We embarked on a thrilling adventure to Aransas Wildlife Refuge, armed with nothing but hope, excitement, and a questionable map that may or may not have been printed on the back of a napkin. Our mission? To catch a glimpse of the rare Whooping Cranes. After an extensive amount of searching that could only be described as "professional wandering," we finally spotted these magnificent birds soaring gracefully above us. Despite our best efforts, our phone camera decided it was the perfect moment to run out of battery, leaving us with only blurry memories and the vague threat of being chased by a goose seeking revenge for our negligence.

Next, we stumbled upon Goose Island State Park, where we were treated to a delightful spectacle of Sandhill Cranes prancing about as if they were auditioning for America’s Next Top Crane Model. Seriously, they were strutting their stuff like it was runway week in the bird world! We couldn't help but snicker as they danced around, and for a moment, we questioned if we, too, should try to join in. Spoiler: we only succeeded in looking like uncoordinated humans trying to communicate with aliens.

After all that excitement, we decided to chill out by doing some beachside camping in our new Ollie camper—because who doesn’t want to go camping in a glorified shoebox on wheels? The bonus? It was out of season, so we could stay for free! We soaked up the sun, listened to the calming sounds of the waves, and reveled in the fact that our only neighbors were a few curious crabs who seemed to be judging our choice of beach snacks (crunchy chips—surely, a culinary offense in the crab kingdom).

With the sun shining and our solar power running, we had no worries... except for that one time when a particularly ambitious seagull attempted to make off with our lunch. In the end, we left the beach with sunburns, a newfound respect for birds, and a treasure trove of funny stories that would be hard to explain at the next family gathering!