Thursday-Sunday Most Recent Post:
November 26-29, 2015 Early Thanksgiving
Bahia Honda State Park
Big Pine Key, Florida
This is a flying forward post through relatively slow days of high winds and a week-end.
THURSDAY
We’ve seen signs about “Fishing” talks in this location on the campground drive every single Wednesday. They are talks about the pelicans and ospreys. We’ve never been able to go because of David’s appointments in Key West. So when I see this out on my morning walk I’m determined to go today. But I didn’t look closely at the sign. I ASSUMED it was the same program. The only catch (pun intended) is the hook with the fish on it.
Turns out we are at the perfect program for Nancy and Bill and the other people who filled the room and love to fish. The ranger, who had only set up ten chairs since that’s how many people came to the talk yesterday, is shocked at a full house and hurriedly pulls out more and more chairs.
I guess that tells her how much more popular fishing is than birding here. She is a Native of Cuba who came over her in the 60’s and was a former commercial fisherman and charter boat captain before retiring and becoming a ranger. She really knew her stuff about fishing and about where to catch fish in this park. We enjoyed seeing the fish but she was speaking a foreign language of fishing lures and which places to go to catch specific fish. We probably would not have stayed but we’d gotten front row seats to be able to see and hear all about the birds and didn’t want to be rude by leaving. Oh well……..the moral of the story is ASSUME NOTHING and I always nearly always practice this except when I’m wanting my assumption to be true I guess..
The best part of today is a wonderful sunset. I manage to get it going down right in the middle of the old bridge. This is thanks to an empty campsite next to this one with the cute little retro trailer and the Thanksgiving turkey. I can’t decide between the distant and the close (not cropped) so you pick.
Hope your day was a wonderful one! We did our celebrating yesterday, a link to that post is at the top of this page if you didn’t see David’s thanksgiving meal of choice.
FRIDAY
This morning I take a walk down the ocean beach to the old Bahai Honda bridge and then back to the bay side cabins and campground on the other side of the new bridge..
A pelican party is underway. Squadrons are flying in, circling around and splashing down. Repeat and repeat again.
The night heron along the shore is not phased by all this activity behind him.
The wind today makes for actual waves. It also diminishes the bugs thankfully. I chuckle at these little “waves” but they are so rare that I watch them a bit and take a few pictures of different ones. Usually the water just laps the shore here in the Keys. That was something I didn’t know before I came. I also didn’t know that there were few swimming beaches and even fewer natural sand swimming beaches. I guess I expected the Keys to be similar to the Bahamas. Not sure how you can be in Paradise without wide sandy beaches.
I’m walking along and almost miss this night heron hiding in the foliage on the dune
I stand still and watch him for a while wondering what he’ll do. He eventually feels safe enough to reveal himself
Night herons almost look like different birds to me depending on whether they are standing up with their necks at full length like here or they have their “shoulders up” so that their neck disappears and they appear to be a much smaller bird. Wish he’d done that posture so I could have shown it for comparison. The seaside heron above looks a little like that but in true hunched position, the night heron appears to have no neck. All this is in my eyes of course.
Eventually he begins skulking along atop the coral rocks toward the water.
When he gets into this pose I expect him to soon strike at something. I wait and wait. Clearly I don’t have as much patience as he does so I move along not knowing what he was stalking.
I walk the beach to its walkable end and see the old bridge around the point.
From there I walk up for a better view of where they have taken a section of bridge out so no one can walk on it anymore. You can go up and out on the section on the right that is left connecting to the marina.
I mean to take these steps up to the path to the bridge but get distracted remembering that I have never really looked at the bridge information displayed on four interpretive signs. So I walk up one side of the path and down onto the other side forgetting all about the bridge and its great views.
I get so busy reading and listening to the information here that I don’t take a distant picture of the 4 panels themselves and their location at the foot of the path up to the old bridge and across from the nature center.
Very interesting information and pictures about the building of the railroad from 1905 to 1912 by Henry Flagler who linked Key West with the rest of the country. Here’s an early steam train picture. What a marvel this must have been at that time.
