: That's by bike. Or you can go in, like, a golf cart thing!
K: Yeah, you can rent golf carts here, which we did one day
D: Which you can drive on the Roads
D: We've had a nice Park
You can even Boondock on the beach, if you like!
K: Yeah, We chose not, to but you CAN
(instrumental music)
(Over PA): Board the Ferry
(Over PA): Leave the Ferry
K: NOW?! A little premature
(light instrumental music)
D: In August 2017, a Category 4 Hurricane Harvey made landfall directly through the town of Port Aransas, Texas
Winds of 130 mph, and a 7 foot Storm Surge were powerful enough to move ships onto land,
tear hotels apart, and devastate homes and businesses
Lives were changed forever that day
15 months later, what we experienced here was something TOTALLY different
Welcoming people, happy and strong. Laughing, working, and living, and rebuilding their town. They have come so far!
Yes, there's much more to do, but these people of Port Aransas just keep going, and it shows
Our visit to this little town is one we'll never forget
until we meet again, People of Port Aransas!
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