We must be obsessed! With only one NPS unit left in Florida, we decided to scratch that itch and drive 7 hours after work Friday for a one-day visit to Canaveral National Seashore.
It is our 58th NPS unit in our quest to visit all 423. We are currently focusing on the SE sites since we can fit them in during work holidays. We have visited all the the units in Florida (11), Georgia (11), Kentucky (5), Mississippi (6), Puerto Rico (1), South Carolina (7), and Tennessee (8).
We made nice progress after acquiring the Tab in 2022, visiting 22 units so far this year. We only have a three states/territories left in the SE: 3 in Alabama, 7 in North Carolina, and 5 in our SE grand finale, the Virgin Islands.
We used Marriott points to score a great last-minute Delta Marriott hotel in Daytona. The breakfast omelet was to die for.
A short 45-minute drive south through high rise and hotel territory brought us to the entrance of the peaceful natural wonder of Canaveral National Seashore.
The animal life we encountered included Atlantic Bottle Nose Dolphins, some huge Golden Orb-Weaver Spiders (who built their webs completely across the road), a Gopher Tortoise who just might have been trying to cross the road, and dozens of wooden signs that marked each of the 2,000 protected sea turtle nesting sites strewn along the 24 miles of undeveloped coastline.
We saw interesting flora and fauna
We hiked the Castle Windy Trail through dense vegetation to a view of the Mosquito Lagoon.
The Eldora House is the last remnant from a community of 100 in a bygone era in the early 1900s.
Turtle Mound is the last evidence of a community of Timicuan Indians who populated the area during the cooler months a few thousand years ago. The 75 foot tall mound of oyster shells was constructed one shell at a time over a period of hundreds or maybe even thousands of years. It is the largest midden in the mainland U.S. The boardwalk over and around the mound ended in a sweeping view of the estuary. Perhaps that is why it they built it. The last Timicuan Indians were taken to Cuba in the 1750s.
The national park service seldom surprises. But they surprised us today with a clothing optional beach. The parking lot was packed. And the water was cold. When in Rome…
Canaveral NS was established to provide a buffer for the Cape Canaveral Space Center. It preserves evidence of the prehistoric Indians and early settlers who once lived there and provides shelter for the animals that now call it home.
When we come back, and we will, we hope to visit the southern portion of the seashore and Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.
And I hope to return to the same St. Augustine restaurant: The Commander’s Shellfish Camp. Google sent us there this time, just like it did in January after our Fort Matanzas NM visit. We recommend the Boom Boom Shrimp, She Crab Soup, fried shrimp, blackened fish of the day, and key lime pie.
