Wrapping Up Mid-Bay Shores

Sunday, 19 May
Mid-Bay Shores, Maxwell-Gunter Rec Area — Niceville, Florida
Temps: Lo 69F / Hi 82F (20.5C / 28C)

Our time at Mid-Bay Shores is coming to an end.  Tomorrow, we take off for new stomping grounds.  But first, a wrap up of the past several days.

Thursday, 16 May …

We were up and out the door early to hike the nature trails at the Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park — one of the many Florida “gold medal” parks in this vicinity.  It is just 3.8 miles (6 km) from Mid-Bay Shores, so we initially planned to trike over there, but the heavy traffic on Route 20 was a deterrent.  Instead, we drove over, arriving a few minutes before they opened the gate at 8:00a. ($5 day-use fee.)

First on the agenda was a drive through the campground to check it out for a future stay.  Turns out we had to drive through part of it anyway to get to the trailhead.  Nice campsites in a heavily wooded area; private and large; several with glimpses of Rocky Bayou; $16/night for W/E.  Sorry, no photos.

Starting out with a short walk from where we parked the car to get to the trailhead, we had our choice of two loops — the Rocky Bayou Trail (6/10ths of a mile [~1 km]) and the Sandpine Trail (1 mile [1.6 km]).

a polite reminder to enjoy the woods without doing anything to harm them.

Stream restoration is in progress in this area just before the trailhead.
In part, The sign reads: “In the 1950’s this stream was dammed to create what is now called
Puddin’ Head Lake.  This artificial lake is being drained and the steephead stream is being restored.”
(Click the photo on the left for a legible version of the sign.)

I’m not sure I can say that we enjoyed ourselves.  Our displeasure had nothing to do with the lack of critters to be seen.  Rather, despite our early start, it was already hot and humid, and our walk turned into a sticky one that was far from pleasant.  Add to that the flies that kept pestering us when we stopped to read about the plants and trees from the trail guides we had picked up.  In the end, we pretty much quick-stepped our way, taking some comfort in the fact that we were at least getting some exercise.

In the restoration area, pitcher plants are making a comeback.
Located right along the edge of the bridge, the only stand of pitcher plants
we saw were hard to photograph, but I did my best to capture them anyway.

Anticipating a walk to Rocky Bayou, we first did the shorter trail, which winds through “three distinct natural communities: sand pine scrub, coastal flatwoods, and slope forest.”  The only others we came across on this trail were two birders searching high and low for the birds chirping deep in the woods; they were disappointed at the lack of sightings.

A short side trail through the coastal flatwoods leads to the estuary of Rocky Bayou.
So far, we have hiked from 10 feet (3M) above sea level to 1 Foot (30 cm) above sea level!
Wow … was that strenuous or what ;-)))

From the signage: “After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941,
Lt Col James Doolittle spent March 1942 at Eglin Field preparing his B-25 squadron
for the first retaliatory bombing of Japan. This historic 500 pound (227 kg) concrete
bomb from WWII is similar to those dropped by the B-25 bombers for training purposes.”

Sponge-like deer lichen (aka deer moss) is plentiful on the trail.
Lichens have no root system and absorb compounds from the atmosphere
for their nutrients.  Thus, their extensive presence is an indication of
good air quality.  They are also a good sand stabilizer and aid in the formation
of new soil.  The patches in the park have taken 75-100 years to develop.

Each lichen is a combination of a fungus and alga working symbiotically.  The alga
contains chlorophyll and can use the sun’s energy to make sugar, which becomes food
for the fungus.  The fungus absorbs water and nutrients from the soil and air for the alga.
[all deer lichen information from the trail guide]

Next we tackled the Sandpine Trail, which we had entirely to ourselves.  At one point, the trail splits off and one path runs by the stream, while the other one continues through the sandpine forest.  We attempted to walk the stream path, but it quickly became overgrown, so we returned to the main path to finish our walk.

Left: Bullrush gone to seed.
Right: teaberry

Can’t decide if this is a yellow-bellied slider or a Suwannee Cooter.
[park signage mentions the latter, but not the former.]

