Trifter

Before the sun was even up, I was out the door and headed to the fabulous stretch of beach and sky known as the Cape Canaveral National Seashore. My goal was to make it to the beach before breakfast, so I could feast as the sun came up on the cold cereal and milk I had packed in my cooler.  Sure, it was not exactly gourmet, but sitting there in the silent dawn, watching the sun float up through the low clouds, it didn’t matter what it tasted like. 

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In front of me was the beach, deserted at this time of the morning. Behind me, just over the rise of sand and low palms, was a lagoon, dotted with small islands, and some playful dolphins. Perfect for a kayak ride later. But for now, the beach.

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I pounded some PVC pipe into the sand, rigged up my fishing poles and set them in the pipe. A flock of brown pelicans flew by in a winding, even row. In the sand a few feet away a couple of glaring crab eyes peeked at me before scurrying into a mounded hole. Ah, peace.

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I pulled in my first fish. A small shark. As I let it go back into the water, a large round black form rose out of the water right in front of me, the head of a manatee, though a few surprised seconds passed before I recognized what it was. Very cool. I caught a few more small sharks over the next couple hours, including a hammerhead and bonnet head.

A few people wandered by, searching for their own little piece of blissful beach. For the most part, the beach was quite unpopulated. It became even more unpopulated early afternoon, when dark thunderclouds rolled in, spilling chilly raindrop onto me and pitting the sand. I lasted through a couple of downpours, then decided to call it a day. And what a day it was. Sweet.

 A few bits of info and advice you might want to know if you ever decide to go:

• Bring mosquito spray, or be prepared to run for the beach, since when you emerge from your vehicle, the mosquitoes are waiting for you. The beach was fine, it’s the parking lot that’s wasn’t.
• When the space shuttle launches, parts of the beach are blocked off, and you can’t get in.
• The bathrooms are of the primitive nature, a combination of outhouse and chemicals.
• The cost of getting in the park is $3.00 a person (not bad in my opinion). There are also a few free weekends throughout the summer. An out of state fishing license (non-resident 3 day saltwater) will cost you $17.00 and you will need your SS number to get it.
• Bring sunscreen, and don’t forget to use it on your feet if you are standing there fishing.

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