I spent most of my time in the water here. There were small waves entertaining the local surfers and tourists. I was happy to find the beach was sandy and I didn’t need shoes to avoid sea urchins. I snorkeled around a little bit and found some life. I saw a few octopuses, puffer fish, and even a sea turtle.
Every day after swimming, I would stop up to Uma’s for a drink and too much to eat. The food here was seriously so good, I visited the place three times in an effort to try everything on the menu. The boasted an amazing vegetarian menu, the best mojitos, and bartender that picked fresh fruits for drink creations on their way into work. I don’t even like food.
Found a beautiful place called Cueva del Indio. It appears in Pirates of the Caribbean and Goonies. It’s not that easy to find actually. You start in a privately owned parking lot, that looks like any other gated coastal property. You have to buy a ticket for the day and pay to park. The ticket vendors are set up between a couple of booths where you can find jewelry and touristy delights.
I think I spent half the day chasing the wildlife trying to catch a photo. There were birds, giant hermit crabs, and many types of lizards. The lizards were not really into modeling I guess. And I had to keep my shoes on because of the sea urchins.
Even found some petroglyphs among the rocks.
The views were absolutely breathtaking and I can see why movies are filmed here. The beaches are a bit too rocky for casual swimming, but it’s an amazing place to climb around and explore.
Even a place deemed safe by cliff divers. It’s jump at your own risk, but it was pretty neat to watch.
The last stop was Flagler Beach. We received a historical tour of the John Anderson Highway and Tomoka State Park area. And had a wonderful chance to check out the local wild life. My aunt and uncle live right next to a state park and encounter tons of wild life right in their own back yard.
Armadillo (aka dinosaur bunny)
I would love this to be my view every morning.
Apparently my uncle gets pretty excited about the wild life and the remains he finds lying about. He was very proud to show me the wild boar skull he found.
I was not so excited by the enormous banana spiders.
The town of Flagler Beach has grown quite a lot since I was young, but it has maintained the small beach town feel. The shops are all still thriving, everyone still congregates at the pier.
Most importantly, the beach is still beautiful. My uncle gave us some surfing lessons in the afternoon.
After the beach we went and got cleaned up and went to dinner at the Flagler Fish Company. Every bite was absolutely divine. We tried the Steamed Muscles, the Shrimp Cocktail, Blackened Grouper, Tuna Salad, Seared Tuna Steak, and Crab legs. We had the Asiago Potatoes and Green beans, the and the sauteed spinach as our sides.
After dinner it was time for a midnight swim under the full moon. My uncle took us back to the beach for a short excursion. The water was still warm and the weather perfect for a little dip to end an awesome adventure.
A few months after we left, my uncle sent this picture of the highway near the beach. The hurricane wasn’t feeling too friendly after I left.
I spent two days at Wiggins Pass State Park. I was very impressed. The beaches there were very well maintained, there was ample parking, and the vendors were kept off the beach and in the large parking areas. The bathrooms were clean and easily accessible. The water was clear and smooth as glass. It was not secluded but neither was it too busy. Of course there was perfect white sand and plenty of shells for the kids to play with. There were sea grapes, and other vegetation along the dune line instead of hotels and concrete. I would definitely visit this park again.
On day 2 I rented paddle boards and spent several hours paddling around. I sat on my board watching the storms surrounding me on every side. The rain was coming down in every direction but I was in a perfectly sunny spot. I eventually realized the current was pulling me out quickly enough to leave a wake behind the board. I had paddled out too far, gotten swept into the current, and was moving out toward sea much faster than intended. It took nearly an hour to paddle back to shore… I did not end up getting rained on, but my friends on shore did!
By the time I made it back in, my friends had already left due to the storm. So I played in the sand and found dozens of starfish.
All returned safely to the water. I feel bad for having played with them, but I was so amazed, I have never seen anything like it before or since.
We tried Bonita Springs but the water was strange and green from the draining of Lake Okeechobee. On the plus side the sand and water were teeming with life. A handful of sand could yield several dozen living mussels. Sand dollars coated the gulf floor.
Unfortunately our trip was cut short by a storm. We really didn’t want to go, so we hung on til the absolute last minute.
It rolled in pretty quickly with high winds, and heavy rain. It was absolutely beautiful to watch.
PigTailz 