Today was the day the dinghy finally left the upper deck. We had upgraded our inflatable over the summer, but had not yet christened it. It felt good to put on the flip flops and hop in. The morning was clear and warm as we zipped into No Name Harbor to tie up and stretch our legs. The protected basin was still full of boats, confirming our decision to stay put outside with a little more room. Having been here last year, we knew the trail to hit. We walked along Biscayne Bay and enjoyed the sunshine. Barry made some calls and we watched Crossroads from afar as she bobbed in the lighter blue water. Bill Baggs State Park has a good supply of "lizards" of all sizes. Tiny ones held on tight to railings. Huge iguanas crawled across the sandy path in front of us.
The goal of today's walk was to climb the 112 steps and 95-feet of the Cape Florida Lighthouse. We surveyed it from several angles on the ground before going vertical. This year we could go all the way to the top and get a look at the lens. Surprisingly, it is not a Fresnel. The view from the balcony was spectacular. First we looked back on our anchorage in Biscayne Bay.
From the other side of the tower the view was of the Atlantic Ocean. We descended and headed to the beach sand. We walked around the point and back north to the park entrance. The waterside restaurant beckoned us to stop for lunch. We watched boats come and go before we left and headed back to Crossroads. Afternoon showers kept us inside, but the clouds moved out enough for us to see the slighly-less-than-full moon rising over the water.
The dinghy is down and ready for us to do more of the same tomorrow. The forecast is still holding for a Friday departure to Bimini.
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