Livin’ on Island Time - Port Aransas
Posted on October 11, 2010 By Joseph
Most of you know that we close every Travelscope Television show with a quote from Mark Twain,
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness.” Another limitation that could be added to that list is “stereotypes”. Yes, indeed, travel is fatal to stereotypes. Sooner or later we all are guilty of stereotyping people and destinations. When Julie convinced me that one of the destinations that we were going to cover this year was Port Aransas, Texas I really didn’t know what to think. San Antonio is one of my favorite Texas towns and while I was excited about the prospect of finally capturing my favorite things about San Antonio for an episode in the next season, I didn’t know what to think about shifting the focus to Port Aransas, the small island community on the Texas Gulf Coast, called Port A by the locals. “I don’t believe what I read in the papers, they’re just out to capture my dime,“ said John Lennon and I should have kept that statement in mind when I thought about our upcoming visit to the coast. The tragedy of the BP oil spill was all the news and although the tragedy is real, sometimes the media paints a negative picture with a very broad brush. During my visit to Port Aransas I learned that as bad as things are, the entire Gulf of Mexico is not layered in oil and not every community with a shore on the Gulf has been affected by this ecological disaster. Such is the case in Port Aransas which has been spared from the mess mostly by distance, but also by the grace of prevailing weather and current patterns. So, my visions of black goo vanished upon my arrival in the pristine shores of Port Aransas. Yet, I knew that Corpus Christi, which sits at the end of the Aransas Pass Ship Channel just a ferry ride from Port Aransas, was the sixth largest port in the country, I had other nasty pre-trip visions to overcome. I am happy to report that my preconceived notions of belching oil refineries and smoggy skies also vanished when we arrived at our beachfront condo. From our seventh floor apartment at the Aransas Princess we experienced a week of brilliant blue skies and sweet ocean breezes. In addition, during excursions aboard the University of Texas research vessel, Katy, an enlightening stroll through the Wetlands Education Center and excursions into the barrier island’s dunes and bird reserves, I learned about the diverse natural habitats that thrive on the eighteen mile long island which plays host to Port Aransas. Far from the area being an industrial wasteland, it is probably one of the healthiest ecosystems in the country supporting hundreds of species of bird, animal and marine life. Couple these realities with my introduction to a Texas culture more spiritually in tune with the islands of the Caribbean than the skyscrapers of Dallas or Houston and you have one very happy traveler. I discovered once again, that, yes, indeed, along with all the rest, “Travel is fatal to your fondest stereotypes and wildest fears.” Port A’s laid-back vibe is already calling me back. Next time, I’ll leave the crew behind and truly drift into Island Time.
For information about Port Aransas, TX, visit http://www.portaransas.org/
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