Venturing Off....

At this moment I am a little nervous and excited. Being the coastal folks my family and I are, we have been having an itch for the ocean. Our plans are to go to the ocean...the closest ocean to Austin. I have done my research and made my decision on our beach destination.

Until the past year 1/2, I have always lived near the ocean. Honestly, I have always had a fear of deep water never venturing too far out and staying close to the edge of the water. I'm not a real big fan of stinging or pinching creatures that loom around in ocean water either. Mostly I like the atmosphere of the beach...the sound of waves crashing, the sunsets, hunting sea shells, etc.

There is plenty of water access here in Austin in the form of the Colorado River, creeks, lakes, and streams but nothing beats the vastness and tranquility of the ocean.

Tomorrow we will be headed to Port Aransus. The locals tell me there is not much there...just exactly what I am looking for, a beach without tourism attached to it. Since I know absolutely NOTHING about Texas's Gulf Coast I am not sure where to begin looking for accommodations. That's why I have decided to travel blindly, which of course is against my personal rules.

Google maps tells me it is a 5 hour drive....locals tell me I can get there in 3 hours. I have to take into account that this (the locals) information is coming from folks that drive like maniacs on I-35.

Betsy, my 15 year old inherited Subaru has been a good one but she is getting old. Although low in miles for her age, she still shows her age in various ways. With all the miles we put on her here, I am hoping she is up for the drive tomorrow. Since I will be in unknown territory with no sign of any rescue teams..a.k.a my mechanically inclined son and father, I am going to think positive and keep my fingers crossed that the trip is a smooth one.

Just for fun you might want to look back on my blog in August 2008 entitled Vacation From Hell and see what happened the last time we vacationed.

You might say, if you're worried about your car making it to and fro then why are you going?? Well, I have the mindset that life is for living, seeing, enjoying, loving, and doing. Life is like a book, if you don't travel then you have only read one page. I refuse to let my irrational fears of what may or may not happen spoil all of my fun! :-)

Well, now I have to go pack. Wish me luck and positive thoughts!