Exceptional Adventures in Paradise
The weather has really been doing a number on outdoor adventures this year. In February, a long-planned adventure had to be called off due to heat, in March it was so cold tender plants had to be protected, and an April panhandle trip saw weather much cooler than we like and much rainier than we hoped. But Judy and I are tough, so we didn’t cancel our trip to Topsail Hill Preserve State Park.
Continue reading “Rain and Chill Can’t Dampen a Great Trip”
Some think of sand dunes as an impediment to getting the cooler, chairs, and umbrella down to the beach, and they do make getting to the water a bit harder. But they’re worth the struggle!
Continue reading “Crystalline Dunes: Timeless Guardians of the Coastline”
Well, to start, they’re highly unusual! Found in only four countries, including Madagascar, Australia, New Zealand and the United States, there are 15 named coastal dune lakes in Walton County, Florida (they are also found in Oregon, which has a system of 40 such lakes; and South Carolina, which is unsure how many dune lakes they have). Florida’s dune lakes are usually formed where fresh water seeps through the sand, forming shallow, water-filled depressions. Other sources of fresh water include streams and rain water.
Continue reading “Rare Delights Tucked Among Panhandle Dunes: Spectacular Dune Lakes”
After an afternoon and evening of orienting ourselves to Marine Lab, Tuesday morning started with breakfast and a short class on seagrass ecology. Florida has three predominant species of seagrass: turtle grass (Thalassia testudinum), shoal grass (Halodule wrightii), and manatee grass (Syringodium filiforme). Turtle grass has a broad, flat blade that is rounded at the top. Shoal grass, the first grass to grow in an area that has been disturbed, has a narrower blade with a flat or notched top. Manatee grass is cylindrical and has very shallow roots.
Continue reading “Strong Seagrass Beds: Foundation for Thrilling Coral Reefs”
It’s too hot to be out on the trail, but it’s almost never too hot to be on the water, and I was recently fortunate enough to attend a week-long class at Marine Lab Key Largo. The class, Coastal Marine Ecology, was marketed to teachers. Since I consider myself an informal educator, I signed up way back in February. Focusing on the basics of the marine ecology of the Upper Keys, the class was an in-depth exploration of the interaction among seagrass beds, mangroves, and coral reefs.
Continue reading “Something a Wee Bit Different at Marine Lab”
Okay, maybe we didn’t really ring in the New Year at Cayo Costa, but we got there as quickly as we could! We began our adventure by traveling to Pine Island and handing off our camping gear to the helpful folks at the Tropic Star ferry, and enjoyed the short boat ride to Cayo Costa State Park.
We had done a day trip to Cayo Costa before, but felt that it just wasn’t worth the travel time. We wanted a better experience, and so we decided to stay for several days just as soon as I could get a reservation to camp.
You already know that I’m a tent camper at heart, but I’ll camp in the pop-up with Steve. There’s no way to get a pop-up on the ferry, so instead, we rented a cabin. Florida State Park cabins are generally almost luxurious, with full kitchens and bathrooms. This cabin was rustic, and we just loved it! There were 6 bunks, a picnic table, a couple of small shelves, and plenty of nails from which to hang lanterns or wet towels or whatever else needed hanging. Just outside the door was another picnic table, a fire ring, and a grill.
We ended up doubling the mattresses on the two lower bunks we occupied, and were still not quite comfortable, but we were able to sleep. Notice the large windows right next to the lower bunks! These made sure we always had a breeze and help keep the cabins habitable during the long hot summers.
Next to our cabin was a bathhouse comprising restrooms, outdoor showers, and a dishwashing sink (cold water only!). The restrooms were locked during our entire stay, but the new bathhouse was just a short walk away. I’m glad the “big” bathhouse was convenient, because the little shower looked pretty grubby. Full disclosure: I used it anyway, because it offered WAY more privacy than the showers at the big bathhouse, which are outdoors and fully open on one of the wide sides!
THERE IS NO ELECTRICITY FOR CAMPERS ON CAYO COSTA. I put that in all caps not because I was surprised, but so that YOU won’t be surprised. Cayo Costa is not the Florida State Park camping experience you’ll get at most parks. The lack of electricity is the biggest difference but here’s my favorite difference: the peace and tranquility of being on an island where the only other people for most hours of the day are fellow campers.
Once the ferry docked at Cayo Costa, we were instructed to load our camping gear in the back of the pick-up truck and take a seat on the tram. The Ranger delivered campers to their sites less than a mile from the dock. We made our beds, made ourselves a cold drink, and prepared for an afternoon walk on the beach. I changed into my sunglasses, which I would not mention except for the fact that . . . well, I’ll tell you why later.
During the winter, the last ferry for day-trippers leaves the island at 2:00. So for the rest of the day, only campers and rangers are on the island. This, friends, is bliss. We walked and walked and walked some more, and saw very few people. What we saw a lot of were shells and small pieces of driftwood and birds and all the things that make the beach special.
We enjoyed our first walk on the beach, although the windy weather had the water stirred up and it was not the beautiful tropical blue-green we had hoped to see. Still, it was a beautiful walk. We walked to the north and then took the upland trail back to our cabin, where we enjoyed a simple dinner and went to bed early. Going to bed early seems to be a theme for us these days; when we’re camping, we can barely keep our eyes open until dark!
We slept for a few hours, until I woke up to pee. On my short trip to the bathhouse, the splendor of the sky blew me away. Even though I was WEARING MY SUNGLASSES, because y’know, I had lost my regular glasses. So many stars! I believe it might be the most stars I’ve seen in the night sky as an adult. It was so stunning I made Steve come outside and look at it with me.
