Showtime #1

It's showtime for us down here in the south. Last weekend we went to the annual Wheels Across the Pond car show which had a huge turnout. I already have forgotten what many of the vehicles were, but they are still kewl and the photos are worth posting. I do know my favorite Amphicars and Metropolitans though!

The most interesting display was this 1915 B.S.A. Motor Bicycle that the owner imported and had all the paperwork from throughout its life.

Here are the rest of my photos of unique vehicles:

What made the day even more special were the bagpipers that circled the park during the show. 

What an awesome venue, and more shows to follow, so check back here soon!

Bravo!

Bravo Carol and Dave for making it back to Lake Worth Inlet's Peanut Island, and 'Bravo Eugenia' for being in the Port of Palm Beach for us to see! Built by Oceanco in 2018, 'Bravo Eugenia' is over 357 ft. in length and belongs to businessman Jerry Jones, who is the owner of the Dallas Cowboys (this megayacht is named after his wife). 

We weren't sure we were going to make it back to the island with our schedule and the increasing wind, but we chanced it yesterday. When we arrived at the Blue Heron Bridge and launched the kayaks, it was already blowing 15 mph from the south, which was the direction we were headed. Between that and the incoming tide against us, it was a long and wet trip until we got into the calm lee of the island. When we arrived, it was time to relax and eat our picnic lunch (you can tell it is South Florida when the boats with 4 outboard motors seems normal).

However, as you can see, we certainly were not alone! Note to self: Don't go there right after Easter! 😉 We have never seen so many people on the beach and in the water, thanks to the shuttles from the mainland and tour boats. It was just like being in the Caribbean with the huge boats bringing tourists in (notice the Tropic Lure freight boat headed out the inlet).

Dave wasn't optimistic about snorkeling, but he went and was amazed that the conditions were a 10 with clear water, no jellyfish, and lots of fish. Meanwhile I walked the 1 1/4 miles around the island. The port was busy, including a large Sportfishermen being towed out the inlet by two Sea Tow boats.

I also took one of the paths less traveled and came across a bunch of iguanas. They were hiding from most of the popular spots due to all the people around.

Plus, the trip wouldn't be complete without a derelict vessel...

After Dave got back from snorkeling, we took another walk around the island so that he could see the port and megayacht. What was nice was that despite the influx of people, everyone was well behaved and there was very little loud music played. We had a very fast trip back to the truck in Phil Foster Park, and barely had to paddle going downwind. We saw stingrays, turtles, and even several Cushion Sea Star starfish, just like the Bahamas. This was a perfect example of "going out on a high note."

😎

The Golden Egg

What a way to spend early Easter Sunday! We kayaked over to the St. Lucie Inlet Preserve State Park, walked the 3/4 mile boardwalk to the beach, and made the first footprints in the sand for the day. We decided to split up and Dave combed the beach to the north and inlet, while I headed south. What a surprise to find this Golden Easter Egg that had just washed up. It was empty, but that's okay, like my sister told me, it's a good representation of the empty tomb and what Easter stands for. 

When I met up with Dave again, he had his own treasures to show me, including another cowrie shell and a whole sand dollar, which is rare to find, since they usually break up in the surf. Sand dollars also have a religious meaning, so it was almost like we had our own private sunrise service.

Happy Easter!

Uninvited Guest

While we were at our favorite restaurant overlooking the Fort Pierce Inlet today, we had an uninvited guest sit next to us at our table. It remained there patiently awaiting a morsel for most of our lunch, until it started 'yelling' at us and I shooed it away. 

Obviously other diners have fed the birds, but no way were we going to, with its friends in the Palm trees, waiting to descend on us. We call them Florida birds because their loud screeching call is what we always hear as soon as we arrive in Florida, when we get out of the vehicle at a gas station or rest area. Officially they are called Boat-tailed Grackles. It's hard to believe that in about a month though, we will be listening for the Robins up north! 

😎

The Calm Before the Storm

In keeping with our early morning kayak adventures, we paddled from Fort Pierce's Jaycee Park on the Indian River, north to Faber Cove and back. The calm and quiet was amazing!

We are so glad we did this spur of the moment quick trip, because now the wind and rain has kicked in again. My lawn is loving it though, and it sure is better than the 8 - 12+" of snow predicted for up home and Ticonderoga. It's not time to migrate back north yet!

😎

Singer Island Backwaters

With a northeasterly wind, we decided to do some new kayak exploring. Dave came up with the brilliant idea of paddling the backwaters near Singer Island (North Palm Beach area) and go out to Munyon Island. This was another nostalgic tour for us since we had been there from Palm Beach with our Yamaha Waverunners about 35 years ago. Kayak launching was at John D. McArthur State Park, and amazingly, with all our history in the area throughout the years, we had never been there. They rent kayaks and paddle boards, but since we had our own, we found a small access spot. 

The park is large with trails, including a long walk over this bridge to the beach (we did notice there is a golf cart tram for those who want to ride). 

Munyon Island is part of the park along the Intracoastal Waterway, but the backwaters are very shallow.

On the west side of the island there are protected docks from ICW boat wakes. This is looking south towards the Blue Heron Bridge and Peanut Island:

Lunch on the beach:

We found a walkway that led to a couple of picnic pavilions. On the second picture the dark blob is a spider and web that I almost ran into. 

The walkway was blocked off after about a  quarter mile, so we turned around, but found out why when we started paddling again.

What a find washed up on the beach! It was a a scuba tank and it even still had air in it. Dave put it above the high tide line so nobody would hit it.

Our trips wouldn't be complete without finding a derelict vessel:

On the east side of the island we found several of these horseshoe crabs, which we normally only see on the west coast of Florida. Although this large one was dead, we also saw a couple of them mating in the water, which is a good sign. 

We found some shade in the mangroves and it was a such a different view looking out from this island, with all its nature, towards the condos of Singer Island.

Munyon Island has lots of history and actually had a resort on it in the early 1900s. All we found that was left of it was a seawall and entrance column on the south side of the island.

Here is a link to an interesting article about the history:

 https://palmbeach.floridaweekly.com/articles/a-souvenir-of-floridas-nearly-forgotten-past/

It certainly was another '10' kayak excursion and we are making up for lost time from earlier this winter. 

Serenity Now

Our third morning kayak trip was to Peck Lake in the Intracoastal Waterway. We beat the crowds to Jupiter Island and had the ocean beach all to ourselves. There were lots of boats in the lake itself (really just a wide spot in the ICW) but it sure was serene overlooking the cruising fleet. We imagined ourselves cruising again, but then all the boat wakes started and we laughed and were glad we sleep on land!

This schooner was a beauty though, but really rocked in the waves.

After"serenity now" comes "insanity later" (thanks Seinfeld 😉), which is what must have happened with high winds and this sailboat that dragged anchor back in the mangroves. 

We do seem to find all the derelict boats, don't we? That's the fun of kayaking and getting in all the places most people don't and can't go. 

😎