Beach

Today is the first truly wintery day in San Francisco, although to be fair it’s not even winter yet. Still, a strong storm blew in last night; this morning I woke up to blustery winds and a downpour. And so I sit here wearing a parka as I type, cup of tea at my side, ready to write about beaches. Oh, not the bright hot skin of tropical paradise, but the cozy warm bundle of the 3 best winter beaches.

1. Petroglyph Beach: In Southeast Alaska in a town called Wrangell there is a beach littered with stones that have been carved with ancient artwork. Scattered among the rocks at Petroglyph Beach are three dozen or more large stones bearing designs and pictures chiseled by unknown artists, although most attribute the carvings to the Native American Tsimshian or the Tlingit. You can access the beach via a boardwalk where you’ll find plaques describing the site along with carved replicas of the petroglyphs for visitors to make rubbings.

Estimates place the petrogyphs at roughly 10,000 years old.

2. North Beach, Point Reyes: Okay, I am biased as this is a definite favorite beach of mine. But honestly, if you’re somehow lucky enough to catch North Beach on a sunny day you should buy a Lotto ticket. If not, well, you’re pretty darned lucky even when it’s foggy and cold. There is something incredibly massive about North Beach, stately, dramatic. This is not a beach that needs palm trees or even sun to be spectacular.

Surfers in the fog.

3. Nobska Beach, Cape Cod: The quintessential wintery beach with a New England lighthouse to boot. Something about this photo makes me yearn for a long walk (and then a hot cup of tea), so it’s a good thing that the grounds of this historical place is open to the public every day.

Nobska Lighthouse with snow.

My lights are flickering: once, then twice. Outside the storm is blowing and I am pretty sure my electricity is about to go out. So I will end with this: beaches are not just for the bikini-ed of heart. They are for sweaters and mittens, wind-chapped faces and brrrr, as beautiful in winter as any time of the year.

Photo credits in order of appearance: Nothip via Flickr, author’s own, Muffinman71xx via Flickr.

by Barbara Ann Weibel at Hole In The Donut Travels

The 127 acres of Gasparilla Island State Park run along the southwestern tip of Gasparilla Island, one in a chain of barrier islands along the gulf coast of southern Florida. Although the park is known for outstanding fishing, historic lighthouses, excellent shelling, and some of the best surfing in South Florida, most would agree that the park’s greatest charm is its superb beaches.

Sandspur Beach on Gasparilla Island

Many proclaim Gasparilla’s pristine white sands to be among the best in the state, if not the finest. Three beach areas, Sea Grape, Range Light, and Dune, provide year-round swimming and snorkeling in the aquamarine waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Beach facilities include improved parking, restrooms, covered picnic pavilions, showers and restrooms.

Historic Boca Grande Lighthouse

The wooden lighthouse on the southern end of Gasparilla Island, first placed into use by the U.S. Lighthouse Service in 1890, was the first building to be constructed on Gasparilla Island. Its light served as a guide to mariners bound for the Port of Boca Grande and Charlotte Harbor until it was extinguished in 1966. The facility languished until the Florida Department of Environmental Protection assumed ownership in 1985 and spent a year restoring the lighthouse. In 1986, twenty years after going dark, Boca Grande’s light was relit upon the occasion of its reopening as a Museum and Visitor’s Center. Today the restored lighthouse is the crown jewel of the park. It is open to the public from 10:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. daily from November through April. From May through October it is open Monday through Friday, and it is always closed on major holidays.

Boats dot the water off Lighthouse Beach

Gasparilla Island State Park is accessed via the Boca Grande Causeway at County Road 775 and Placida in Boca Grande, Florida. The bridge crossing over to the island is private and requires a $4 toll; beach use requires and additional $2 day use fee.

Photos courtesy of Barbara Weibel

by Barbara Ann Weibel of Hole In The Donut

Soak up the sun or cool off under a thatch-roofed Palapa at Nungwi Beach

Within moments of stepping onto the beach I am bombarded by people trying to sell me something.

From the sarong-clad women who roam the beach carrying reed mats: “Hello, good morning, welcome to massage, you like massage today?”

From the chocolate skinned boys who are always eager to earn a few cents:  “I bring you nice fresh fruit, green coconut?”

When I politely decline, their response is always, “Hakuna Matata” – no problem.

