Perico Bayou Traditional Cache

Nice day to head to the beach and try to capture one of those beautiful sunset dinners?  What better place then to zoom down Manatee Avenue West out to the island.  And how many of us have driven that route more times then we can count and looked out the window on the way only to see this wonderful sight?

View of the Perico Bayou walkway bridge from Manatee Avenue West

Well, some of us with more then just an avid curiosity now stop to investigate.  On a caching maintenance run out to Anna Maria I saw this sight once again and this time I decided it needed some investigation.  When I returned, I was pleased to find that there is plenty of road shoulder (on both sides) to park and a well defined entrance at N27 29.788 W82 40.227 and a gate and a sign stating this place it open from 8:00AM until sunset.  After walking down the path I realized I had not loaded any local caches in my GPS so this one was placed on the gamble no one else had discovered this wonderful spot. Luck was on my side today.

North view from atop the Perico Bayou walkway bridge

The walkway is cut through some deep mangroves and straying from the pathway could be a little messy.  I decided to keep the cache path accessible as the threat of mud was pretty high, especially after a good afternoon shower.  So if you feel a need to wander or your GPS is pointing you off the pathway, try the next closest area as I am not responsible for your cleaning bill. The cache is a short 1/10th mile walk down a paved pathway and across a couple little bridge crossings.  Once you find the cache you can take a nice stroll across the bridge you can see from the road but you have to stop at the far side as the area is marked a construction site and appears to have more pathways coming.  The views from the bridge are amazing!

Pathway thru the magroves heading out to the bridge.

The spoonbills were pretty populous around here as well as many other Florida natives.  The fish were jumping and the bridge is fully equipped with fishing pole holders and the artificial planks that line the bridge will be around a long, long time. 

Beautiful spoonbills settling in for the evening

This is a micro cache so be sure to bring your own pen and please be sure to hide it as secure and the same way you found it so the muggle crabs don’t find this one.  The log might have a different name listed as I changed my mind as I was driving away when I saw the name engraved into the bridge crossing.

But now you will know what this bridge looks like up close and personal and if you have a few minutes, bring your pole and your camera, oh yeah, and your GPS.

Gonna see my baby again
Gonna be with some of my friends
Maybe I'll feel better again
On Perico Bayou

Saving nickels saving dimes
Working til the sun don't shine
Looking forward to happier times
On Perico Bayou

Enjoy,
iMPG