There’s yet another list of things to do before we cross into Mexico. Let’s see: paperwork copies and laminating, international travel insurance, phone calls, change oil on bikes again, get prescriptions, more key copies, spare metric hardware for bikes… I’m sure there are some things we’re forgetting.
After shortening the first day's “to do list” a bit, we took a ride to the northern part of the island where there are no buildings and the dunes rule. We turned into a beach access point to check out the beach only to find that the road led right onto the beach. Beach riding is sweet. With waves rolling in to our right and rolling dunes to our left we cruised up the beach, usually partly sideways, laughing and whooping it up. Yeehaw! It’s too bad Jamie crashed; not on the 10 sideways miles while going 45 mph, but going 5 mph exiting the beach in the deep sand. The low beam bulb blew badly but because better brain storming we fixed it with a short sweet sweep slowly sideways through the auto parts store finding a new sexy bulb and taking the bike apart and making it all better again.
Obtaining our prescriptions was quite the day long experience requiring conversations with at least five pharmacys, four very different price quotes ($10-90), and a 50 mile round trip to Brownsville to pick it up. Apparently (well according to one of the Brownsville Wal-Mart pharmacists anyway) chloroquin (our anti-malaria prophylaxis) is old school medicine that they haven’t seem in house since 1991. Right, ok. I didn’t want to buy from Wal-Mart anyhow. $10 and an hour wait (which is exactly the amount of time it took to change the oil on the bikes) at a mom-and-pop pharmacy ended up being the solution.
One last thing about the island: as with many island destinations, there is a particular season that keeps this town thriving. For South Padre Island that time is spring break season when the island is inundated with throngs of high-time partying college students. It’s a double edged sword because while it pays the bills for the many people in the service industry here, it’s not something the people here enjoy. Business holds relatively steady through the spring and early summer but by late summer the crowds are gone and the island becomes a “sunset community“ until the next spring break season rolls around.
My bike title arrived so we are officially cleared for take off.
Our digs. As you can see we've made ourselves right at home...
Just outside the condo
Pool is empty due to the "cold" 80 degree weather we're having
That's our place right in the middle, 2nd floor
I love breakfast, even in the afternoon
I swear occifer, it's the original license, registration and title...
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