Hot and sticky after our walk, we welcomed the rush of cold air that came out of the car’s AC as we next made our way to Eglin AFB to fill the larder.  But first we went by Camp Robbins again.  I mentioned in a previous post that based on the description we had of cement pads that we didn’t think we had found the right place.  Turns out we had, and the pads in question were the small ones under the picnic tables.  It’s a rustic campground with FHU sites that didn’t look all that level to us; wi-fi coming this summer.  The real problem is that Eglin is a huge base, so this campground is quite a distance from everything.  We would probably stay here only a night or two just to do our grocery shopping and such on our way to a more conveniently located campground.

After completing our grocery shopping at the commissary, we made one more stop on base … this one at the FamCamp at Postal Point where Boggy Bayou meets Choctawhatchee Bay.  This campground is little more than haphazardly situated W/E sites in an open field; there is cable, but no wi-fi.  All the sites have expansive water-views, and the marina nearby makes it attractive for boaters and fishermen.  For us, it would make a good chill-out place.

(Sorry, no photos of either campground.)

Back home … quiet afternoon and evening to wrap up the day.

Friday, 17 May …

Hot and humid once again … good for a day at the beach.  After running some errands, we headed over to check out the Eglin Beach Park.  The FamCamp Manager had already alerted us that there was a special army event scheduled there, but we were hoping she had exaggerated the expected attendance of thousands of people.  She had not!  With the parking lot already filled to the gills, cars were parked for miles on either side of US 98.

So, we continued on to the Destin Army Rec Center to check it out for a future stay.

I’m going to have to admit that we were disappointed.  The sites were really closely spaced.  Probably not all that different from a lot of private campgrounds, but we’ve been staying in state parks and military campgrounds with some lovely sites, so this one came as a bit of a shock.  Add to that the fact that the campsites are located behind the cabins, and it didn’t take us long to decide we wouldn’t be taking advantage of the hospitality of this Rec Center.

I did manage a quick snapshot of the mural in the office before we left, so all wasn’t lost ;-)

And so we moved on to the fun part of our day and headed over to Henderson Beach State Park.  We had seen on the Destin beach cam that the gulf was choppy today, but we weren’t expecting the red flag flying at the park’s entrance.  Unwilling to shell out $6 to just sit on the beach, we drove on to one of the public beach access points.  The plan was to just take our chairs to sit and enjoy a late lunch on the beach.  But seeing the yellow flag flying on this segment of the beach, we parked at the Barracuda access path and took all of our paraphernalia with us instead.

Turns out that the public beach in this section is a narrow segment squeezed in between two private resort beaches, which had no-trespassing signs and warnings that the police would be called if someone should dare to occupy the chairs set up for their guests.  No problem; there was enough space in the public section for us to get a front row spot with a view of the rough surf.

What happened to the pond-calm water we enjoyed on Monday?

Not that the surf stopped us from going for frequent dips in the shallows.  In fact, the water was so warm that even I went for a full-dip.  No photos; Mui was in the water to give me an anchor to hang on to ;-)

No photos of us; but here’s one of the beach — beautiful despite the rough surf.

Quiet evening at home after our fun afternoon on the beach.

Saturday, 18 May …

Hot and humid ruled the day.  Disappointing because I was hoping for outside time to enjoy our site here at Mid-Bay Shores.

After chores during the first half of the day, we took off to check out one more campground located about 15 miles (24 km) from Mid-Bay Shores … one that came highly recommended by a lot of people.  Admittedly, we didn’t explore the trails or the beach at Topsail Hill Preserve, so we might have completely missed the attraction of staying here.  Those who have been … do tell what we missed!  We’re open to changing our minds.

All was not lost, however.  On the drive back home, I spotted a Bruster’s shop just a short distance before the turn-off for the Mid-Bay Connector.  Having read quite a bit about “the real ice cream” served there, we stopped to check it out.  Hmmm … hmmm … good.  Sorry no photos; it was too hot to dally with the camera.

