Author: Easin' Along

We made Jacksonville the sixth stop on our winter road trip because we like the Mayport Naval Station campground very much. We camped here in 2018 at Pelican Roost, one of the two campgrounds on the installation. Helen and I prefer this campground over Osprey Cove, the other campground on the base, because it is near the beach. Unfortunately, on this trip, near the beach is about as close as we got. Very windy and cold weather conditions developed almost as soon as we unhooked Dora, our fifth wheel, and reduced our beach activities to viewing only.

Another reason to like this campground is the ability to watch many ships enter and leave the port. We had a great view of the canal from our campsite and were kept entertained by various vessels floating to our front. We saw some beautiful sailboats, tugboats, and even rowboats cruising through the channel in addition to the Naval ships and cargo carriers.

One evening, after a heavy rain, the setting sun appeared just as the clouds broke up and presented a unique sky for photo opportunities. The sunset first appeared as a pink haze over one of the Navy ships. I had the camera ready and took the “pretty in pink” picture at the top of this post that turned out well.

A few minutes later, pink turned to red, and the clouds over an aircraft carrier glowed as if on fire.

In need of something to do, Helen and I decided to drive 45 minutes north to Amelia Island and check it out. Neither of us had visited Amelia before but always heard that the small village held a large amount of charm. Ignoring the cold and the wind, off we went to check it out.

Helen had done some research before leaving and suggested we first go to Fort Clinch State Park in Fernandina Beach to stretch our legs and perhaps walk the beach. Rainy conditions changed those plans after we arrived, but the drive into Fort Clinch is very inviting, and a huge Sandhill Crane served as the welcoming committee. We drove through, visited the shop at the Fort, and made plans to return when the weather permitted.

Amelia Island was relatively quiet on the day we visited. Helen and I walked both sides of the street in the heart of town and browsed a few shops. I found a well-organized antique/junk shop that entertained us for about an hour. As soon as we entered, I spotted eight souvenir thimbles to add to my growing collection. I was delighted. Thimbles are hard to find now—I suppose that people sew less than they used to.

When the rain stopped, we made a break for our truck and began the trip back to Mayport. Amelia Island is known for the Colonial and Victorian homes in the area. We passed by some great examples of the architecture on the way out of town. I have two to show here.

Jacksonville is a great place to visit, and I’m sure we will return. Although the weather got in our way here, we didn’t let the rain bother us too much…we had many boats nearby.

We’re Easin’ Along. See everyone next week at Cumberland National Seashore, King’s Bay, Georgia.

Note to our Military Living readers: We highly recommend the campgrounds at Mayport Naval Station. The pads are large with full hookups, and plenty of space between campsites. The showers are clean and the laundry is free. On our previous visit, the clubhouse staff and volunteers hosted group activities and Saturday morning breakfasts. Hopefully, this will resume once the COVID pandemic subsides.

For those who might not know, Lake Kissimmee State Park is located in Central Florida. The nearest town is Lake Wales, but that is irrelevant. The park is really in the center of nowhere behind thousands of acres of orange groves. The area has an “old Florida” feel to it and is the perfect place to relax.

Helen and I came to relax for four days and spend some time with my sister LeAnne and her husband, Marty. We made this trip last year (pre-COVID) and had a delightful time sitting under the massive Live Oaks, draped in Spanish Moss. Eager to repeat the experience, we arrived on a Monday and were greeted by Marty and a couple of his friends from Melbourne, Florida. Marty’s friends purchased an RV recently and wanted to check out the lifestyle before their first trip.

Our campsite was spacious and shaded with enough vegetation between the sites to allow for plenty of privacy. We unhooked and settled in. The weather was the best we experienced to date—short sleeve and shorts weather. Perfect attire for Happy Hour!

While seated beside the trailer, I heard movement behind me and turned to a second greeting committee visiting our campsite.  At least six deer walked tentatively to within ten feet of us and continued to nibble away at the grass and leaves under their hooves.  One doe, the largest of the group, stood staring at us.  I knew better than to feed this bunch, but I picked up a peanut shell off the ground and held it out in front of me.  The doe slowly walked forward to sniff the surface and stood there long enough for Helen or Marty to take the picture at top of the page (I can’t remember who). She rejected my offering, but the entire herd hung around for several hours before retreating to my sister’s campsite, where they spent the night.

