If a tree falls on Stump Pass and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?

Another beach day...you betcha. My day off this week was Friday and I decided to play today. I live 10 minutes from some of the most beautiful beaches in Florida (IMHO) . Stump Pass is a state park.  It costs $3.00 to park all day and they close promptly at sunset.   The ranger shoos you off as soon as the sun sets. He doesn't even give you time to absorb the beauty of what you just saw.  Okay folks, shows over.  You can stay but you can't stay here. But I wasn't out for a sunset today so Stump Pass it was. I stopped at the Circle K on Englewood Beach and grabbed a bag of trail mix & an extra large Diet Pepsi and drove to the south end of Englewood Beach to Stump Pass.


 After, I got set-up on the beach I decided that it was such a nice day with a cooler-than-it-has-been breeze that I would walk south to the pass, something I had never done. I've been close but was stopped by a thunderstorm.  It's 1 1/2 miles to the pass and it took me a couple hours there and back.
The Stumps of Stump Pass - heading to the south end of the beach
Hundreds of stumps
This is where I was walking from - looking north
Birds were everywhere
If I was a bird, I'd hangout here too
I was climbing over roots and trees to get this far
I made it! This is the pass.  That is Knight's Island across the pass.  You can only get there by boat.
Walking back - more feathered friends







Comments

  1. Linda @ A La CarteSeptember 3, 2010 at 10:41 PM

    Beautiful photos. Oh I long for the beach. I love all the birds!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Leo September 3, 2010 at 11:50 PM

    I Love your posts! This is amazing. And the seashells...Love them. This Stump Pass - is unbelievable. I have to find out where this is...I want to go there on my next visit to the West Coast.

    ReplyDelete
  3. iheartsunnydaysSeptember 4, 2010 at 6:05 AM

    What a gorgeous looking place. Adore your stump shots, looks so serene and beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  4. ShellbelleSeptember 5, 2010 at 2:40 PM

    Two months, just two months and I'll be there to get in some of these amazing beach outings with you.

    Loved the photos, of course, but when I clicked on the video, it said it was private. Check those setting girl, I want to see this!

    Hugs

    ReplyDelete
  5. Simple DaisySeptember 5, 2010 at 4:35 PM

    What an amazing place! Love the photos...just gorgeous:)

    ReplyDelete
  6. iLoveShellingSeptember 5, 2010 at 9:56 PM

    i can't believe it! Seeing your pictures of those stumps and birds is like a deja vu for my weekend from Cayo Costa. hahaha LOL We may have been separated at birth. Love your post!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Amy KinserSeptember 6, 2010 at 9:55 AM

    Such a beautiful place. How nice to live that close to the ocean. I am always amazed at the beauty of the water and sand and how awesome God was in making it.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Drawn to The SeaSeptember 6, 2010 at 10:03 AM

    I'd love to walk there.. the stumps have a serene, other worldly beauty. Through your photos, I can hear the waves lapping at their feet. Wonderful post.

    ReplyDelete
  9. ShellbelleSeptember 7, 2010 at 6:50 AM

    I came back to watch the video and it was wonderful. I swear, after I watched it I had to go in and dry my feet!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

40 Miles North of Shell Mountain

Image
Shell pile @ the North Jetty in Nokomis, Florida Has anyone been following  i Love Shelling blog?  Pam has been giving us the blow-by-blow of all the shells rolling in on Turner Beach a.k.a. Blind Pass.  For dedicated shell lovers the sight of that big honkin shell pile growing upward on Blind Pass makes you want to call in sick to work, grab your shell shovel, & head south or whatever  direction it may be for you to Sanibel.  For those of you that are a plane ride away in the cold & snow; looking at those shells has got to be painful & my heart does go out to you. I live 2 hours north of Sanibel via I-75 or about 40 miles as the crow flies.  I've sat at my computer for 3 days now looking, drooling,  enlarging the pictures, looking again at my work schedule.... ratz - I'm not off till Monday. Where I live in the Venice/Englewood area we have some spectacular beaches. Each has their own personality. Englewood's beaches are more...
Read more

May you always have a seashell in your pocket & sand between your toes

Image
Dr. Stephen Leatherman - His office is the beach (credit : www.solotravelgirl.com) When planning a destination that involves surf, sun, & sand thousands of  travelers  turn to the experts for advice. In this case "America's foremost beach expert" Dr. Beach.   Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman aka  Dr. Beach is a Professor and Director of the Laboratory for Coastal Research at Florida International University. He's a scientist.  Dr. Beach is a  really smart & really educated guy who has parlayed his passion for the outdoors into a super nice gig travelling the world & ranking the top beaches.  He announces his annual list of best beaches every Memorial Day weekend. This May 30 will be his 20th anniversary. Dr. Beach has developed a 50 point rating system that covers all aspects of a great beach from water clarity, sand softness, & the size of breaking waves to the smell, the amount of wildlife, & accessibility. Dr. Beach is as we s...
Read more

"I did not want to live out my life in the strenuous effort to hold a ghost world together. It was plain as the stars that time herself moved in grand tidal sweeps rather than the tick-tocks we suffocate within, and that I must reshape myself to fully inhabit the earth rather than dawdle in the sump of my foibles." — Jim Harrison (Julip)

Image
My poor shell bucket has been empty.  Shelling on the SWFL coast has been sort of flat the last few months. Good shelling requires a combination of things.  Tides, winds, moon phase all play a part. The biggest factor is location, location, location.  Sanibel is the shelling epicenter on the west coast of Florida with the best seismic shelling waves extending to Cayo Costa on the north and  south to Bonita Beach, Naples, & Marco Island. The really sweet shelling spots can only be reached by boat.  That's why I practically jumped for joy when shelling guide Capt. Brian Holaway of Captiva/Sanibel Island  invited me out for a shelling excursion next week.  Heading out in the month of May (his favorite month).  Capt. Brian likes the warmer temps & the clearer waters.He says "the water seems more alive with stingrays & tarpons cruising by, the sea grass is floating on the surface of the water, & the days are longer." (Credit: Capt. ...
Read more