Dinner consisted of grilled fresh grouper, which we picked up from a seafood market in Niceville yesterday.  Let me quickly disabuse anyone of the notion that Mui’s toasting a great stay at Mid-Bay Shores with a glass of milk.  Well, some do call it “lion’s milk,” but it’s more commonly known as rakı.  It is an unsweetened, anise-flavored alcoholic drink that is not dissimilar from the Greek ouzo.  I’ll take a  beer, thank you very much.

Back to today …

Dare I say that it was hot and humid … again?  Well, it was.

Today was pre-departure prep day, so we stayed home.  Since our next campground is water/electric only we took care of all the chores that require water.  Mui took advantage of the cooler morning hours to take down the screen shelter, and pack away the trikes and the tripod satellite dish.  After seeking shelter in the Phaeton during the hottest part of the day, we had a light dinner at our picnic table and went for a final walk on the beach.  Not an exciting day.

We’re not going far tomorrow … just a little over 100 miles (160 km), but the drive will take the Phaeton to a new state — the sixth one this year.  See you when we get there!

On the Water

Wednesday, 15 May
Mid-Bay Shores, Maxwell-Gunter Rec Area — Niceville, Florida
Temps: Lo 56F / Hi 81F (13C / 27C)

Mui had it in his mind to wash the coach today … it turned into a wash and wax job.

While Mui was working on the coach, I went for my morning walk on the beach.  I got a rather late start, so there weren’t many birds around.  But I did come across an American Coot not far from the boat channel at Lake Pippin.  I’ve seen coots before, but always from a distance, so I especially enjoyed the “see-the-red-of-its-eyes” close encounter.

It might swim like a duck, but The American coot is a closer relative of
sandhill cranes than of mallards.

I continued my walk around to White Point to check on the osprey family.  Mom and dad were home, but the chick was nowhere to be seen.  I didn’t wait around for junior to make an appearance as I had an assignment to take care of before the temp rose even higher.

Oakleaf Hydrangea

What did I need to do?  Rent a kayak from the campground office.  Taking advantage of Mui’s mid-morning break from coach-washing, we set out to enjoy the calm waters of Choctawhatchee Bay for a few hours.

The campground has a selection of tandem kayaks for rent for $5/hour.

Ready … set … kayak!

Not bad for a photo taken with back focus!
We really are offshore, but the water is not very deep.  How shallow is it?  See below.

Mui decides to go for a walk; and while at it, plays photographer.

Our kayak outing was lots of fun … even if we didn’t see a whole lot of birds or other critters.  Papa osprey flew over a couple of times, searching for sustenance for junior.  And there were some terns diving as well.  They looked a lot smaller than the ones I’ve seen in other places, so I was hoping they were least terns.  Sure enough, when one of them landed on the beach, I got my proof.

Least tern in breeding plumage
(as indicated by the black cap with a clean-cut white forehead chevron).

We returned home shortly after noon, had lunch, and Mui got started on the driver’s side wash and wax job on the Phaeton.  He kept at it all afternoon; by 6:00p, he was ready for happy hour.  Now that the coach is all slick and shiny, it should cut through any air resistance we encounter on the road like a hot knife through butter;-)

Meet the Pandion Haliaetus Family of Mid-Bay Shores

Tuesday, 14 May
Mid-Bay Shores, Maxwell-Gunter Rec Area — Niceville, Florida
Temps: Lo 52F / Hi 77F (11C / 25C)

Like yesterday morning, we woke up to a reading of 57F (14C) on the thermometer — just a few degrees higher than the day’s low at 6:00a.  No al fresco breakfasting for the second day in a row!  It didn’t take long for the day to warm up, however.  By the time I set off on my 1.6 mile (2.5 km) beach walk, I was happy to have a gentle breeze to cool me off as the sun continued to raise the temperature. 

Where was Mui while I was walking?  At the dentist for his 6-month check-up.  I think I got the better end of that deal ;-)

Red-breasted mergansers resting on a comfy bed of beach wrack.

My friend the great blue heron was nowhere to be found, but in addition to the mergansers, one of the green herons from a few days ago was at the boat canal to greet me.  And just a few feet away, a mourning dove flew in to look for breakfast.  Off to a good start!