On another day, the deer came up behind me as I worked at my easel and remained for quite some time.  I think they were critiquing my artwork. Altogether, the deer never wandered far from us and obviously had been fed by previous campers.  On our visit in 2020, readers may remember that we had large turkeys stop by to chat (link above).

The remainder of our stay was less exciting but fun nonetheless. We rode bicycles almost every day and did a modest amount of hiking through the park.  We climbed to the top of an observation tower to get a view of Lake Kissimmee in the distance but chose not to make the walk. On our return to the campground, we paused to watch a Limpkin dig through the soft mud along the creek bank. He was searching for apple snails, his primary food source.  The Limpkin was a busy fellow and constantly shoved his curved bill into the abyss.  Helen collected a handful of snail shells that this handsome fellow had emptied.

We ate well ourselves during this stop.  Helen and I prepared a meal of Seafood Gumbo before we left home. Resisting temptation throughout this trip, we carried it in our freezer to share with LeAnn and Marty. Gumbo is one of my favorite meals, and this one turned out well. 

Marty reciprocated largely.  On our last night in Kissimmee, he seared some marinated Ahi Tuna that was delicious. Under the light of the moon, we feasted on a casual meal of tuna, a good salad, and a savory wine. I can’t remember the last time I felt this relaxed.

The days passed quickly at Lake Kissimmee, but don’t they all when you’re relaxed and having fun? We’re Easin’ Along to Jacksonville—please join us there.  Retirement is a great gig!

Quiet, beautiful, and low-key is how I would describe Cedar Key, Florida. This post is short because our stay in Cedar Key was short, the weather was cold, and, frankly, we weren’t very active given those conditions. Nevertheless, we enjoyed our visit–the third stop on our winter journey.

Cedar Key is an island city in the northwestern part of Florida on the Gulf Coast. Our drive along the coast from Pensacola took a little over four hours to cover the 200 miles. We had reservations at Cedar Key RV Resort, located on the mainland and about nine miles from the island bridge. The resort was very spacious, with paved sites and full hook-ups. We were assigned site #67 and backed in without incident, or so we thought. The next morning, the camp host knocked on our door to let us know we parked on site #68, not #67. He was very accommodating and allowed us to stay since we had already unloaded chairs and tables and connected our satellite antenna. Moving would not be fun.

With two full days to do anything we wanted, we decided to explore the area. Helen pulled out her guide books and did a little searching on Trip Advisor. Cedar Key is known for its wildlife and birds, so we chose to visit Cemetary Point Park, part of the Great Florida Birding Trail. We saw few birds this cold day. We were there for the exercise as much as for the birds. Cemetary Park has good walking trails and boardwalks that meander through a marsh. Kingfishers, Herons, Pelicans, and Gulls were about all that greeted us, and I captured a few of them with the camera. The only wildlife we saw was one lizard.

The town of Cedar Key is small, charming, and crowded with snowbirds in the winter. There is one short row of buildings along the water, filled with small shops, bars, and restaurants. We wanted oysters as a reward for our exercise walk, so we slipped into one of the oyster bars and treated ourselves. The oysters were local and very good, and the beer was cold.

Day two was not a whole lot different from day one. Helen read about a seafood market near the bridge that sold fresh scallops. Until recently, I was not a scallop lover, but a friend of ours prepared a seared scallop dish on our church campout that was delightful. We contacted Jennifer and asked her to send us the recipe. She sent it almost immediately, and we were off to the market. We bought two dozen large scallops–a half-dozen for dinner and the remainder for the freezer. The scallops were delicious.

That afternoon, the weather warmed up enough for Helen to work on her puzzle by the campfire before dinner. Campfires, puzzles, and scallops are the ingredients for one happy camper. We hit the road the next day very happy…and just Easin’ Along. See you at Lake Kissimmee.