Caladesi Island

Again, my pictures are not in order. This is a picture of random kids playing on the beach. The water was just bath water warm....breeze was wonderful.
Looking down toward the beach on Caladesi Island.
Caladesi Island.

View of Caladesi from Honeymoon Island.

One day, Margaret and I traveled to Dunedin, Florida and took a ferry from Honeymoon Island to Caladesi Island, which in 2008 was listed as the best beach in America. I believe it. Caladesi is a state park, and it is just paradise. In 1921 a hurricane went through and separated Caladesi from Honeymoon. Until that time, they had been a huge barrier island. Margaret referred to Caladesi as Gulligan's Island. After seeing the wilderness area from the ferry, I could see why. The first area I saw of Caladesi was covered with thick mangrove trees. They had thick red trunks that extended down into the sea water. Margaret told me that the huge leaves desalinated the water and when they turned yellow, they fell of of the tree. The mangrove trees along the side of the island protected the beach area, which was on the far side of the beach. The ferry ride was $10 and think it was around 20 minutes or so to the Island. Concessions were sold, there was a little park for kids...Margaret and I headed straight to the beach. We had a few problems. Margaret bent over to pick up a sand dollar, and the waves behind her washed over her head and also washed away her new glasses....later, she was knocked over and pushed into a shell reef and the salt water took out her camera.....and cell phone. We haven't really lived down that beach trip yet. You kind of had to be there to have experienced our "Lucy Ricardo" and "Ethyl Mertz" experience. I got four grains of sand in my camera. First, it wouldn't open and now the lens cover will not close. Sad to say, we managed to kill every electronic piece of equipment we took to the beach that day. We just checked out the beach, but there is a 3 hour nature walk across and around the island that maybe some day I can take....and blog about. One thing is for certain: Any cameras, etc I take will be in zip lock plastic bags!