Green Heron

Love the attractive blue eye-ring on the otherwise dull-colored mourning dove.

Once I reached the area fronting the campground, the birdlife dwindled.  Not good for the camera, but great to keep the pace of my walk at exercise-level.  Once I rounded White Point, my pace slowed again and the shutter clicking increased.

Comb Jelly (??) — anyone out there who can help with the ID?

I found one photo on the web that identified the above jelly as being infused with oil from the BP spill.  Sounds unlikely to me.  After all, considerable time has passed since that incident, but what do I know.  It’s creatures like this — not to mention the one in the photo below — that keep me out of the water ;-)  Actually, the shallows all along the beach were filled with hundreds of these jellies a few days ago.  We asked a couple of guys who were fishing in waist-deep water at the time and they said they weren’t stung by them, so that was a good thing.

Sea Nettle – just look at the length of those tentacles.
The tentacles contain toxins used to paralyze and capture prey.
these jellyfish also cause painful stings to swimmers.

You definitely don’t want to be swimming with the sea nettle.

The Dragonfly is one of the insects nicknamed Mosquito Hawk.

OK, ready to play a game?  It’s called find the great blue herons.  I walked by the dead tree in the center photo of the collage, saw the obvious GBH, took a photo, and walked on.  Then, I stopped and looked back, and from my new vantage point I saw another one.  Perhaps I missed that GBH the first time because it was sleeping with its head tucked into its body.  What do you get if you find both GBH?  Nothing but the satisfaction of knowing that you are an observant individual ;-)

Can you find both herons in the tree in the middle of the collage?

Now for the best part of my day — and the title of this post.  Avid birders will already know that I am referring to an osprey family.  You might recall that I came across an osprey nest a few days ago and commented that I thought there was at least one chick in the nest because of the way mama osprey was bending her head down periodically as though to feed it.  I was right, and I got to see the chick today.  From what I have read, the eggs in an osprey clutch hatch about five days apart.  So, I’ll keep an eye on the nest to see if another one (or two, or three) chicks hatch before we leave.  But this one looks more than just a few days old to me, so it just might be the only one.

Meet the Osprey Family of Mid-Bay Shores.

Since my first sighting, I’ve learned enough about ospreys to be able to identify them accurately (I hope).  The adult osprey on the branch is the male (white chest); and the adult in the nest is female (developing brown necklace on the chest).  She’s larger than he is; that’s another indicator.  Also, until the chick is six weeks old, the male does all the hunting.  No need to introduce the chick — I don’t know the gender, so I’ll refer to it as junior.

I didn’t know if I was going to be privy to any osprey action, but I decided to wait around for a while.  Rather than stand out in the open, I moved around to the other side of the nest and stood under the welcome shade of some trees.  I wasn’t trying to hide from the osprey — impossible to do that since they have such keen eyesight.  But by standing at a distance and under the trees, I was hoping to eliminate any stress they might feel from my presence.

(Apologies in advance for the clipped wings; not only was the movement sudden, but I didn’t have my DSLR camera with me.)

With mom and junior watching, papa suddenly takes off from his perch …

... drops into the nest for a second or two ...

… and takes off again for parts unknown.
Doesn’t it look like mom’s telling junior to be patient and dad will be back soon?

Mom and Junior staring me down.

The next half hour of my visit with the osprey family was uneventful.  Junior would disappear into the depths of the nest, popping up like a jack-in-the-box every so often.  Mom kept a keen eye on the goings on below her … and there was plenty of that.  Mostly anglers driving up in their cars and carrying their stuff to the beach; a few people stopping by to eat lunch in their cars.

I didn’t see papa fly back and perch on a pine tree behind me.  It was his high-pitched calls that alerted me to his presence.  And then mom joined in.  It sure sounded like they were carrying on a conversation and she was telling him to hold off returning to the nest because there were people around.

When I finally spotted papa, he was eating lunch.

