Taking In The Northern Sights

Thompson Bay     

With the front approaching, we got an early start on our continued rental car tour of the northern reaches of Long Island. Kelly and Richard picked us up in their dinghy at 8:30 and quickly (and dryly) got us to Basil's Dock. Nothing tames the chop in the anchorage like a heavy dinghy and a 50hp outboard. Left to our own transportation in our small dinghy, we would have spent the day aboard Crossroads. Our first stop was the newly-opened Dapple Café in Salt Pond. This was quite the happening spot and the parking lot was full. As the others' orders were being prepared I strolled through their lovely grounds and examined the many orchids blooming at eye-level. Orchids are epiphytes and grow on the trees, but do not harm them. They obtain water and nutrients from the air and rain, not the trees. With coffee orders fulfilled, we were off and made a stop at Seafarer Marine Supply so the boys could enjoy some retail therapy, and then at Hillside Food Supply for a couple quick pick-ups. This grocery store is well-stocked and moderately priced (for The Bahamas). The sun was out and small white clouds dotted the sky. We headed north along Queen's Highway, taking in the sights. Our next stop was at Stella Maris Marina to check out the narrow (and shallow) channel into their basin.  

Just like yesterday, small green roadside signs indicated when we entered each town. Pretty churches were plentiful. The northern road was in much poorer condition than the southern route. Kelly did a great job dodging and straddling large potholes. At the northernmost tip of the island, we turned onto the much-smoother Monument Road and followed it to a large parking lot. We stepped out to view the sporty Atlantic surf and were greeted by a sandstorm whipped up by the wind. We ascended the steps to another panoramic overlook of the much calmer tidal flats. 

At the top of the highest point on Long Island (and second highest in The Bahamas) sits the Columbus Monument. The statue is dedicated the original "gentle, peaceful, and happy aboriginal" Lucayan inhabitants and the arrival of Christopher Columbus on October 17, 1492. Down from the monument, we scooted over to Busted Bridge. The namesake bridge has been replaced and is in very good shape. We crossed it to a path that led through the trees to a well-protected cove.  

We all walked the length of the sandy beach. Barrier reefs and small islands kept the waves to small ripples. On the path as we headed back to the car were several large and fierce-acting land crabs. Mercifully, they let us pass without incident. We arrived at Cape Santa Maria Beach Resort for lunch just before 2:00. We admired the beautiful landscaping and view before we entered the restaurant. 

The view from our table could not be beat. Looking out on the western/lee shore of the island, the waves were minimal. Our water was served with Krispy Kreme cups, which led me to tell of the company's Winston-Salem origin. My grouper sandwich was delicious and all four of us joined the clean plate club. We spent the next few hours walking up and down the soft clean beach and out onto the sandbar. 

There were no shells and no seagrass on the beach. The sand was soft, but firm and easy to walk in. It was a pleasant surprise to see a sea star in the surf. The wind had begun to pick up intensity. We sat at an outside table and checked the weather forecast and discussed what else we wanted to see on our trip back to the dock. I spotted a couple of my favorite yellow plumeria blooms high on a tree. After a closer look, we found many more bright blooms on the ground, victims of the increasing wind.

Also on the grounds was a sea grape tree loaded with immature fruit. The large pineapple-like cones on a nearby tree caught our attention. No one had ever before seen either the cone or the odd root structure. Once we got our wi-fi back, I found it was a screw pine -- a perennial tropical tree that is salt tolerant and is used to help stabilize soil. It thrives in hot, windy areas and prefers full sun. My kind of tree. The clouds were moving in and we hit the road. One more small diversion was made back to the Atlantic shore and we marveled at the large breakers crashing the shore in the Stella Maris area.

As much as the sea state grabbed our attention, so did the large houses in the area. We made it back to Thompson Bay in time to make one more grocery store run, fuel up the rental car, and drop off all our bags at the dinghy dock. Kelly and I returned the rental car to the super-nice Mr. Fox and thanked him for allowing us to have two great days in Long Island. He walked us back to the dinghy dock where Richard and Barry had everything loaded. We quickly headed back to the boats as the day was dimming to night. Soon after we returned the wind started howling at a consistent 30 knots. So far all is good, but this blow is supposed to continue through tomorrow.