I slather on the suntan oil, sigh contentedly, and settle down in the hot sun to soak up some rays, but my peace is interrupted by a tour guide who insists I must let him take me to some yonder island that has a beautiful beach. Under normal circumstances I would accept his offer, but I cannot imagine any beach more beautiful than the one I am lying on.

Each day, fishermen bring back fresh fish caught from these hand hewn boats

Nungwi Beach, located on the northern tip of Zanzibar, is nothing less than spectacular. With sugar-fine, soft white sand and unbelievably clear turquoise waters, this beach must rank as one of the world’s best. Few tourists make their way  to this undiscovered paradise because the roads are in such terrible condition, but those who do are rarely disappointed.

Walk to the end of the beach and round the point to visit the village or Nungwi, with its histpric lighthouse. But be sure you time your trip to catch the low tide or you may be stranded.

Zanzibar is all about relaxing. Do as little or as much as you like. Hungry? Grab a bite at one of the outdoor restaurants scattered along the beach or dicker with a local fisherman for his fresh catch of the day. Sleepy? Move under a thatch covered Palapa and take a snooze. Walk the beach, visit the nearby village and lighthouse, or take a sail on a traditional Dhow. Lounge on the beach long enough to catch a stunning sunset and then dance the night away around the bonfire that is lit on the beach every evening.

Hakuna Matata….there is no better way to describe Zanzibar.

Photos courtesy of Barbara Weibel

by Barbara Ann Weibel of Hole In The Donut

While Cape Hatteras National Park may be best known for the statuesque, candy-striped lighthouse that is the tallest brick beacon in the country, its beaches are equally as impressive. From the sandy hook that forms the “elbow” of Hatteras Island, past the point where the lighthouse once stood, and along mile after mile of sea-oat studded dunes, the pristine beaches of Cape Hatteras National Park stretch as far as the eye can see. The Atlantic waters are deep blue, but are not as cold as other areas along the Eastern seaboard, for it is here that the Gulf Stream makes its closest approach to the coast of the U.S.

Wind-blown dunes and sea oats frame the distant Cape Hatteras lighthouse at Cape Hatteras National Park

The park’s long, sandy stretches are prized by sun worshipers. Most sunbathers choose to stay close to the park facilities, spreading their towels on the small point that was the former home of the lighthouse, before it was moved inland some years ago. Other who seek more seclusion need only wander just a short distance down the beach.

In addition to more traditional beach activities, water sports of all kinds abound at Cape Hatteras. The point is still a favorite spot with surfers, since waves consistently break off of an old jetty that was built to impede beach erosion.

Fishermen line the shores of Cape Hatteras National Seashore on the Fourth of July weekend to try their hand at surf casting

The Outer  Banks is also one of the premiere surf casting destinations in the U.S., and because Cape Hatteras allows driving on the beach, it is also a favorite location for fishermen who set up their rods, reels, coolers, canopies, and chairs and settle in for the day. During several annual surf casting contests, fishermen drive their SUV’s onto the beach and line up bumper-to-bumper, trying to hook the biggest puppy drum, sea trout, flounder, grouper, or sea bass of the weekend.

In addition to surfing and surf fishing, Cape Hatteras is an ideal location for numerous other water sports. Atop the waves, enthusiasts can try their hand at sea kayaking, kite boarding, body boarding, parasailing, and sail boarding. And because the waters along the North Carolina are known as the “Graveyard of the Atlantic,” some of the best wreck diving in the U.S. can be found at or near Cape Hatteras.

When visitors have had their fill of sun, sea, and sand, they can hike over the dunes to visit the lightkeeper’s cottage or climb the lighthouse. The view from the top is both stunning and amazing; from the ground most people are unaware how narrow the Outer Banks really are, but from the top the fragility of these barrier islands is all too evident. In some places, barely a quarter mile of shifting sand separates the surging ocean from the shallow inland waters of the Sound. Since these sands are constantly moved north and west by the action of the wind and waves, it is little wonder that the lighthouse had to be moved inland to keep it from falling into the ocean.

Cape Hatteras National Park is located at the midway point of Hatteras Island in the village of Buxton. There is no entrance fee to the park, nor to use the beaches, however a small fee is charged to climb the lighthouse.

Photos courtesy of Barbara Ann Weibel