At this point, I figured papa wasn’t going to return to the nest if I stuck around.  Time for me to leave so that mom could get on with the business of feeding junior, who needs to gain strength in order to fledge when the time comes.  Chicks take their first flight when they are seven to eight weeks old.  I have no idea how old junior is, so not sure when that will happen.  (Any avid birders out there have a guess as to junior’s age?)

My 1.6-mile walk took over two hours — about 1½ hours was spent with the osprey family.  Standing the entire time, and worth every minute of it.

As I left, I spotted two red-headed woodpeckers fly in and perch on the same tree where the ospreys are nesting.  One flew off right away, but I managed to capture a photo of the other one just before it disappeared into its nest hole.  (If you look above the head of the bird in the photo to the right, you’ll see the small, round hole.)

I have to say that I am delighted with the way my PowerShot SX50 HS performed today.  All of the osprey photos I shared were hand-held at full zoom.  I cropped some in post-processing with no loss of quality.  If anyone out there is considering this camera, I say “go for it.”  Just remember that it has a shutter lag, so action shots can be hit or miss.

Later …

Why later?  Because we lost power for about three hours tonight and I had to take a break from writing.  It was time to exercise the genny anyway, so we weren’t overly concerned about being without shorepower.  We ran the generator for about an hour, and then went on battery power for another two hours or so, with another short stint with the generator so Mui could run the microwave and make some popcorn to snack on while we watched a movie on TV.  We were hoping the AGM batteries would perform well — and they did; there was no appreciable drain on the batteries.  Boondocking here we come — but not right away ;-)

Over and out for today.

There Be Whales … Sugar-White Beaches … and Crystalline Waters

Monday, 13 May
Mid-Bay Shores, Maxwell-Gunter Rec Area — Niceville, Florida
Temps: Lo 52F / Hi 80F (11C / 27C)

Gotcha with the whales thing, didn’t I?

It‘s not a lie — but instead of being in the gulf waters, these whales are on a Whaling Wall painted by Wyland in 2001.

The mural, which is at the head of the Mid-Bay Connector crossing over from Destin, would actually be better described as a whaling “building” as all four exterior walls are painted with whales.

Aerial view shows the flag on the roof and the whales on two of the four walls.

In 1981 (or thereabouts), Wyland began one of the largest public art projects.  His goal was to paint 100 murals featuring life-size marine creatures … many of them whales.  As the foundation website explains:

… These murals were painted in life-size dimensions to increase appreciation and understanding for aquatic habitats and the life within. Perhaps, most importantly, they have reshaped attitudes about marine life conservation.

Located at the Mid-Bay Marina, mural #88 is 1,480 feet long x 60 feet high (451 m x 18 m).

I’ve seen several of Wyland’s walls, but this one is something else entirely.  The sheer size of it alone makes the eyes pop.  By the way, in 2008, he completed his goal of painting 100 murals …spanning five continents, 13 countries, and 79 cities around the globe.  I wish it was possible to photograph the mural without the distraction of the boats and vehicles parked around the building, but this is seldom possible with the whaling walls.

Some of the many whales depicted in the mural.

If you’d like to see the full-size versions that make up the collage, click here.

OK, on with the rest of the day.  I mentioned before that each crossing of the Mid-Bay Connector is $3 (for a two-axle car).  So we’ve been “collecting” the errands we wanted to run in and around Destin.  Today, adding some fun into the mix, we headed across the bridge to take care of business.

A: Mid-Bay Shores; B: Henderson Beach State Park; C: Eglin AFB; D: The Boathouse Landing;
E: Mid-Bay Shores.  I neglected to mark the mural wall, but just come across the Mid-Bay
Connector and look right where the bridge connects to the peninsula.

Having ordered our stops so as to minimize backtracking, stopping at the Whaling Wall viewing area was first on the day’s agenda.  Then we stopped at Home Depot and Lowe’s, before continuing over to the James Lee Public Beach Access for a day on the sugar-white sands of Destin.  That was a bust.  Not because the beach wasn’t beautiful — it was; not because the pond-calm waters of the Gulf of Mexico weren’t inviting — they were.  Rather, because it was crowded.  Well, probably not crowded by summer standards, but chairs and umbrellas were already strung along the shoreline, and we weren’t in the mood to take second chair.

