#11 The Fairies

Actually, we are writing about ferries, but don’t you think fairies sounds more interesting? You know - ferries - the kind that transports people and their vehicles across the water.

Corpus Christi Bay is north of the city and on the north side of the bay is Aransas Pass and Port Aransas.

Just off the east coast is Mustang Island and Padre Island, and all of these are connected by causeways, bridges and in one case by the free ferry between Aransas Pass and Port Aransas.

Although the map shows the waterway between Aransas Pass and Port Aransas to be about 5 miles wide, the ferry transports you for only a half mile or so. The road stretches over narrow strips of land and bridges water in other areas. Some of the views are magnificent.

We took the ferry four times today - we just couldn’t make up our mind which side of the passage we wanted to be on!

The wait for the ferry can be very short or more than a half hour long. Several traffic personnel carefully guide vehicles into one of four lanes. The front car gets a block under the wheels to ensure the cars don’t rush the exit. The big diesel engine quickly pushes the ferry and its load of upward of 15-20 cars, trucks, busses, and RV’s across the short channel of water.

As you cross, you can see a number of water birds and maybe even some dolphins. Altogether an enjoyable experience – but you really only need to do it once or twice - not four times!