coastal

Marineland Beach, Florida

Last week friends and I traveled down the 17 South and I-95 to the St. Augustine area of Florida. I particularly enjoy these beaches because of the unusual rock formations found here. Specifically Coquina rock is a type of sedimentary rock (limestone) formed by deposits of mineral or organic ocean floor particles that merge into wonderful shapes and textures. They also create many tidal pools which are fascinating to explore. These images are from Marineland Beach and also a little further north at Matanzas Inlet.

Walking the Ciskei Coastline

I took another short break from the city of Durban and flew approximately 300 miles south to East London, and from there traveled back north a few miles to the quaint coast town of Gonubie where my sister and brother-in-law have a house. The house is on the Gonubie River lagoon, and we decided this morning to swim across the river and hike north along the beach for a few miles to a place called the Kwelera National Botanical Garden, also on the beach. It turned out to be more challenging than we expected, since a lot of the terrain was very rocky and flip flops should not have been my choice of footwear. We expected it to take an hour and it took more like 3 hours to cover the 4 mile stretch of coastline. Fortunately we were picked up by car at our destination so didn’t have to walk back. These are a few of the photos I took along the way.

Driving the False Bay Coastline

There is so much to do and see in and around Cape Town that it is hard to narrow your choices. I chose to spend yesterday following the coast of False Bay and stopping off at the various beaches and fishing villages along the way. Long before GPS was invented, the sailors of old returning from long sea voyages to the east confused this picturesque bay with the more famous Table Bay a bit further along the coast, thus giving False Bay its name.

False Bay is an huge C-shaped curve in the coastline to the southeast of Table Mountain. At its widest point it is a staggering 20 miles across the bay! The bay is littered with small villages and numerous long sandy beaches, some of which have managed to escape any form of urban development. One of my favorite spots and a place I have visited numerous times over the years is the fishing village of Kalk Bay. As they have since the early 1900’s, the brightly colored boats ply the clear waters daily, bringing in fresh fish that is sold at the harbor upon their return. Seals await the scraps and compete with the seagulls for the choice portions.

The picturesque railway line that connects all the little towns along the coast is an important commuter link with the city of Cape Town.

The Quaint Fishing Village of Arniston

Life hasn’t changed much in Arniston over the years. It is quite remote so this has been a saving grace against over-development, a fate sadly experienced by many similar coastal villages. People still fish for a living and live quietly, unperturbed by the frenetic digital world surrounding them. Here are a couple of images from my 24 hour visit. When I retire, I will return and spend longer.

The Calm After the Storm

Well Dorian took it’s sweet time to get here, after decimating the Bahama Islands. So grateful that we didn’t suffer the same damage, and so grieved for all those whose loss is incomprehensible.

Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve, Folly Island

I visited the Folly Beach area yesterday evening to see what erosion damage had been done by the seasonal king tides combined with the hurricane, and found nothing too shocking. This little barrier island is morphing all the time, its shape determined by natural forces, and this was just another small adjustment. It will always be beautiful.