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| At the south end of the Coquina Beach Trail. That's Longboat Pass and Longboat Key in the background |
To anyone who is a regular or semi-regular reader of this blog (thank you), you are aware that we spend quite a bit of time throughout the year on Anna Maria Island. You are most likely aware of the fact that we like walking. AMI is a nice place to enjoy the outdoors. If we walk 4-5 blocks west we're on the beach. We're then faced with the dilemma of "do we turn right or left". Either direction gives us miles of white sand beach for our walking pleasure. As we walk the beach there is plenty of entertainment with birds, dolphins, boats, locals out for a stroll and tourists enjoying a slice of paradise before returning home. If the tide is high we can opt for walking neighborhoods on sidewalks or uncrowded side streets. It's easy to get spoiled!
This week we took advantage of the cooler temperatures and small crowds to explore a couple of places that we don't usually walk, because to reach them a short car ride is required. As I previously confessed, we're kind of spoiled!
First up was the Coquina Beach trail at the south end of the island. This trail is a nice paved trail that is about a mile and a half in length. There is great parking along the trail since most of it is through the well maintained public beach. Most of the trail is shaded by huge trees. Sometimes you're close to the water and at others you may be a few hundred yards off shore but it's rarely out of view. If you start at the north end you will end up at the Longboat Pass. From here you can retrace your steps back or if you're feeling like putting in some more miles continue across the Longboat Key Bridge and explore Longboat Key. This was a trail that we were familiar with and had walked quite a few times over the years. It's a very nice way to explore the south end of the island.
Coquina Beach
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| We actually did this trail twice this past week. The second time we were joined by Beth's sister, Debbie. |
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| The Queen and her court |
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| There are great places to enjoy sunset along the trail |
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Another priceless sunset!
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The first "something new" for me was Robinson Preserve. Beth had walked this trail once or twice before but it was a new one for me. This is a 682 acre preserve made up of mangroves and tidal marshes. There is a main trail that is a little over two miles in length (one way) as well as multiple other trails branching off the main trail. In addition there are picnic tables, fishing areas and an observation tower that overlooks the preserve.
Robinson Preserve
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| I was making sure NaNa knew the rules....especially no jumping off the bridges! |
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| A stork feeding in the tidal area |
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The day we walked it, we shared the preserve with a flock of white pelicans. These are true "snow birds". Unlike their cousin, the brown pelican, they migrate down from the north every winter. They are a little less social than the brown pelican which can be easily found all along the coast. They also flock together more than the brown pelican and hunt for their food (fish) as a group instead of individually. It was a nice sight to see a large flock of them relaxing in one of the tidal areas. While watching them we talked a bit to another couple who have walked the path frequently over the past couple of years. They shared with us that this was the first time they had seen them in that area. Maybe we should have bought a lottery ticket, it seems like it was our lucky day. This amazing county maintained facility was less than a ten minute drive away. It's a destination I hope we make frequently in the future.
White Pelicans
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| White Pelicans! |
On another day we were in downtown Bradenton and explored a bit along the Riverwalk Park (another "something new"). This 1.5 mile stretch along the Manatee River is a real beauty as well. There is a nice paved path, numerous places to picnic or just sit and enjoy the views. It also features nineteen pieces of artwork, an amphitheater, sand volleyball courts, a skateboard park (maybe a few decades back but not now) a children's park and fishing pier. We didn't have much time so we only did a small portion of this park but are already looking forward to visiting it again sometime soon.
Riverwalk
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| Riverfront Park |
I guess the moral of the story is that it's easy to get spoiled. There's nothing not to like about the scenic walks available to us just outside the door, but there are other amazing things to explore close by that are well worth the little effort required to reach them.
