Cape San Blas Beach and Bike Path

Posted By on January 10, 2018

Cape San Blas Beach and Bike Path

5 miles; Port St. Joe, FL

Today I decided to take a stroll along the beach to the “elbow” of Cape San Blas, then a slightly precarious beach walk through a lot of dead fall, and finish up with a rather boring return along a bike path. But it was right outside my door, so kind of hard to complain…

This walk is literally right out my door, and along a long stretch of beach. Eventually you come to the “elbow” part of Cape San Blas, where it takes a turn northward. There’s a pretty little cape here that points due south into the Gulf of Mexico (next stop, Cuba). There were lots and lots of birds out here. I am not a “birder,” but I think I saw Laughing Gulls, a Tricolored Heron, a Bald Eagle, and about a dozen different kinds of cute little shore birds, some of whom preferred to be on one leg, to the point where they apparently would rather hop one-legged away from me than actually use both legs. Funny as heck to watch. And I resolve to be better about bird i.d. in the future…

Beyond the Cape

Beyond the Cape

Once past the Cape and pointed north, the going got a lot more “interesting,” as in the apocryphal Chinese curse, “May you live in interesting times.” There was a lot erosion through here, and a very skinny beach, which mean climbing over A LOT of deadfall, the alternative being get very wet. I would not want to do this walk if the tide were any higher than it was. Which was about 1/2-way between low and full.

Everybody's An Artist

Everybody’s An Artist

There was a lot of clambering. This is, by the way, a great word. Here’s the definition:

climb, move, or get in or out of something in an awkward and laborious way, typically using both hands and feet

It fails to mention “fall on one’s butt in a very undignified way.”

Some of the Deadfall

Some of the Deadfall

The downed trees through here were actually quite beautiful in a macabre sort of way. Starkly black against the sky and the sea.

I did eventually make my [dry] way to a small parking area on Cape San Blas Road, and across the road to the 8-mile long bike path that parallels it.

Bike Path

Bike Path

This particular stretch of the bike path goes by a mysterious-looking, satellite-dish-festooned Air Force facility which is part of Eglin Air Force Base. So, nothing to see here, keep moving.

DYC Wildflower

DYC Wildflower

Okay, there were a few wildflowers, like the above “dyc” (darned yellow composite) wildflower.

I’m not going to post a map of this hike, simply because it comes a little too close to home for comfort. As I mentioned, it is literally right outside my door. But feel free to visit the Cape San Blas tourist info site.

 

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