“Because there’s nothing more beautiful than the way the ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline, no matter how many times it’s sent away.”
Sarah Kay, writer
The
day after driving from our beloved Augusta, Georgia for our vacation
in Titusville, Florida, we decided to go and explore Canaveral
National Seashore. We packed up the car for the day with an ice chest, bathing
suits, beach towels, and plenty of sunscreen and bug spray and headed
across The Max Brewer Bridge which crosses over the Indian River
Lagoon towards the park. This bridge is considered one of the best
places to view a launch from Kennedy Space Center.
Once
on the other side of the bridge, we drove through a scenic marshy
area when low and behold, got a great view of a launch site at
Kennedy Space Center at the southern end of this barrier island.
There is an easy pull over to check it out at parking lot number one.
We
continued down the road till we came to the entrance station for the
park and stopped to pay. It cost $20 per car to enter and the pass
last seven days. We asked about if they offered a military discount.
We were surprised and pleased to be told they did and didn’t
charge us anything. The park ranger gave us our pass and we were
told to enjoy our day. It had rained right before entering the park
so the park was very quiet that day especially for a Sunday.
Canaveral
National Seashore is nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian River and is the largest area of undeveloped land on the east coast of Florida. This park has a 24 mile long beach and the southern area, where we were, is also called Playalinda Beach. We drove down this narrow stretch of land surrounded by sand dunes, sea oats, sea grapes, wild flowers, and other flora that is native in this area.
We
passed the first couple of parking lots as they were difficult to
cross over with our ice chest since they had high boardwalks. There
was steps or handicap ramps but we just figured there might be easier
access further into the park. We kept on driving until we found
easier access and stopped, loaded up, and headed to the beach. The
beach was near empty and gorgeous. There were only a handful of
people sitting on the beach and it was so peaceful. We got set up
and felt the water which was at least 83 degrees and felt great.
The water was rough though since the hurricane Henri was brewing way
off shore and bringing in some good size waves.
Relaxing
on the beach was wonderful. We observed little sand crabs poking
their heads up looking for food and running from the incoming surf.
We watched the pelicans soaring overhead and diving straight down
into the sea for their food. Many small snowy plovers running in a
group on the beach as well as plenty of seagulls, pigeons, and
Sandpipers. The sounds of the surf and the birds sounding off was
just what we needed to relax. A fisherman came later and set up his
fishing gear down the beach some and later ended up pulling in a
small shark. Even with the heat of an August day, the breeze
blowing off the sea, felt pretty good.
We
made sandwiches and enjoyed a drink before heading further down the
narrow road towards the end of the park. All the parking lots only
had up to five or six cars till we got to parking lot 13. We saw
the warning signs that number 13 is a nude beach. You couldn’t get
a parking spot there. They were full up. Just passing by we saw a
naked man strutting to car like it was normal to walk around naked.
It seemed so odd to see. Oh my. Parking Lot 13 is also where you
park to go primitive camping.
We
were lucky enough to see a few tortoises munching away on the grass
next to the road. We enjoyed how pristine this area was and so
natural with no hotels, restaurants, or any modern conveniences.
Even the bathrooms were primitive with no running water. We enjoyed
the southern part of the park.
Later
that week, we headed up to New Smyrna Beach and headed to the
northern part of the park which is known as Apollo Beach. You can
not get to Apollo Beach from Playalinda Beach by vehicle. They are
independent from each other. We stopped at the entrance gate, told
the ranger that Joe was a veteran, and this time she gave him a card
that gets us into any National Park for free through August 2022.
How wonderful and we were very grateful.
After
entering this part of the park, there was a sign for The Turtle Mound
which is where the Timucuan people lived from 800 – 1400 CE. They
lived mainly off oysters and fish. After they ate the oysters, they
threw the oyster shells in a pile. That pile got to be 600 feet long
and 50 feet high and is the largest of the shell middens anywhere in
Florida. As a matter of fact, the ancient sailors used the Turtle
Mound as a navigational tool since it can be seen from seven miles
out at sea.
We got out of the car and walked up the boardwalk to to top of the mound
where you have great views of the ocean and well as Mosquito Lagoon.
The path was surrounded by tropical plants and was lovely. The views
from the top were gorgeous and when you looked down from the
boardwalk, there were plenty of shells still visible.
Once
again, we headed to the beach and again saw many different birds and
got to see one of the most beautiful, deserted, ever changing and
unspoiled beach on the east coast of Florida. Thousands of sea
turtles come here to lay their eggs each year. This park has 57,662
acres and is home to over 1,000 plant species and more than 300 bird
species. We discovered that at the end of the northern park is also
a nude beach.
If
you are into nature; this is your place. It is lovely and
relatively unchanged for years and years. If you like primitive
camping, you can buy a permit and head out on foot to camp. The
night sky must be incredible. We enjoyed our time here and will be
back.
Till
next time. Bye for now.