And then comes the 1938 hurricane that devastated the middle keys with 200 mph winds and 20 foot waves. Many deaths including an entire camp of WWI veterans working there. The tracks were not rebuilt but with the rise of the automobile a road was put on top of the rail structure. I’m not sure how I’d feel about driving over this.
I also learn that in 1962, you could rent a campsite at Bahia Honda for $2.06. Of course there was no electricity until 1965.
By 1978 campsite costs had gone up to a whole $5. Park entry was $.25. You could buy a gallon of gas for $.63 and gallon of milk for $1.71. Today campsites are $38.50 this year unless you are an over 65 resident of the Florida. Then you get a 50% discount. That seems VERY generous to me. Many states give much smaller discounts to residents such as the 10% given in Virginia which will barely pay the taxes on your site.
From there I walk back to the campground road and through the edge of the campground to the road to the cabins. I walk under the LOW bridge you saw Ruby squeak under with the kayaks in the Busted Snorkeling post. Pretty sure this is the lowest bridge I have ever seen. I wonder even if all SUVs can get under there. Limbo for vehicles I guess
From there, I look back and see the other side of the little Retro with the Thanksgiving Turkey standing guard. Pretty sweet spot.
When I reach the cabins after walking along the road parallel and right next to highway 1, the boys are out fishing. From what I saw on our illegal snorkel, they should be able to catch some grunts.
The small 8 site campground is completely full as you would expect on this Thanksgiving week-end.
I’m looking for Bill and Nancy’s fishing site. I walk past the last campsite on the far end and find this little trail off to the right.
At first it is a closed in path but it soon opens out and then opens up to the water.
Lots of detritus, both new and old, on this windy day and waves even on the gulf.
There’s a nice view of the cabins back over my left shoulder. Looking the other direction, I don’t recognize the spot Nancy was talking about when she described seeing snorkelers but then her eyes are light years better than mine.
I retrace my steps back to the campground having picked up almost all of my 10,000 steps this morning. I take one more shot of this cute little RV about two sites down from Winnona. It too has a guard.
Saturday
This morning I walk from the campground on the road to the far day use area beach.
You can’t walk the ocean front from the campground area more than a very short distance unfortunately.
On the road, I walk through the Sandspur campground, to the day use area and then down onto the ocean beach.
I take the beach to the fallen palm and back.
I don’t take my camera, I am just walking.
I see another wonderful pelican party like yesterday.
It’s Saturday so we stay close to home and let the week-enders have it.
We play dominos.
I get skunked.
No pictures of that either.
A day without using my camera.
I like it.
Sunday
Today is moving day. We leave Bahia Honda around 12:30 since we cannot check in to Curry Hammock until after 1:00. We learned that the last time we park hopped and arrived at 11:30.
We don’t set up much in site 5 because even in the afternoon, the no-see-ums are awful.
They bite David but they do make him itch. He just finds them annoying. Seems this is the case for others also, but they eat me alive and I itch until I’m nearly scratching my skin off. I’ve tried antihistamines, they don’t work. Tried Skin so Soft, it doesn’t work. I think DEET is the only thing that will keep them at bay and I really don’t want that going through my skin pores into my body. We have enough cancer in this pair of people.
At this point, just something to shut off the itching would be a wonder. A REALLY HOT shower will calm it down for a few hours but too many of those and my skin begins to flake from the dryness.
Here’s our set up a few days later. With the bugs, the screen room is the only thing we put out. Very glad they have a little patio off to the side for it on this site.
Never having been to Curry Hammock, when I made this reservation I went against my best judgment and booked site 5 rather than site 15 which I could also have had at that time. Big mistake since although 15 is smaller and we would have had to squeeeeeze in, it’s on the water and thus “potentially” might have fewer bugs and more of a breeze.
But hind sight is 20/20 and I had no idea the no-see-ums would be so bad this late in the year.
I’m a little bit closer to caught up with this jump forward. It takes me to my next post about Monday when we are shut out of snorkeling again on a perfect day and for a for a scary reason.
Thirty-six years in Florida cured me for life! The bugs, the heat and the humidity just drained all of the fun out of it for me. I don't remember that it was so bad when I was a kid, but as an adult . . . OY! I guess we move faster than bugs when we are kids. ;->
ReplyDeleteVirtual hugs,
Judie
I'm thinking we will purchase a screen tent for our Florida Adventure. . .Dave is not excited about it, as it means one more things to pack awa. . .but I'm thinking we will need it for bug avoidance. . .I love to sit outside. . .