We decided to walk on the beach — a night walk on the beach is something we’ve not done together in a very long time, and it was just as lovely as you’d expect. I mean, you can just picture it, right? An old lady and her man, she in a nightshirt and he in a pair of gym shorts. . . and wait a minute . . . is she wearing SUNGLASSES? Yeah. I was. But really, it was lovely to walk on the beach with the love of my life, feeling like there was no one else on the planet. It was very windy, though, and we probably walked out about a mile and back before we decided to pack it in. I would have been happier if I had been able to see more, but sunglasses on a new moon night is just not conducive to seeing.
The next morning, I woke up bright and early,. The sun was not yet up, so I brushed my teeth and sat outside at the picnic table. As soon as it was light, I walked down to the ranger station. First, though, I walked through the tent camper loop, because I took a wrong turn. It was fun, though, to feel like the only person up and around. When I got to the ranger station and dock, I sat at a picnic table and listened to a really enjoyable book, The Lost Queen, a novel by Signe Pike. When the camp store opened, I picked up a bag of charcoal and some lighter fluid. Here’s my advice: don’t buy your charcoal on the island. We intentionally planned to buy charcoal there, because we were limited to 50 pounds of stuff, but it’s nearly criminally expensive and I’ll never do it again. If we had not had a gorgeous steak dinner planned, I’d have made do with the camp stove. At any rate, I pacified myself with the certainty that overpriced charcoal is the least of the world’s problems, loaded my backpack, asked the Rangers for the time of the next low tide and a place to charge my phone, and headed back to camp for something hot to drink.
About charging your phone: the park website says you can charge your phone at the dock. Well, no, you cannot. There is a duplex outlet on a pole outside the ranger station, and that’s the only place electricity is available to campers since a storm took out all the charging ports at the dock. It’s a good system, though, and if you are willing to leave either your phone or a good battery pack overnight, chances are good you will have battery for your entire stay. If both plugs are in use, just wait an hour or so and you’ll have your turn.
It isn’t often that I will describe a trip as idyllic, but this was an idyllic trip. We spent our days like this: I would rise before the sun, walk down to the ranger station and charge my phone for a bit, listen to my wonderful book, and then walk back to camp. When Steve got up, we would walk the beach or hike the trails of Cayo Costa. The trails are nice — well marked and you can’t get lost. On Quarantine Trail, there’s a cemetery that was as peaceful as every other remote cemetery I’ve ever visited. We tried to hike the Osprey Trail, but the recent rains had flooded the trail and we could not get through. After Steve walked my feet off, we’d have dinner, do our dishes, and laugh about falling asleep before the sun set. One night, Steve took my phone down to charge and it was there the next morning when I went to get it. I did a lot of walking in the dark, and loved the free feeling of being safe and alone for hours on end.
The one day that we actually sunbathed, we also gathered so many seashells that I actually ended up taking some back to the beach. The variety of shells is amazing, and we found many live shells. When I sorted them out at the campsite, I realized that even on the empty shells, some had living limpets attached, so I took those back to the beach.
Now that we are back home and finally unpacked, I cannot stop thinking about that night sky and the feeling of safety and remoteness. I am going to do a two week trip next year, from new moon to full moon, and see what magic I can work with those gentle waves and that amazing sky. Steve will come for part of the time and bring a load of fresh groceries, and we will both come home tanned and relaxed.
Steve and I are blessed with a friend, Cathy, who owns a home right on the Withlacoochee River in Yankeetown. She rents it out to us on occasion. We’ve just enjoyed a long weekend enjoying the small town charm of Yankeetown and the beautiful Withlachoochee River. Maribeth joined us so she could get a taste of kayaking on this peaceful river and the joys of Cathy’s huge back porch.
Continue reading “Yankeetown: Delightful Spot on the Withlacoochee River”
Hermit crabs! Crucifix shell! Horseshoe crab shells! Though it be small, Mashes Sands Beach is a spot that should not be missed. This sugar sand beach offers a small parking lot and such a nice portable toilet setup that I would put it in my house. A picturesque salt marsh, which was emptying into the Gulf through a small inlet in the western edge of the beach on my first visit, lines each side of the road to this beach.
Continue reading “Mashes Sands, Panacea”
New Year’s Day 2021 was amazing. We had thought to do a short guided hike at Crystal River Archaelogical State Park (read about that here), but it turned into a day of short hikes, and it’s hard to say which was our favorite!
Continue reading “First Day Hike at Crystal River, Part Two”
The panhandle is so full of beauty, and you can miss it so easily! St. Joseph State Park on Cape San Blas was not on our radar until we took a back road back to our campground and passed a sign for it. When we looked it up, we realized it was the spit of land we could see from our campsite, and decided to stop in for a few minutes to check it out before we left the area.
On the last full day of our trip, we made the turn to Cape San Blas and followed a narrow road past heavy development of a mix of beach homes and vacation houses. There are some nature trails in the area. But the farther back you go, the sparser the development, until you are in an area of sand and pine scrub. As we entered the State Park, we asked the ranger what we ask all park rangers: “What’s your favorite part of this park?” She answered, with no apparent joy, “The way it was before the hurricane.” We assume she meant Hurricane Michael and not Sally, but we did not ask because she was not at all friendly. Not expecting much of the place after this, we parked the car and climbed the boardwalk over the dune to the beach.
Continue reading “Cape St. Blas and St. Joseph State Park”