The fee to enter the park was $9, which we thought was a little steep, but after we drove around the park, it was easy to see that it was a bargain. One of the famous landmarks in the park is the old bridge:
which carried vehicle traffic on the top, and the train on the lower level. The railroad, and many of the vehicle roads were wiped out in the hurricane on Labor Day, 1935. It was a Category 5 hurricane, and back in those days there was very little warning. It is estimated that about 1000 people on the Keys died in that storm. This is one of the few places where the railroad and vehicle traffic shared the same bridge. The new, 4 lane highway is built on the bridge that is visible in the background.
There are 3 beaches in the park, all of which are famous, and one received the "Best Beach in America" award in 1992. When looking at the seaweed that is present on these beaches, you wonder how they won any awards. When we stopped in the information center in the park, we picked up some info on the beaches and the seaweed. Following is an excerpt from a description of the beaches:
"Have you ever wondered why there are so few beaches in the Keys? Conditions have to be just right in order for there to be a build up of sand. The Keys that have sandy beaches are located in areas that have a break in the offshore reef or near deep channels where it's possible for large amounts of sediment to be carried by the current and deposited on shore.
The sand is made up of calcareous algae, sea shells and a small amount of coral skeltons. The remains of these are ground against the sea bottom and then washed ashore, forming the beach.
You will find very few whole seashells on the beaches in the Keys because our beaches have little if no slope. The water is very shallow for several hundred feet out from the shore. There are many sand bars and sea grass beds that trap the seashells before they get to the beach"
The sand is very fine, and very white, which adds to their beauty. And regarding the Seaweed:
"When visiting this park, you will almost always see seaweed on the beach. This seaweed litter consists of plants that previously grew in the shallow water just offshore. When alive, these plants were a very important part of a marine food web. They served as food for the queen conch, sea turtles, sea urchins, and many fish. The value of seaweed, however, does not end when they are washed ashore by wind and waves. Here, the dead plant material is food for other animals and helps the beach and dunes perform their natural functions.
As seaweed breaks down and becomes mixed in with the sand, it builds up the organic content of the soil, allowing pioneer plants, like sea oats and beach panic grasses, to begin to grow. In turn, these plants help to further stabilize the beach and sand dunes by holding sand and other soil material in place with their roots, and by catching wind-blown sand with their leaves and stems."
We stopped at one of the beaches (Calusa) that was close to where we parked at the information center, and spent a couple hours sitting, swimming and tanning. This beach also was the closest to the highway bridge on one side, and the old bridge on the other side:
It also had the least amount of seaweed.
After we felt like we had been in the hot sun long enough, we drove around to see the campground loops (3), and the other beaches. Below are shots of the other beaches - this one is of the "Loggerhead" beach:
and finally, the "Sandspur" beach, which is a mile long:
It was a day well spent and we hope to return soon.
It appears that we will get a taste of thunderstorms today, as the forecast calls for possible storms. It was super windy overnight - 25-30 MPH - and we had to finally turn on the A/C yesterday because it was so hot and humid. That's about it for now...
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