Dry Land Feels Weird

/ Stella Maris & Flying Fish
I am most comfortable on the water and underwater. Things get weird when I reach dry land.
Photograph: © Jeffrey Cardenas

At the Moriah Harbour Cays National Park in the southern Exuma Cays, conservationists understand that not everyone wants to get wet. What is dry on these islands is as spectacular as the underwater world that surrounds them. The addition of a little human waggishness adds to the experience. On the southern tip of Stocking Island an “Art Trail” has been cut through the coppice allowing restless sailors to stretch their legs and express personal wit.

Wilson was here…

Of course, nature always has the last laugh. The natural beauty of the coppice (a Bahamian hardwood forest) is breathtaking. In the 22,833 acres of Moriah Harbour Cays National Park, trails pass through exotic palm groves. Caves are cut into calcium carbonate limestone. Lowlands are alive with American Oystercatchers and Giant White Landcrabs. An upland hiker might be startled by a Bahamian Blind Snake or an Antillean Nighthawk. And, growing so thick that it nearly shuts off sunlight, is flora that includes Drawf Frangipani, dominant stands of Bahamian Poisonwood, and wild Oncidium Orchids.

Dry land, I learned, can be a wonderland. All I need to do to experience it is step ashore once in a while.

And, at the end of the trail, there is always the sea.

Thanks for sailing along with Stella Maris.

As always, sailing is not just about the wind and the sea; equally important are the places, the flora, fauna, and people encountered along the way.

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Text and Photography © Jeffrey Cardenas 2023

“Let this be a time of grace and peace in our lives”   – Fr. John Baker

11 thoughts on “Dry Land Feels Weird”

    • Thank you for reading and for your compliment, alexconwaytimchula.
      I noticed you described the wild orchid in my image as a Cymbidium; my call was an Oncidium. Accuracy is important to me and after more research, I think what I saw was actually an Encyclia altissima.
      From Jay Phal, author of the Internet Orchid Species Encyclopedia (IOSPE):
      “ENCYCLIA ALTISSIMA–Origin: Found in Bahamas, Turks & Caicos Islands, Haiti, and Cuba in xerophytic, low woody, bushy and cacti coppices at the base of trees and the roots anchored onto it and into the coral below at elevations under 10 meters. Long, twining inflorescence with super fragrant, highly variable flowers reminiscent of honey and beeswax. Flower size: 2 inches [5 cm].
      Check out the image of Encyclia altissima online. Of course, with 17,000 species of orchids… who knows?
      Thanks again.

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