I had heard of the park but didn't know much about it so when we arrived at the park gate and paid our fee ($4.50/adults, $1/kids under 12), I asked for a map.
We had two options, take the road on the right to Mile Beach and Todd's Point or take a left to Griffith Head, Mile Beach and The Lagoon.
The kids didn't like the sounds of The Lagoon (they thought it sounded "yucky and weedy" - which was not the case as we later found out) so we opted to go right.
There was ample parking at Todd's Point but as soon as we stepped out of the car, we were bombarded with mosquitoes and horse flies.
They are no joke here!
G. was in charge of packing bug spray and she did. But bless her 11-year-old heart, she packed the bottle that had less than a 1/4" of liquid left. So after the girls got a good spraying from head to toe, I was left with a less than I needed (and yes, I am full of bites today).
The point offered a beautiful view of the ocean but the waves crashing against the rocks gave me pause. After walking around the rocks (at a safe distance from the water) and spotting the sandy shore of Mile Beach, we decided to climb over the rocks (there was an easier path in the grass to take but the girls liked the challenge of climbing better) to get over to the swimming area.
The kids immediately ran toward the water. The waves were bigger and stronger than I expected so I called them back and gave them the lay of the land (i.e., mom's rules) -- don't go in further than your knees.
But within a few minutes L. had a wave crash over her head, found her footing after a few seconds to stand up only to be knocked off her feet a moment later by a riptide.
This is not a beach for the faint of heart parent.
Needless to say I amended my instructions to the girls not to go above their shins.
There were a couple of attentive life guards on duty and I stayed by the water the entire time the kids were in it. But I admit to being one of those annoying mothers yelling at her kids to get closer to shore when they wandered more than 10 feet past me.
All the while being bitten relentlessly by horse flies.
I lasted nearly an hour and half, which I felt was a generous amount of time for the girls to have their fun (which they did), because the water made me nervous. And that's not typical for me, I was a certified swim instructor once upon a time and truly love to be around water ... (But if the kids were older and stronger swimmers and we all had boogie boards, I'd have a totally different take on things - it's a great surfing spot!)
After I called it quits, we found the bath house showers to rinse off and change. THAT was really nice.
Before leaving the park, I drove to The Lagoon to check it out and found it packed with people (and no parking spots) but clearly it was the place for swimming in calmer waters. We saw lots of young children playing there.
When I got home I called a friend to ask if she'd ever been to the park. She recalled that she had but it wasn't a favorite spot. Apparently her son was pulled under by a riptide on the Mile Beach and needed a life guard to help him out.
I should have called her first. It would have saved me from the few gray hairs I see this morning.
Playing in the Waves
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