Road Trip To The Valley

The tropical storm in the eastern gulf would soon become Hurricane Idalia. The pulse of waves from these storms usually proceed unimpeded to the lower Texas coast. South Padre Island is typically a good bet when it comes to catching a clean, long period swell from a hurricane going into Florida. The forecast called for 2-3 feet at 10-11 second intervals. That was considered small, but enough to get me motivated to take a 6 hour road trip from Clear Lake City to the southern tip of Texas.

This has always been one of my favorite destinations in the state of Texas. When I was in high school, I began making the trip through the coastal towns and brush covered ranches to surf the cooler, less crowded clear waters in front of Isla Blanca Park. I even honeymooned there in the 80’s. Yes, I surfed then, too, and I am still catching grief from my wife about the old man that hit on her as she sat on the beach while I caught more than a few waves some 41 years ago.

When I arrived shortly after noon on a Tuesday, I drove to the park for a surf check. I found a very small wind swell with some strong side shore winds on it. It was not really rideable, and nobody was out. I drove to the hotel and dropped off my board and went exploring on the island for some photo opportunities for the upcoming Blue Moon. The next day, I was there to watch the sun come up. I was hoping the swell would be arriving also. There was a small increase in size and the winds were light offshore, so I threw on some board shorts, waxed up my board and played in the shore break for a while. The waves were breaking on the second sandbar but just not connecting to the inside. It did get a little better when the tide started going out. Around 1 the wind got on it from the northeast and blew it out again.

That night I took a few shots of the blue moon coming up behind the statue called Cristo de la Pescadores (Christ of the Fishermen). It is a statue built in Spain and commissioned by the mother of two sons who died by suffocation from chemical fumes below the deck of their boat. The landmark is used by shrimpers to stop and pray for safe passage to and from the gulf waters. I used a mini Lume Cube light to illuminate one side of the statue and positioned my camera so that the Blue Moon was on the backside of the statue creating a glow from heaven effect. I also took a few other shots of the statue from other angles, including the sunset, which is in the video.

The next day, I arrived before sunrise again and set up my camera to shoot a time-lapse of the sun coming up. All the surfers and paddle boarders were entering the water as the swell was starting to arrive. As the morning continued, the swell started to fill in and it was met with some light offshore winds. The wind groomed the faces and provided some clean waves for the large number of surfers who had arrived. I have always loved the extra juice of the waves in SPI. The faces are a little steeper and the clear water allows the sun to put a green glow on the wave in the morning hours. After getting my fill of fun waves, I went to the truck and got my camera. The waves started getting better again as the tide started going out. I walked down in front of the second lot at Isla Blanca Park and took some pictures for about an hour. I got some nice shots with the sun illuminating the waves. You will see the awesome colors in the video.

I left happy and ready to refuel for another afternoon session. When I came back later that afternoon, the north east wind had gotten on it again and it was super choppy and difficult to find a clean wave. I left hoping to catch some cleaner waves in the morning. That evening I set my camera up looking across the Laguna Madre at the Queen Isabella Bridge from Port Isabel to South Padre Island. I took another time-lapse video. This time it was the sunset which is also in the video. That night I took my tripod and camera to the beach to catch the Blue Moon coming up over the gulf waters with a life guard stand in the foreground. I put my mini Lume Cube at an angle in front of the stand and focused on the full Blue Moon rising next to it. I put it in the video also with some other shots taken during the trip.

The next morning the winds were off shore again but the swell was gone. Sadly, I started the long journey back home. The amazing thing about SPI is how developed it has become since I started going there in the mid-seventies. The number of high rise hotels, condos and businesses continues to grow. The excitement created by the Space X launch site in Boca Chica has also added to the tourism appeal.

The one constant that has not changed is the quality and beauty of the surf, dunes and friendly people. I can’t wait for the next road trip!

Thanks for reading my blog! God bless you! Until next time.

Philippians 4:13

Tim Lumpkin