PADRE ISLAND, Texas — This week we are going a different Island, taking the jetty boat from Port Aransas across the channel to San Jose Island where the effects of Hurricane Harvey are still visible.
This is ground zero. Four miles north of the channel on San Jose Island. This is the exact place where Hurricane Harvey first made landfall and the eye passed right over. This area once had dunes like the rest of the island but two years after Harvey all that is left is open space and a new channel. It's a windswept reminder of what a hurricane can do.
The north end of San Jose is where most people go. It is said to be the largest privately owned island in the county at about twenty miles long. There is one house and an airstrip here and not much else, except one of half a dozen empty barges the storm surge left here. Removing them has been the subject of much head scratching.
The latest plan is to cut a canal through San Jose and float them out. But like the moon scape of Ground Zero they are still here. A stark reminder of the power of Mother Nature. If you are looking for a day-trip where the holiday crowds won't bother you. Jump on the jetty boat and head for San Jose. It's a unique Island experience.