Tropical Storm Earl

As hurricane Earl came up the eastern seaboard it's power slowly diminished finally becoming a tropical storm by the time it was parallel to the North Fork last Friday afternoon.  The rain measured a little less than three inches in my gauge though it might have been more as rain flying sideways would have a tough time getting in there.  The wind gusted to over forty miles per hour off and on during the day making me glad that we'd buttoned up a bit by taking down hanging plants from the front porch, putting all the lawn furniture in the garage and staking down the canopy over the deck and the boat on it's trailer.  We've seen boats in houses and hung up in trees after Andrew hit Florida so I thought I'd go ahead and take the precaution.  I find it hard to imagine a wind of 125 mph!  We felt our home would not have any problems as it had survived the big one back in 1938 that had destroyed nearby structures.


Around 4 pm, knowing that Earl had passed us by out to sea, we decided to make a run down to the South Fork to take a look at the Atlantic.  With very little traffic on the road we made good time and were on the Ponquogue Bridge approaching the Shinnecock Inlet 40 minutes later, an inlet that was created by the storm in '38, only to find a police car barring most of the road.  I think he was there to warn folks of the deep water ahead but he was letting SUVs through.  It was very deep in places but slowly we were able to get near the inlet, park, put on foul weather gear and step into the wind and driving rain.  I've stood on the jetty and fished in the sun many times with the water below me as much as 10 feet and more.  Today it wasn't a safe place to perch.

Click on photos to enlarge.

For Skywatch Friday photos click here.

For more My World photos click here.

Clouds

Looking at the Shinnicock Hills club house from the Peconic Bay



Robins Island from a mile out in the Great Peconic Bay


Unloading a cooler at the East Creek Inlet


For more Sky Watch photos click here.

my nephew (2nd posting of this photo)

East Creek Inlet

Horseshoe Crab Egg-Laying Spots

Riffles Sculpting Sand

Footbridge

Pipes Cove Inlet

Tide Cuts In The Sand (photo by Amy)

The Inlet (click for map)

The inlet from the Peconic Bay to East Creek is one of my favorite spots.  It's easy to get to...   just off the end of our road and a bit left.  It's good place to fly fish in season at dawn or dusk and has a wonderful beach to relax on or swim from.  It's fun to float and let the tide take us for a ride.  The best thing about the inlet is that it is always changing.  There are a lot of natives to watch this time of year.  The ospreys are nesting now and soon the swans will be by training their signets to pull grasses from the bottom.  Deer sometimes swim across here and you might spot a mink dive in and come out with a small fish at first light.

Inlet Outgoing Tide - Peconic Bay

Reed Line From High Tide