False Cape State Park (5/30/2025)

 Friday, May 30, 2025

For breakfast this morning we had a simple sandwich with egg, ham and cheese with some apple on the side.

Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge

We visited the Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge to take the Blue Goose Wildlife Tram Tour. The tram is an open-air bus, seating up to 27 passengers. Tram tours begin at the wildlife refuge parking lot and start with a ride through the wildlife refuge to reach False Cape State Park. After a brief visit at the park's Visitor Center the tram continues deep into the state park, all the way to the site of the historic Wash Woods community. A one-mile, round-trip (optional) hike brings participants to the cemetery and church steeple, all that is left of this community. After returning to the tram, passengers are transported back through the park and the wildlife refuge to the starting point. Throughout the trip the tram driver provides information about the history, wildlife and management of both natural areas.

Our guide for the tour made the time just fly by. He could hear birds over the noise of the tram and the driver could spot birds with his naked eye that we would have to use binoculars to see.

Here is a list of the animals that I can remember seeing on the tour.

• Turtles
• Water moccasin or cottonmouth
• 1 in the canal
• 3 on land
• Black racer
• Bald Eagle
• Vulture
• Great Heron
• Blue Heron
• Ducks
• All kinds of other birds

Just some shots of the refuge.

Stopped and picked up this fella so we could see it up close.

This lady was laying eggs.

False Cape State Park

We arrived at the park Visitor Center and after a quick glance through the gift shop, we went out to get our picture taken. 

A water moccasin was discovered next to a tree and we all gathered round snapping pictures before it slithered away.

We started our hike along the Cemetery Trail and would stop to look at plant life, another moccasin listen to our guides.

This is an Ant Lion hole.

At the cemetery there was a building that house a steeple. This is all that is left of the Wash Woods Church.

This is the best shot I could get of the steeple.

Some of the grave sites in the cemetery.

We were having a blast, and it shows on our faces.

On the way back to the tram, we spotted another cottonmouth. We finished our hike and boarded the tram for the trip back to the parking lot. 

Sandbridge Beach

On the way back, we stopped at Sandbridge Beach. We parked at one of the public parking lots and you pay with your phone. NOTE: if you don't pay you will get a ticket. When we came back to the lot 2 hours later, the parking police was issuing tickets.

This beach, compared to others, was fairly deserted.

Beautiful weather and clean beach.

We ran into this fella on the way back.

For supper, we ate at Buoy 44 on the recommendation of a park employee. We both had the salmon and broccoli. I had mashed potato and Amy had tossed salad. I also ordered a side of bacon wrapped scallops and let me just say, they were delicious.