Coastal Waters

 

 

We traveled a couple of the coasts this past year. Padre Island National Seashore on the Gulf of Mexico was on our list of places to see and we managed to fit it in on our winter trip to Texas. What an education! Camping there was “first come, first served”.  No reservations.  If you get there after noon, there may not be a spot in the campground for you. And the campground is little more than a parking lot. No water, no electricity, just some pavement on the other side of the dunes from the ocean. 

Why do you want to camp there? It does have public washrooms.

If you don’t get a spot in the campground, and you still want to stay in that national park, you had to find a spot somewhere on the beach. Anywhere on the beach.  Hopefully not within reach of the tide.  And not too far from the water where you can get stuck in the soft dune sand. Boy, you have to be careful! 

The upside is that there are 50 miles of beach to choose from.  Although the rangers do suggest having a 4 wheel drive vehicle if you choose this option…

I like beaches, but ones that you walk on, not drive. This beach in Biloxi, Mississipi was delightful! Fine, white sand that you can sink your feet into is a delight.

And no vehicles allowed!

We will be seeing more of the eastern coast this summer, but so far we have been enjoying the views and tidal idiosyncrasies of Fundy Bay. 

We spent a few days in St. John, New Brunswick checking out the Reversing Falls over several hours, starting with low tide. The St John River is fairly fast, rushing over the rocks to the bay.  A few short hours later however, the tide is significantly higher than the river flow, and the flow is going a different direction! Even later, at high tide, the water is rushing again, but back up the river, and over the larger rocks that seabirds had been sitting on at low tide.

Believe it or not, these two pictures were taken in the same place.  As you can see, the low tide was in the morning, and the ocean fog blanketed the area.

The high tide, 6 hours later, has completely covered the lower rocks, and the flow is in the opposite direction.  

Morning fog is a theme along the coastal areas. Leaving Galveston in the morning was like driving at night – low visibility, lights on, drive slow.

After all this, and the fact that we have more coastal destinations planned, I find that I am not fond of the coast. Although the views are phenomenal, the thick fog and wet mist makes everything damp. It’s impossible to dry towels outdoors, and putting clammy clothes on in the morning is definitely not my cup of tea.

Is there any way to move those wonderful beaches away from the coast? I like my water liquid, not airborne.

W