Going to Barefoot Beach this past week was truly an experience! I did not think my feet would hurt as much as they did at the end of it but oh my they did!
Driving into the beach preserve area was quite possibly my favorite part because Naples is one of the most beautiful nearby towns and the drive in was wonderful. When the bus drove into the large mansions neighborhood, I found myself start to daydream. I looked at these magnificent houses and wondered what life would be like if I had grown up in a place such as that. I tried to imagine myself in a sense of place and really found myself having a wanderlust for a big home.
Once we actually arrived to Barefoot Beach, I immediately noticed the mangroves surrounding the parking lot leading up to the beach. They are extremely important to this type of ecosystem because of the shade and shelter they provide to the wildlife and passersbys. I think estuaries are important for both the natural world and for people in numerous ways. They provide a sense of beauty people and an outlet for nature. I cannot imagine a place such as Barefoot Beach without it.
There can often times be a divide between preservation and development, but here that was not the case. I saw a beautiful blend and balance between the two. Go back a few hundred feet from the beach and you are upon mansions and condos, and a few hundred feet there is the beach and the natural beach forest surrounding the sandy beaches. I found this to be the most fascinating and it intrigued me the most. I would definitely go back to enjoy more of this! Loved this trip!
