Our morning walk took us south of the marina to the Bimini Nature Trail. We were greeted by a few cheery yellow flowers and followed excellent signage around the one mile loop. First up was the Pirates Well, a tribute to the many similar fresh water wells dug here during prime pirate activity in the 18th Century. "Do Not Touch" signage hung from many Poison Wood trees. The tree is related to Poison Sumac and Poison Oak and has sap that can cause severe skin irritations. We deemed it much safer to examine the many palms.
At the back of the trail loop and overlooking Shell Beach and the Atlantic Ocean stood the ruins of Percy Cavill's Conch House. Cavill was an Australian Olympic gold-medal swimmer who lived on the island in the 1930s. Another tree of note was the Gum Elemi, or Tourist Tree. It was so named because someone once believed its peeling bark resembled the skin of someone who had been out in the sun too long. A huge termite nest caught our eye before we spotted the sign touting their importance to the ecology for digesting dead and decaying plants. Morning glories were full and bright in the shade of the understory. We circled back to the entrance by passing through stands of Austrailian Pines, Mangroves, and Coconut Palms. Barry found a nice coconut on the ground and carried it back to Crossroads.
The marina came into view and it began to drizzle. We crossed through the gate and it began to rain. We made it to the floating dock and it began to pour. Stuck onboard for three hours, I retreated to the pilothouse to finish up another book while Barry tackled the coconut and harvested both the milk and meat. The rain eventually stopped and the clouds moved out in time for a nice afternoon beach walk. I made it a point to locate the Conch House just above the dunes.
Interesting finds today were the claw of a blue crab. Maybe from the Chesapeake Bay? Not sure, but I was thinking of crabcakes. Several new conch shells had also washed up during the day. All have been harvested of their tasty animal and discarded back into the water. It was another beautiful walk and I had the beach all to myself.
A final trip to the beach gave us a front row viewing of a colorful sunset.
At the back of the trail loop and overlooking Shell Beach and the Atlantic Ocean stood the ruins of Percy Cavill's Conch House. Cavill was an Australian Olympic gold-medal swimmer who lived on the island in the 1930s. Another tree of note was the Gum Elemi, or Tourist Tree. It was so named because someone once believed its peeling bark resembled the skin of someone who had been out in the sun too long. A huge termite nest caught our eye before we spotted the sign touting their importance to the ecology for digesting dead and decaying plants. Morning glories were full and bright in the shade of the understory. We circled back to the entrance by passing through stands of Austrailian Pines, Mangroves, and Coconut Palms. Barry found a nice coconut on the ground and carried it back to Crossroads.
The marina came into view and it began to drizzle. We crossed through the gate and it began to rain. We made it to the floating dock and it began to pour. Stuck onboard for three hours, I retreated to the pilothouse to finish up another book while Barry tackled the coconut and harvested both the milk and meat. The rain eventually stopped and the clouds moved out in time for a nice afternoon beach walk. I made it a point to locate the Conch House just above the dunes.
Interesting finds today were the claw of a blue crab. Maybe from the Chesapeake Bay? Not sure, but I was thinking of crabcakes. Several new conch shells had also washed up during the day. All have been harvested of their tasty animal and discarded back into the water. It was another beautiful walk and I had the beach all to myself.
A final trip to the beach gave us a front row viewing of a colorful sunset.
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