Slideshow: Peanut Island

This was our ultimate destination Saturday. (Click title for link - here for more for more details on park - click slideshow frame for larger image.)

If you haven't been to Peanut Island recently, you owe it to yourself to go. Here is the Google earth image showing the island and surroundings.

You can read about the details from the links. Jim and Gina Stafford, the boys and I got there around 6 p.m. and anchored the boat on the west side of the island. I took some time to walk around and take pictures - the subject of the slideshow. A couple things impressed me. First of all, this is the spoil island created from the original opening of the ocean inlet and, over time, became overwhelmed by Australian Pines. There was a coast guard station which doubled as cover for the bunker to be used by President Kennedy if there was an attack deserving that sort of protection while he was visiting Palm Beach. That has been restored and tours are available.

There is also camping available on the north side of the island for only $16 a night for a campsite. It was plenty busy as I walked by that area of the island. It looked like there was an area for an organized campfire too. Some people chose to just camp out on the beach too. Which is interesting to think about. In some ways, the impression that I got was that this was an urban park - much in the way Central Park is for New York City. You have have these intense land uses all around - save for Palm Beach - you have the water, and then you have this oasis in the middle of it all.

As we were headed back toward Lake Worth, we passed by the Golf course Clubhouse. We began talking about the missed opportunity for some day docks there to welcome boaters as a wayside stop along the Lake Worth Lagoon. We also thought of the notion, which has been thought of before, that the walkways planned and soon to be built by the County further south along toward the Lake Worth Bridge, be extended north - leading to the golf course. We then talked about all the opportunities to partner with other public agencies in doing such a project and how we wouldn't have to do it alone. Then we came back down to earth when we asked ourselves where the leadership would come from to do this sort of project - from the City's side of things.

By the way, we also so people fishing from the older, condemned bridge as we headed under the Lake Worth bridge. That soon will be torn down according to the interlocal agreement with the county. Remember, there are some people that are against the referendum that would allow a 99 year lease to the County to do that project.

To sum up, if you want a different sort of vacation without really going away and in the mean time enjoy a unique outdoor environment, think about Peanut Island.