My husband and I trace some of our happiest childhood memories to beach vacations—skin slathered in coconut-scented sunblock, that first dive beneath a cool wave, falling asleep at night exhausted and dazzled. After 18 months at home with our 3-year-old daughter, Jo, and 14-month-old son, Jack, we all needed some of that magic. It was October of 2021, and like countless other families at that point in the pandemic, we were quietly losing our minds. We didn’t care that it was fall; we were taking a family trip to the beach.
We wanted someplace remote but accessible, and Padre Island National Seashore—one of only 10 seashores managed by the National Park Service—fit the bill. PINS, as it’s known, protects the world’s longest stretch of undeveloped barrier island, encompassing 66 miles of secluded, undeveloped beaches—most of which can be explored by four-wheel drive. The coastal wilderness is home to around 380 bird species, endangered Kemp’s ridley