Doesn’t look crowded, right?  I assure you there were no front row spots to be had.

Figuring the $6/vehicle entrance fee to Henderson Beach State Park would be a deterrent to most when there are so many free beach access points, we decided to head there for our afternoon of sun ‘n fun in the surf.  There were plenty of people there, too … but there was also plenty of real estate to be had along the shoreline, so we were happy campers.

Sherry, this one is for you … to encourage you to return to Henderson Beach someday ;-)

We put up our beach shelter, unfolded the chairs, and set about enjoying an amazing day on the beach.  A light breeze kept us cool when the sun wasn’t filtered by clouds; and the shimmering, warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico invited us to play in the water.  With the water temperature at +/- 72F (~22C), Mui lost no time in taking the plunge.  Actually, as shallow as the water is, plunging isn’t really possible, but he did get to swim quite a bit.  Even I waded in to join him.

No need for any more words … I’ll let the photos do the talking.

Compared to the areas around the public access points, it is desolate here.

Note the tootsies!  My pedi matches the sea ;-)
(pure coincidence, I assure you.)

This is my idea of enjoying the beach, but …

… while I didn’t get as wet as Mui …

… I did wade in to enjoy the clear gulf waters.  Yes; that, tiny dot is me.

Mui’s having way too much fun!

We weren’t the only ones having fun at the beach today.  Mui was swimming quite a ways out when I noticed two dolphins swimming not far from him.  Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to interpret my signs from that far out and missed his chance to swim with them.  The dolphins were too far out for me to get a decent photo of them, but I did have company in closer proximity that didn’t escape my shutter clicks.

Sandeling stand-off.
They faced off for a while before the one on the left submissively turned tail and ran off ...
(Note the difference in coloring; the one on the right is a breeding adult.)

… and this one strutted his stuff on the beach for a while.

Ruddy Turnstone sipping the sparkling waters of the gulf.

Don’t look at me like that; I have no interest in your crab!

It was difficult to pull ourselves away from the inviting beachscape, but we did so around 5:00p.  After getting cleaned up at the pavilion, we continued with the rest of our plans.  Rather than return to Mid-Bay Shores via the Connector, we took the round-about way home.  Not so much to save on the toll, but so we could stop by the FamCamp at Eglin AFB and check it out for a future stay.  We found the campground.  Or perhaps I should say we found “a campground.”  But it doesn’t fit the description we have.  Too hungry to search further, we moved on.   We’ll try again when we go to the commissary later this week.

Next stop — The Boathouse Landing in Valparaiso (“D” on the map) for dinner.  This casual restaurant has a lovely setting overlooking the Boggy Bayou.  Nothing fancy, but the food was good, and the entertainment was free.

Not only do we have a nice view from our table on the deck overlooking the bayou …

… we have pelicans fishing, dolphins swimming, and great blue herons on lookout.

I’m a sucker for shrimp, so I ordered the pasta special, which was shrimp tossed in with penne pasta, with spinach and mushrooms.  Mui ordered the garlic crusted grouper, topped with crab meat.  A couple of cold brews washed down the meal.  But the best part was the chocolate volcano we shared for dessert.  Drizzled with cherry syrup, it tasted just like a black forest cake.

Clockwise from top left: No breadrolls; hushpuppies with strawberry butter instead —
garlic crusted grouper — chocolate volcano — penne pasta with shrimp.

We arrived back at the campground just in time to wrap up our day with a beautiful sunset, which we enjoyed in the company of two anglers — a great blue heron and a fisherman.

I’m not in the habit of photographing people going about their business, but Mui and I
both got a chuckle from the way this guy tucked his catch in his pants pockets.

The great blue heron started out fishing close to shore …

… before wading deeper into the water and moving into the perfect spot for a sunset photo op.

The scenery wasn’t exciting, but at full zoom, the colors were.

What a way to end a gorgeous afternoon on the beach, and a good meal on the bayou.