When my girl Linda found our
current parcel at Sailors Cove South in January of this year, I did not realize at the time the extent of the community's beauty and uniqueness. I had tasked her with finding a location that would have direct access to the Blake Seas, as I wanted to be able to sail the
Linda Lou directly from our home.
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| The Linda Lou in front of our home |
The new parcel proved that it could indeed serve this purpose, and I've been recently taking our boat past Sailors Cove and all the way towards Sirens Isle and the Galaxy Cruise Ship, although via
a somewhat circuitous route.
However, I also recently found out that the community had a common wilderness park located northwest of our home that was open to all visitors called the
Cooper Creek Wilderness Area (located
here), and I was interested enough to visit it yesterday.
I will tell you now that I have been in SL long enough that almost nothing surprises me anymore, but my first explorations of the park literally made me start going "omg" several times.
The park setting was decidedly tropical to subtropical, with towering banyan trees taking root along the many small waterways that wound their way throughout the area. But the way I toured the place was what really made it for me.
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| Visitors can use wooden paths to access the entire park |
One of the signs directed me to a kayak rezzer, and I immediately made my way along the rickety wooden footpaths towards it. In RL I am an avid kayaker, and I decided I would probably like seeing the park in one as well.
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| Kayak rezzer allows for single or dual kayaks |
It was an amazing first tour of the park!
The first sight I encountered was a series of waterfalls that covered the walls of a somewhat claustrophobic tunnel, which was also laced with vines and other plants that clung precariously to the ceiling and sides of the passageway.
I decided to give the spot the moniker Waterfall Alley, and below are some pics I took of my passage through it from the kayak rezzer point.
Past Waterfall Alley you have the option of turning right immediately after the last waterfall, and after passing through a rather tight narrow passage you'll come upon the aptly named Butterflies House.
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| Colorful butterflies flutter inside the Butterfles House |
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| Another kayak rezzer lies near the Butterflies House |
Beyond Butterflies House I came upon two majestic banyan trees, their buttress roots rising from the soggy ground, and their prop roots sinking deep into the soil and turning into huge trunks in their own right.
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| One of the banyans behind Butterflies House |
Because the area was criss-crossed by an extensive waterway system, the creators of the park also added quite a number of bridges that spanned the various cut off islets and enabled those who would like to simply stroll access to all the hidden campsites and other resting places.
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| Wooden bridges span many of the islets |
I only explored a small portion of the place, although I obviously mean to rectify that in the coming days, but the attention to detail and just the sheer exuberance of the plant life in the park left me agog.
Below are some more pics I took of my first trips into Cooper Creek Wilderness Area.
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| Swan boat on other side of kayak rezzer |
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| Tight passage to the Butterflies House |
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| Temperate looking area of the park |
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| Remnants of crashed plane beyond the park |
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