Spending the day at the world's longest strip of preserved beach we felt things couldn't get any better...and then....
Catching a Ranger setting out on a tour, we decided, to follow along, once we learned the guide's name was Buzz Botts. Clearly a man born and raised in the South, Buzz had a thick Texan accent and an attitude to match. As he led us around the shoreline he picked up jellyfish, a Portguese man-of-war (highly dangerous when alive) and anything else he could find while making comments like "they don't like when I pick things up." He even coaxed Isaiah into sticking his finger in the jellyfish's mouth, afterwards explaining how it's mouth and "butthole" are one in the same. Ranger Buzz may be a global warming skeptic and an oil drilling enthusiast, (particularly odd for a Park Service Employee) but he had his roguish charms.
Later in the visitor's center we got a taste of an accent that was as thick as tar when trying to communicate with a volunteer who insisted on explaining every item contained in the "Discovery box." It was, though passionate, far from English and it made for a difficult 20 minutes.
It seemed to be some sort of work release program for convicted moonshiners that have a disturbing fondness for sea shells.
The visitor's center wasn't all a bust, as it had a video about endangered Kemp's Ridley sea turtles, 60% of whom call Padre Island home. Each year the Rangers help ensure the baby sea turtles hatch and make it to the surf while thousands of onlookers cheer on their little legged efforts. We didn't get the chance to see this incredible feat in person as it wasn't hatching season, but even on video the baby sea turtles are about as cute as it gets. (Amanda needs to establish some sort of scale of cuteness here. Who wins world's cutest-little Sebastian or baby turtles?) We were astonished to learn that you can drive on Texas beaches, Padre Island, a National Park, is no exception. Not even endangered species stop Texans from driving wherever they want to.
Portuguese Man-of-War
Buzz Botts defiles a jellyfish
The beach at sunset
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