Since July is National Parks and Recreation Month, it seemed like a good time to visit one of our favorite local parks. So on Sunday, Ron and I took the boat out to Caladesi Island. There is something for almost everyone at Caladesi. In addition to the beach (voted America’s Best Beach by Dr. Beach in 2008), there are picnic shelters, a 3-mile nature trail, kayak rentals, and lots of wildlife. You can spot all kinds of sea birds – herons, egrets, skimmers, osprey - as well as gopher tortoises, dolphins and an occasional manatee. The beach is also an important habitat for nesting loggerhead turtles. Three nests have been built on the island this year.
One of the park's nicest amenities is the 108-slip boat dock with hookups for water and electric service. Back when some of our friends had larger boats, we used to spend the night out on the island. After the sun went down, all the other boaters would sit out on the dock and share their beer and stories. There are no strangers among boaters. Ron’s and my goal is to have a boat big enough to spend the night on Caladesi. One day…
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| a shy tortoise |
July isn’t over yet. Spend a day at one of your favorite parks!
Travel Tips: Caladesi Island is only accessible by boat. If you don’t have your own boat, you can take the Caladesi Connection ferry (http://www.caladesiferry.org). The ferry departs from Honeymoon Island and costs $14 for adults and $7 for children aged 6 through 12.
That gopher turtle makes me giggle!
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