Note: This blog post is the second of four about a visit to Grand Bahamas Island in January 2016.
We decided to rent a car to explore the island so we were a little more in control of our time and money (and sanity?). It was a beat-up Volkswagen Jetta, although we didn’t really expect much else as almost all of the vehicles on the island are in rough shape. The few exceptions belong to the wealthy property owners who likely have a little better sense about how to maintain a vehicle.
We headed east toward Lucayan National Park. We decided we would drive clear to the end of the road, as far as we could drive on the island. We ended up at a ferry landing at the end of a very rough gravel road. Since we had been in the car more than two hours, we got out and stretched our legs (and watching the fishies in the water) before the many photo stops on the way back to the resort.
We stopped in McCleans Town briefly to photograph the boat landing, snail hotels and chitons.
A collection from the sea.
Then we stopped at Pelican Point for a much lengthier stay. Within the first few minutes at the beach, literally the first few steps on the sand, I screamed like a little girl because I was so excited to find my very own sand dollar. It was on my list of highly unlikely things I’d like to see/have from this trip. People claimed they were found all of the time, but I’d never seen one other than in the store. I added it to my shell bag and we combed the beach, dipping our toes in the water a bit, too. It was a beautiful beach and we had it mostly to ourselves since we were so far from any of the resorts.
We left the highway in High Point to see the fake lighthouse that was built more as a decoration than a functional tool. We didn’t stay long at that attraction as the structure was in serious need of some TLC. I was more enthralled with the caves under the rocky shore. I could hear the water splashing underfoot. I bet it was a pretty sight from offshore.
We made it to Lucayan National Park around 2:30 p.m. and spent a solid three hours exploring. We actually spent a lot of our time in the caves. Corey loved feeding the fish. I remembered that there were fish to feed in the park, so I brought a loaf of bread from the cafeteria. He was thoroughly entertained. The water in the caves was so blue from the ocean and it was a little cloudy where the freshwater met the saltwater.
The caves at Lucayan National Park
Across the road, we made it as far as the bridge over Gold Rock Creek before Corey was entertained feeding the fishies. This time we were joined by some birds that wanted in on the action. They were practically eating out of our hands.
The beach wasn’t quite how I remembered it. The uprooted trees that were a focal point of many of my photos last time were gone, either removed by the park service or washed away by a storm. The beach was still amazing. It was extremely wide as we were there near low tide. The ripples of sand were mesmerizing. We waded as deep in the water as we dared; it was a little chilly yet and we weren’t so sure what would be lurking just out of sight. We walked in waist-deep water along the shore, taking pictures of the waves and the shoreline. Eventually we came across a sting ray in the shallow water. It saw us and moseyed into the deeper parts, which sent us into shallower water. I saw a starfish on the ocean floor and it was absolutely beautiful. I left it where it was but took many photographs of it. Somehow we saw the second sting ray, one that was the exact color of the sand, before we stepped on it. That was enough for us. We walked out of the water for the rest of the way. We didn’t need any injuries so far from the city and without any local experts nearby. We were literally alone on the beach with miles of sand and water all to ourselves.
Gold Rock Beach at Lucayan National Park
I spotted a dead (or possibly only dying) starfish washed up in the sand ripples closer to the tree line. It was definitely not in the same condition as the one I spotted in the ocean, so it came home with me. At sunset, we had the most beautiful view. A pelican even joined us just offshore. It is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to.
Sadly, we had to rush back to make our dinner reservations at 7 p.m. at the resort. I wasn’t a fan of needing reservations for a restaurant while on vacation. That’s not how we operate. The food wasn’t even that great; we ended up hitting up the cafeteria after the restaurant for food that was a little more filling.
A collection of scenes from the east side of the island.