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Published: March 24th 2017
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Surf Meets SandGulf Islands National Seashore, Gulf Breeze, Florida
"Raging, restless, robust, gentle, soft, calm. ...Rhythmic, shifting, beckoning, the voices of surf and sand: the sands speaking, the sands of all time." Jesse Earle Bowden quoted in Gulf Islands: The Sands of All Time.
I'm not the only one with a fascination, even a longing for the sensations of the beach. The rhythmic surf pounding on the shore and then rushing up the sand to paint a fresh canvas; the salty tang in the mouth; the cool breeze on the skin; the gritty sand sifting through your toes only to be washed by the cold water. Although I'm a mountain boy, born and raised in the Rockies, far from any ocean - or maybe because of that - I have always been drawn to the smells, sounds, textures, and the beauty of the beach.
It was overcast much of the day yesterday, but still there was uninterrupted pleasure in our walk along the white sands of the Fort Pickens area of Gulf Islands National Seashore. This is just one unit out of twelve that make up the park, protecting about 150 miles of barrier islands on the Mississippi and Florida
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Birds on a Sand Bar Panhandle coast. Some of those islands are only accessible by boat and are treated as wilderness areas. Others, like this one, are managed carefully to allow access, even to us RVers, while at the same time seeking to protect miles of white sand beaches. And, at least until the Repugnicans sell them off to the highest bidder, they provide a way for everyone to enjoy the pristine beauty of an unspoiled shore. Drive just outside the park boundary, and you are confronted with dirty public beaches, poorly managed, and surrounded by high rise apartments, condominiums, and commercial development. (My political statement for this post).
These barrier islands are white because they are formed from the crushed granite that was eroded off the Appalachians and carried down the many rivers of the southeast. Wind, ocean, and river currents end up depositing the sand just past the shoreline and there build up a natural protective boundary that shields the coast from modest storms and ocean winds and pounding surf. (Until, of course, a major hurricane changes the situation). Ocean currents continue to work on these islands and scientists have shown that the sand is blown off the beach, north to the
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Walking in the Surf opposite side of the island, usually kind of marshy. There it is trapped and actually sinks and is turned over to appear on the southern side of the island many centuries later. In addition, the ocean currents are moving these islands westward. One island has been measured as migrating westward 178 inches per year. Of course, the rivers continue to bring down fresh white sands, so they are getting replenished on the eastern ends as well.
The islands all tend to have four distinctive zones. On the southern side is the sandy beach, void of any obvious vegetation and pounded by the surf. Just beyond are the sand dunes, held in place, somewhat, by oat grasses and other small shrubs. This is a fragile zone and you usually have to traverse a boardwalk to get through it. Next zone is more stable and is where trees have taken hold forming a pine and oak forest. It is in this zone that our campground is located. Then, at the northern edge of the island, are salt marshes - homes to large quantities of life, including breeding grounds for shrimp and other crustaceans. (We've been told there is an alligator or
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A Tidal Pool two out there as well). We haven't seen much of the marshy zone yet.
But I just can't stop thinking about the walk on the beach. It was too cold and windy to get in the water, and there were rip tide warnings posted, but nothing beats walking through the small rippling waves right where beach meets water. The sand was so white and the ocean, perhaps mellowed by the gray skies above, was a mixture of bottle green and aquamarine colors, frothed into a creamy yellow at the edges. When we got to the beach, there was no-one else there except for another couple off in the distance. By the time we finished our walk, there were just a few people more. So, for an hour, we had this beach pretty much to ourselves - privacy on a perfect white sand beach.
Although the beach was the highlight for me, there is much more to see. Santa Rosa Island is a barrier island that shields the Pensacola Bay, which was described by the Spanish who discovered it, as the most perfect harbor in the new world. And there is a long history of the area being traded
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Right at the Edge back and forth, peacefully on occasion, but usually by warfare, between Spain, France, Britain, and the U.S. Forts were built on the islands and the mainlands to protect the harbor.
Fort Pickens was originally built in the 1820s as part of that trading back and forth. But then it became critically important right at the beginning of the Civil War. We all know that the first shots were at Fort Sumter in South Carolina. But, apparently, it could just as well have happened here at Fort Pickens and Lincoln was balancing the two forts as strategic alternatives in the early stages. There was a battle here, but it only lasted a day or two before the Confederates gave up, faced with staggering defenses in this fort, including huge guns that could lob 400 pound balls up to seven miles - the biggest guns of their type.
Modern warfare has made these forts all obsolete, so it is nothing but an amazing museum structure now. But the emphasis on defense remains as Eglin Air Force Base, just outside Pensacola, is one of the largest installations on the planet.
But, back to the beach. Dogs aren't allowed on beaches
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Joan Liked it Too inside the park, so we packed them up and took them to a dog park beach outside the park. Smooch enjoyed wading through the surf, but Fleur just wouldn't go near it, without major coaxing. Both girls continue to show a great deal of anxiety. Joan and I are a bit puzzled- perhaps the surroundings are just so different from what they are used to that they don't know what to make of it. We hope they will loosen up a bit.
Ended the day with a BBQ ribs dinner off the grill, a walk around the busy campground, and an hour of reading. It is completely overcast today and very windy, so I'm glad we got to the beach yesterday. We will be visiting other National Seashores on this trip, but it is hard to imagine a prettier one.(17.1.16)
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Joan
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Sea Shells!
I picked up some small sea shells, too! They were pretty small, but in perfect condition. Now what do I do with them? ?