Breaking Out Our Walking Shoes

Governor's Harbour   

The government dock was busy this morning as two new supply ships arrived. The large boats actually sneak in without a sound, its the sound of forklifts and heavy equipment moving the cargo that signals the arrivals. We left Crossroads at 9:00 and headed to shore for an early start on our walking adventure. The tide was almost high when we anchored the dinghy knowing we would not return until low tide. We left the dinghy in knee-deep water and came ashore hoping we had left it out far enough out where it would float all day. We quickly changed from our water shoes to sneakers. Our first destination was two miles uphill and comfortable walking shoes were required. Up Buccaneer Hill we went then turned south and continued on Banks Road until we came to ornate gate at the entrance to the Leon Levy Native Plant preserve. The preserve is operated by the Bahamas National Trust (BNT) -- the same organization that overseas the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park and 30 other national parks across The Bahamas. A well-manicured driveway led into the welcome center at the edge of the 30-acres of natural habitat. 

We paid our admission fee, received our map, and hit the trails. Our first destination was the Freshwater Wetland. This area began life as an old cistern and was converted to a freshwater oasis. Turtles swam amongst the fringed water lilies which were in full bloom.  

A display garden featured several species of cacti. The bright red bloom of the scurgeons needle was quite obvious against the green background. The trail then led to a replica Lucayan hut. We stepped inside to get a closer look at the construction of the thatched roof. The Edible History Garden was quite a treat with specimens of guava, limes, plums, tamarind, noni. Several of the fruit trees were loaded and worthy of pictures -- sour soup, plantain (with bloom still intact), and mango. We took the Tower Trail and climbed to the top of the observation tower. Rustic benches were placed throughout the park and provided a good spot to check the map. 

My favorite area was along the Epiphyte Trail where four species of bromeliads and eight species of orchids were found. Epiphytes grow on the surface of another plant, but get their moisture and nutrients from the air without causing damage to their host. The epiphyte secures itself by wrapping its "arms" around the host. We saw a few orchids, but none were blooming. Interesting fact Number 1 that I learned today is that vanilla is actually an orchid and its long, slender, fleshy pods are essential for the manufacture of vanilla flavoring. The trails were not all about plants. We heard many birds, saw several lizards, and walked through many spider webs. Luckily this monster spider had its web off-trail. Interesting fact Number 2 is that the lingnum vitae is the national tree of The Bahamas and is commonly used as a tea for body pains. Interesting fact Number 3 is that there are no rivers or freshwater lakes in islands of The Bahamas. The sole source of natural freshwater is collected rainfall and The Bahamas receives about a quarter of its annual precipitation from tropical storms. Our two-hour walking tour brought us back to the welcome center where we chatted with a BNT guide for a few minutes about our experience in the preserve and the other parks that we visited earlier in our trip.

Our exit from the park coincided with lunchtime. Our second destination was a quarter mile down the road at Tippy's beach-side restaurant at Pineapple Fields Resort. The view of the beautiful French Leave Beach combined with delicious food keeps us coming back. We actually sat inside their open-air dining area to get a break from the sun, but the scenery did not change. After finishing our meals it was time to get our traditional Tippy's photo,

I then removed my sneakers and took a stroll along the beach which was actually quite rocky in many areas. The high mid-day sun left no doubt that this was pink sand beneath my feet. I was in my happy place and could have kept walking along the surf for a much longer time, but turned back to meet up with Barry at Tippy's.

Time to put the sneakers back on and start the walk back to the other side of Eleuthera. Going in this direction, we paid more attention to the roadside scenery. Large estates were guarded by impressive walls, gates, and security cameras. Others houses had simple driveways with clever names. We spotted several berries along the way, but our brief introduction to poisonous plants at the preserve, did not cover these specimens. We figured it was best just to leave them be. We were very familiar with the many towering coconut palms featured in multiple landscapes.. 

A few odd-shaped pine trees were sprinkled in with the palms. It seemed to take forever on the uphill direction of Banks Road, but we eventually made it to Haynes Avenue and the downhill portion of our trip. We stopped at The Buccaneer Club for some water before crossing the road to find the dinghy. The water level dropped as anticipated, but we did not have to drag the dinghy too far to get it floating again. We were hot and tired when we got back on Crossroads. I laughed that we could both use some of that lingnum vitae tea for body pain. I went to the flybridge and enjoyed the breeze and view while reading. I may have even nodded off a time or two. After a light dinner we went back to the upper deck and listened to the church congregation's singing as we watched the sun descend to a cloudless horizon. We were even treated to a green flash.