We
did some serious sleeping-in today and didn’t get up until after 8:00 am. After
breakfast in the RV and getting ready we had a nice walk along the beach. The weather was mild, not too windy, with
periods of sun and clouds. We found lots of shells, saw many birds including
great herons, gulls, and others we couldn’t identify, and passed a few other
people along the way. The island is very
narrow at this end and you can easily see the bay from the top of the small
dunes close to the beach.
The
park includes 9 miles of undeveloped beach and dunes surrounded by the Gulf of
Mexico and Apalachicola Bay. The park occupies 1,962 acres and is a combination
of sandy coves, salt marshes, shady pines, and oak forests. There is an
abundance of wildlife and the island is a rest stop for many species of birds
migrating in the spring and fall. The
island is also a breeding ground for Loggerhead Sea Turtles who start coming
ashore in April to hatch their eggs.
Nighttime restrictions on beach lighting are in effect from April 1st
to October 31st because the turtles use moonlight to reach the ocean
after being born. Other lights confuse
the turtles and interfere with the process of returning to the ocean. We were told that only a small percentage of
the new turtles ever reach the ocean due to predators, mostly sea birds, getting
them along the way. Even after reaching
the ocean, many more are lost to predators there. The good news is - lots of baby turtles survive
and they keep coming back each year to continue the cycle. The island is also a nesting place for shore
birds that rear their young in the summer months.
The
State of Florida has done an excellent job with their state park system. It appears to be well funded, well
maintained, and dedicated to providing many recreation opportunities for its
citizens and others. Their facilities
are excellent (at least at all the parks we have seen) and they have done an
outstanding job of preserving their natural heritage, especially in places like
St. George Island which unquestionably would have been totally developed with
vacation homes and condominiums. The State of California is making a huge
mistake in not supporting their state park system and the effects of not doing
so are going to be felt for years to come.
When the state finally wakes up and decides to make their park system a
priority, it may be too late to save and preserve many of the state’s
irreplaceable natural resources and recreational facilities. What a shame!
After
our beach walk, we ate lunch at a small restaurant in the town of St. George,
just off of the causeway leading to the island.
The town is very small but has a very nice visitor’s center, lighthouse,
and museum.
The
original St. George Lighthouse was built in 1833, with reconstructions in 1848,
1852, and 2008. The lighthouse was
originally built on the western tip of the island to guide ships into the port
of Apalachicola. It was difficult to see
from the eastern direction however, and was eventually dismantled. Over the years, the lighthouse was again
moved and the 1852 lighthouse was built 500 yards inland from the water’s edge.
By 1990, the beachfront had eroded down to only a few hundred feet between the
lighthouse and the water. Several
hurricanes in the early 1990’s and continued erosion finished the job and the
lighthouse collapsed in 2005 despite community efforts to shore it up. The latest reconstruction was completed in
2008 with a grant from the state and matching funds from the community and a
lot of volunteer effort. Many of the
original materials salvaged from the collapsed lighthouse have been used in the
latest reconstruction.
After
a mocha at the local coffee bar, ice cream shop, and beach gear emporium, and enduring
a lengthy discussion while waiting, between a German couple and the barista on
why their cappuccinos didn’t have more “foam” on the top, we returned to the RV
for dinner and an early to bed.
We
will head for the Tampa Bay area tomorrow.
We should be there in the early afternoon in time for Saturday night
festivities at the RV Park. We may have
to decide between bingo, line dancing lessons, or karaoke. We’ll see.
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