Seashells by Millhill

Indian River Boating Photos From Ponce Inlet

We seldom make the trip up to Ponce Inlet in our boat but the other day (this past summer- 2019) we did. Our usual boating area is farther south around Edgewater and Oak Hill. My son dislikes the trip north as it is slow going with mostly minimum wake zones.

A Trip North on the ICW

As we ride up to Ponce Inlet (see my photos from the beach) from the Edgewater area we pass many beautiful homes and see some amazing boats and yachts. We passed a couple of huge yachts on the waterway, but I didn’t have my phone out. The speed is slow the whole way, and we saw paddle boarders as well. It’s a pretty ride with nice views of how the wealthy live.

Boating north on the Indian River ICW toward Disappearing Island and the Ponce Inlet. — Along the river heading north

At the Inlet

The ocean is behind us, just out the inlet. — Our wake as we ride around the Ponce Inlet area

Even though we don’t own an ocean-going boat, my son wanted to see how rough the inlet was. The water was too choppy so we turned around and came back in by Disappearing Island. In the shot above, the ocean is behind us.

View of Smyrna Dunes Park from our boat — South side of the Inlet, beach and condos near Smyrna Dunes Park

It seemed like the channels were all different in the area, and I know they had been dredging, but we found ourselves in a very shallow area where we had to go slow. The water moves the sand around so even unmarked areas can be shallow and especially at low tide.

Condos in the distance as we boat across a shallow area near Ponce Inlet

Photo above: Heading toward the fishing pier at Smyrna Dunes Park, with condos behind it.

coast guard station — Coast Guard Station, Ponce Inlet, Florida

We didn’t see any manatees, but they should be enjoying the warm water this time of year. Boats have to go slow and watch for them. For the most part the manatees stay near the shore and out of the main channel, but we wouldn’t want to hit one. When they are swimming they leave a big bubble-looking wake.

My son will usually drop me at an island so I can explore while he trolls and fishes just offshore. That is when I take most of my photos like the one below with the Ponce Lighthouse in the distance.

Ponce lighthouse beach water — A view of the Lighthouse at Ponce Inlet

My favorite time is when the tide is low or going out. It leaves lots of sandy beaches to explore. No one was on this particular island with us. I believe this beach is part of Disappearing Island, or just south of it.

Ripples in the sand at low tide along an island near the Ponce Inlet in New Smyrna Beach — Outgoing tide leaves a wide beach

Just thought I’d share some riding photos since I usually only share photos from my beach excursions. In this northern area if the ICW (Intracoastal Waterway), just south of Ponce Inlet, the houses are very big and so are the boats / yachts in their front yard.

Nice homes and big boats along the Indian River — Must be nice!

Photos While Boating in the South

Since we mostly stay in the backwaters while we ride, our boating photos are pretty boring. It’s just mangroves and water with the occasional muddy flat. My phone is tucked away in the plastic bag because it’s not waterproof. Even when we see dolphin playing or catch a nice fish I don’t have it handy. Soon I’ll have a new phone which should make things easier.

I get my best photos when I get out of the boat and explore beaches and islands away from all the people.

Bean Vine Photos From a Fall Beach Walk

We were boating a few weeks ago in October and I stopped to walk the beach I frequent whenever we are out on the water. It was high tide – or close to it – so it wasn’t a good time to beach-comb, but I did see some interesting bean vines. Please leave a comment if you know what these are! (Photos below)

Palm tree at the shore — Palmetto Palm tree

One day I will gather my greenery photographs and try to identify some of the interesting things I’ve seen growing on the uninhabited islands we visit. This will be a daunting task for me because I know very little about the local sea plants. I’m guessing that the vine below growing into the water is some type of Purslane.

Just for fun I took another photo of a hermit crab – because I don’t see enough of those… hahaha….! This one is just under the water at the shoreline and he is carrying a blackened pear whelk on his back. Although the water is very clean right at the sand line, it’s murky and dark a few feet out. You can see this clearly in my last photo on this post.

Hermit crab in Tulip shell — A hermit crab walks across the shelly bottom

I took my beach shoes off and walked barefoot in water about up to my knees as I strolled the shoreline. That wasn’t a really smart thing to do because of the trash people leave behind, but I walked slowly searching for treasures. There wasn’t much new to find, but this thick clamshell caught my eye. It stood out among all the tiny shells that make up the beach.

I picked up a chunk of shells and sand just because it was different. Maybe it’s a piece of coquina rock. I strolled north along the beach slowly so as not to miss a good shell. In the past I had found two olive shells in this spot. Today I found no exciting shells.

shell glob — I like to find strange things like this

Then I came across the beans.

The island has a lot of growth with shrubs, palm trees and sea vines and such. Camping is allowed here so there is trash as well. People can be pigs. But as I got closer to the end of the island I found this cool bean vine. You can see it hanging from the tree below.

The vine was growing within a shrub, which may or may not be some type of mangrove. I tried to research this tree with the clumps of flowers (it looks a bit like a viburnum to me) but found nothing about mangroves with clumps of flowers. I also could not identify this vine.

Vine with large beans — Vine with long bean pods growing in a bush.

As you can see, the vine has rounded leaves with wide bean pods hanging from it. I mean some of these pods were big! I have seen plenty of the long pods that grow in the red Mangroves and they are very long, but super thin. I have never come across these wide pods before but I’m sure they are not part of any mangrove. It’s a vine, not a tree.

Bean vine neat the beach — Bean vine hanging from a tree

Curiosity had me wondering what was inside this pod, but I dislike messing with nature, and especially when I have no idea what I am dealing with. So I just took photos.

long bean on tropical vine — Wide bean pod

Next time we go boating I will stop by the island and see how this vine looks and get better photos of the shrubs. I would love for someone with knowledge to respond here.

After Dorian: We Dodged a Bullet and Are Thankful

We took a drive on Thursday after Dorian had left our area in Florida just to see if the coast had held up okay. We didn’t get over to the beaches, but drove along Riverside Drive on the ICW / River.

I got these photos out the truck window as we drove. Except for dead palm fronds blown off the trees, we didn’t see any damage. Before the storm all talk is about getting ready. After this one we are all thankful and thinking of the poor souls in the Bahamas.

waterside park, Menard May Florida — Menard-May Park

mess from Dorian — Dead palm fronds cleared from the trees seem to be our biggest clean up worry

House boarded up with plywood for Hurricane Dorian

South Causeway and Indian River view from Riverside Drive

Metal shutters on windows — Metal shutters on house

The Black Dolphin Inn on Riverside Drive in New Smyrna Beach, Florida.

I had to look this one up, but the little red building hidden among the trees across from the South Causeway bridge is the new Riverpark Terrace Restaurant. Check out the video in their “gallery” section at this link, because the place looks pretty interesting.

Riverpark Terrace restaurant — Riverpark Terrace Restaurant

September and October are often busy months for hurricanes so we will leave our shutters up, like many other people. I think I can safely say that Floridians have breathed a sigh of relief after this one. And the power stayed on! After suffering through Hurricane Irma, that was the best gift of all. That, and this beautiful sky.