ReplyDeleteIt is 17 degrees and too icy to walk here, but no problems with " no see ums ". Oh why did I come back in Winter.....
ReplyDeleteYears ago we stayed at Long Key SP in November. No-see-ums were so bad we left early and headed to Key West where we got a room. I wondered if you were having trouble with them. Just another reason we can't get excited about spending a winter in FL! But I do miss the pelicans.
ReplyDeleteDifferent strokes for different folks! If I have to be at the ocean I would prefer big rocks than wide stretches of sand. I never did like walking on sand. I can enjoy photos of the sea, but I'll take the mountains any day.
ReplyDeleteWell, I am so pleased you went to the fishing program and can't wait to get a copy of all your notes about where the best fishing spots are and what we can catch there;o)) I never saw that sign when we were there;o((
ReplyDeleteYou did find our favorite fishing hole out past the cabins. We only fished there when the winds were from the North or East so we never saw all the grasses. You do have to fish by the winds and tides as all the coast lines change dramatically on a daily basis. Since we love fishing versus beachcombing, the keys is a Paradise for us!!!
Bugs seem to bother Bill a whole lot more than me. He swells up and gets red with any bite. He started using the liquid bandage when he had all the chigger bites and it really helped. Now he uses it on any bite. Of course, that's only good after you are bitten and it would be nice to prevent bites.
ReplyDeleteThe sunset shots are amazing, and you do so beautifully in photographing the birds.
ReplyDeleteTough choice on the two bridge pics, I have to agree with you and like both of them equally. Love the silly pelicans! The night heron is a strange looking one, too bad he didn't hunker so we could see his other self :-) I'm still so surprised by the lack of walking beach, although I did know about the yucky bugs. Such cute little retro trailers - especially the one in the sweet waterfront spot. Less than $40 is about half what I thought those sites went for. We paid that for state parks on the Pacific Coast all summer. Lovely that you're nearly caught up, but the quality of the posts is why I'm here, not the quantity :-)))))
ReplyDeleteMaybe that fishing program would be good for me. In all the times I've gone fishing in my life, I've only caught two things, my thumb and my butt (don't ask). I'm better off leaving fishing to Nancy and Bill.
ReplyDeleteThose retro trailers are pretty cute, I guess what's old is new again. :c)
I like the more distant view as it includes more of the wonder in the wonderful sunset, I also love your picture of the wave splashing up on the coral gulf side with the serpentine mounds of red and green detritus lining the shore so nicely. Glad you have such great walks in the morning.
ReplyDeletePretty funny that you had front row seats at the wrong program -- that's one time that being in the back row would be beneficial (so that you could leave unobtrusively). The no-see-ums are driving me crazy, too, as you know -- and I refuse to use DEET. At least they aren't bad when we're out in the kayak! Or when it's raining. :-)
ReplyDeleteAs for the sun set picture, I think I prefer the distant shot. Kinda puts the sun in perspective with the bridge.
ReplyDeleteNo-see-ums are a pain in the derriere. Some people have a much worse reaction than others. We have them here in Cedar Key near sunset so I've asked the locals what they use. Believe it or not, Toasted Sugar Bodycology body spray from WalMart works pretty good, smells good and no DEET. Of course, it only works for about 30 minutes, but that's better than nothing.
Syl
So now you know more about fishing than you ever wanted. I love both shots of the centered sun. I typically run out of patience with birds. I too had a misconception of the Keys including endless white sand beaches. When I was there in the mid 70s it was hard to find a beach, or places to camp. I'd like the warmer weather but it seems too crowded. Sorry to hear you're once again dealing with no-see-ums.
ReplyDeleteHate the no-see-ums. Enjoyed pictures of the pelicans - especially the submerged one. Very few swimmable beaches but plenty of other things to do in the Keys that make up for the lack of sand.
ReplyDeleteThanks for pointing out that sites on the water would have less bugs. Good to know in case we ever get down that way. Avoiding bugs is a must for me since I'm allergic to insect repellent. Love those little campers!!
ReplyDelete