My sister and I were just kids when our folks introduced us to Corpus Christi on a family vacation. I confess that I was a bit frightened by the vast expanse of water that seemed to dissolve into the distant horizon a million miles away. And I was also concerned because my sister’s nickname is Bonnie and I remember my Mom singing the old Scottish folk song, “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean.” I was afraid that at any moment a wave might scoop Bonnie up in its foamy arms and carry her to a place far away over the ocean.
As a kid, I never expected that one day I would return to the Sparkling City by the Sea and spend seven years of my life there. When I drove down Shoreline Drive for the first time, I felt as though I had found my Shangri-La. Could any place on the planet be as beautiful? The city seemed to be perched on the edge of the world. And, that same vast open water that I had first seen as a kid made the whole world seem like it was within reach. Over the years since then I have stood on beaches and coastlines on the other side of the world and looked back toward Corpus Christi.
On a recent visit, I ventured back to Shoreline Drive to ride my bike. I started near the ship channel where the USS Lexington is permanently moored. There is plenty of parking near the museum area there. I rode south along the beautiful bayfront and also swooped down into the t-heads to ride slowly past the boats. The windy day did not keep the fisherman from casting their rods against the wind. Apparently they too thought that the day was just too nice to stay indoors.
I only rode about eight miles but my intention was not to do a lengthy ride but instead to linger and enjoy the beautiful views — the sky, the sea, the birds and the boats, and the big ships that come here from all over the world. I stopped a lot along the way to just look out and to soak in the views that I first fell in love with so long ago.
I am glad that my folks introduced me to this place when I was a kid and that God allowed me to spend a few years of my life here. Biking the bayfront was a fun and affordable adventure, one that I hope to do again the next time I return to the Sparkling City by the Sea. If you are headed to Corpus Christi anytime soon, take your bike and enjoy a relaxing ride along Shoreline Drive.