This weekend we launched the kayaks at the end of Cove Road and kayaked over to the St. Lucie Inlet Preserve State Park to see if there were any treasures washed up on the beach after the hurricane. We were ready for crowds, since it was the weekend, but what a surprise we had!
People? What people? Treasures? What treasures?
There was not a soul in sight in either direction, and the beach was wiped clean of everything but some broken shells. In fact the beach looked bigger than last year, and I asked Ranger Ted if all the sand that eroded elsewhere ended up there. He said that this summer they renourished the beach with more sand and planted sea oats to help with erosion. Some of the sand had started to erode, but then with Nicole, it ended up being deposited back. Except for the fact we found no treasures, it was spectacular! We walked all the way up to the inlet to see if any of the improvements that were proposed last year had been done, but everything remained the same. The water is still quite brown and stirred up from the storm, plus the Gulf Stream is over 20 miles offshore at the moment, so the water isn't as clear as normal on an incoming tide.
This reddish egret was hanging out on the jetty rocks, along with several pelicans, and I caught him mid-flight taking off. Its pink and black beak really stood out.
We normally enjoy the 3/4 mile hike (each way) to the beach on the boardwalk, but we knew we would be wiped out with the sun and walking in soft sand on the beach, so we accepted a ride from Ranger Ted in his extended golf cart tram that runs on weekends. Thankfully, he just happened to be waiting at the beach on our way back too. Our water and lunch were in the kayaks, and we were ready for them when we got back. We sure are glad we didn't let the threat of crowds keep us away.
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