Leaving Fort Lauderdale this morning, we saw workers covering street lights with black bags that had a clear “window” facing away from the beach. Other streetlight globes were painted black on the beach side. There were also signs announcing that this was a turtle nesting area and street lights were dimmed or turned out from March through November, when the turtles hatch. Hatchlings head for the lightest horizon, which should be moonlight and starlight reflected in the ocean. Artificial light attracts them the wrong way – inland.
We ate a sandwich lunch at the Gumbo Limbo Nature and Educational Center in Boca Raton. Gumbo Limbo is a tropical tree, known affectionately as the “tourist tree” because the bark is red and peeling! The exhibits were wonderful, with sea-life tanks and lots of good information about the nesting sea- turtles.
By 3:30, we’d driven an exhausting 95 miles and decided to take a break by checking out the camping at Jonathan Dickinson State Park north of Palm Beach. We were very impressed – quiet, spacious sites and wonderful bathrooms, a boat ramp for kayaking and paved bike trails. Maybe next year?
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