Leapin' Lizards

 By Kathy
Actual Date: February 28, 2018

The Bahamian Rock Iguana

Just north of Highborne Cay is Allen Cay which is home to a subspecies of the rock iguanas. These particular iguanas are one of the most endangered species in the world. When I say Allen Cay is home to these iguanas it really means they are the only ones living there. They draw a fair amount of attention from the tour boats so we waited a until they left to go see these creatures. These guys were really amazing to look at up close. They have been here for many many years. The adult iguanas have no natural predator but the small ones can be eaten by birds or snakes. They lived pretty peacefully until the arrival of the Europeans when they brought animals such as dogs, cats, goats, and hogs that preyed on the iguanas. 

Excited to go see some iguanas!

They are waiting for us!

We did decided to feed these guys but we were careful to only bring these herbivores fruits and vegetables.  To feed them we used a stick to limit the amount of sand on the food. They were pretty fun to feed. Some were shy and some were pretty bold. A few even jumped up for the food.

After feeding them the kids played in the water and found the remains of a small boat just off the shore.

Here they come!

They are really amazing creatures. 

I am really not going to get very close. 

Sam found one that would jump. 

A captain and his dinghy waiting patiently!

The boys found the sunken boat. 

Emma looking sporty in the Exumas!

Now everyone is on the sunken boat. 

Exuma Land and Sea Park - Shroud Cay

By Kathy
Actual Date: March 5, 2018

Exuma Land and Sea Park - Here we come! 

After we narrowly escaped the exit to Normans Pond we headed for the beginning of the Exuma Land and Sea Park. This has been on the “must see” list for a while and we were very excited. The Land and Sea Park is like a national park in the states. All of the land and water is completely protected from any kind of fishing or hunting. The parks consists of many different islands and all seem to be a little bit different. The first one we visited was Shroud Cay. It is known for an amazing little river that runs from the sound side to the ocean side. When we were in the river the water was really clear and we saw some fish and lots of turtles!

Making our way up the river. 

Very shallow - you need a bit of high tide to make it through. 

We found the ocean!

After taking the dinghy through the mangrove river we made it to the ocean side and hiked up to Camp Driftwood. In the past visitors were able to leave pieces of driftwood at the top but that privilege was abused by people leaving trash so the park had to stop the driftwood part of Camp Driftwood. But the views were amazing at the top!  

We accidentally chose the wrong path up to Camp Driftwood. The bonus was that we got a really cool picture of the dinghy. 

We found the right path to Camp Driftwood. 

The view from Camp Driftwood. 

The beautiful Emma!

When we got back to the boat Dan finished a fun boat project he has been wanting to do for a while - a boom swing! The kids had a blast and I had fun taking pictures of them on the swing.

Emma is up first!

Pirate Jack!

Sam looks like he could be in the Olympics! 

Everyone relaxing after a busy day of fun! 

Sam was worn out! 

Remember those pesky fronts that keep rolling through? Well another one was on its way so we had to find a more protected anchorage after a night in Shroud even though we would have loved to stay another night. We lucked out on the wait list for a mooring ball in a more protected location inside the Land and Sea Park so we headed there the next day.