Once we got to the park, it was play time. We biked around, checked out all the camp sites, had lunch at the dock and then rented kayaks. Here's Kathy showing off her stroke. While it looks like she is in the middle of the ocean, if you look again at the marine map, you can see the water depth was probably somewhere between 1 to 3 feet. You could see the bottom the entire time.
There is a small island a little over 1/2 mile off the beach that you can paddle out to. Here is the view back toward the mainland. You can see the old railroad bridge. Many sections of the railroad were turned into biking paths, but other sections have gaps in them to allow boats to pass.
The island only has two trees on it. We took some time to explore all the little tide pools and saw some really colorful tropical fish. We shared the island with three guys who came out by boat to do some snorkeling and three other kayakers who paddle over from shore.
As we paddled back to the mainland, we watched a kite surfing lesson. Keeping that kite up is not as easy as it looks. Until you master the kite, you can't get on the board.
We took a break in a cove in the middle of the island and had a lovely chat with a couple from Marion, Massachusetts (near Cape Cod) who were staying in the State Park Campground. By the time we got back to port, the wind had picked up and we got tossed around a bit - what fun.
We had so much fun that we totally forgot the watch and camera attached to our life jackets. We got about a mile on our bicycle return from the park before we remembered them and had to turn around and peddle back to retrieve them. Luckily, the shop owner spotted them and called our cell. He held them for us until we returned. He's used to dealing with retired people. :)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=benNptPSDng&t=857s
ReplyDeleteCome on...Take a ride!!
This video is a cool and unique view of the Florida Keys, Bahia Honda State Park and the awe inspiring, astounding power of Mother Nature! Traversing the Park on bike it shows a side by side, before and after comparison of most areas of the park accessible by a typical visitor. In the span of just a few hours, the landscape of the park was changed, probably forever. The pre-Irma video was taken 6 months before Irma, early March 2017. The post-Irma video was shot 6 months after in early March 2018. Looking at photos of the park shortly after the hurricane it is awesome to see how much has already been accomplished by the Park system as far as the rehab... with much more soon to come. Even after the Irma, Bahia Honda is still one of the most naturally beautiful State Parks in the entire country. The fastest way for recovery is for you to visit....Don't hesitate, a little bit beat up and bruised but it's all still here.