On Saturday, we visited Heckscher State Park with friends of Ellie and Dan’s who had access to a car. We went in the late afternoon, and during our walk, didn’t run into anyone else who was visiting there. It was cold and windy, but in a refreshing way.
Heckscher is located on the Great South Bay, and I found the differences from the San Francisco and San Pablo Bays to be substantial. Here, it was beach-like, with sand and beautiful pebbles, instead of mud and rocks. There was also a lot of what I think was some kind of dried sea grass, which was piled in heaps upon the beach. The plant life on the shore was very different from the west coast bays I’ve visited, and there were pine trees, and tall reeds with wavy tops.
Despite the differences from the bays in California, there were similarities. The signs of human influence were apparent, and I kept finding things like bottle caps, empty bottles, and shotgun shells.
It was hard to imagine the beach in the summer. I was told it was full of families, with concession stands open, and parking lots full. There was plenty of parking and a whole field of picnic tables surrounded by a giant chain-link fence. Exploring in the winter seems to be the way to go. It was quiet, except for the sound from the ocean.