Author: Easin' Along

Helen and I drove north from Jacksonville, going from one military base to another. Our next stop would be the Eagle Hammock RV Park at King’s Bay Naval Submarine Base. We tried to stay at Eagle Hammock on our return from Florida last year, but two blown tires on Lucy within an hour forced us to cancel the reservation over President’s weekend.  After replacing the tires, there were no sites available.  Eagle Hammock has a solid reputation as a campground, with plenty to do along the Georgia Coast. We eagerly looked forward to the experience and had reservations for seven days.

Cold weather was still upon us on our first morning, but the clouds started to break up.  Helen told me that we should go into nearby St. Mary’s, Georgia, explore a bit, and obtain information on the ferry ride to Cumberland Island National Seashore…I’m good at following directions.

Although small, St. Marys, founded in 1767, has Early American charm. The town has endured past warfare, yet many of the original structures remain intact and well-preserved.  I placed two examples here.  One picture shows a church building, now used as a residence, and an antebellum home, built in the 1830s.

After a stroll around town, Helen collected information from the National Park Service office about ferry times and fees.  We chose to make the trip another day when the weather improved and decided to go for a hike through Crooked River State Park, a short drive away. When we arrived, I was surprised to see how many visitors were there on a weekday.  The Campground was nearly full of snowbirds, as well as families with children. I assumed that this is a by-product of the COVID pandemic.

We walked about two miles along some beautiful paths and the marsh. We only observed one person on the water, a fisherman.  He didn’t appear to enjoy himself very much in the strong wind, but he seemed well-equipped for anything.

We spent the next day doing laundry. Navy campgrounds and inns are the best because they offer washers and dryers for free.  Our clothes hamper overflowed with the remnants of Florida fun, and we needed to remedy that. While waiting for the laundry to finish, we shopped at the well-stocked commissary for dinner items.

Our son recommended that we try a meal at Steffen’s Restaurant near the Submarine Base.  My waistline was getting away from me on this trip, but a good biscuit breakfast with homemade gravy was too tempting, and we moved out early the day after laundry day.  I made a promise that I would walk every bite off during a hike around Fort Clinch State Park later that afternoon. Steffens did not disappoint. I LOVE places like this.

Fort Clinch State Park is in Fernandina Beach, Florida, and about 30 miles south of King’s Bay. The plan was to hike along the beach looking for shark’s teeth and maybe do some more exploring in the town of Amelia Island. Pretty weather finally found us. 

Fort Clinch, constructed in 1847 at the mouth of the St. Mary’s River to protect the deep-water port of Fernandina, eventually became one of the first State Parks in Florida. The road into the park is covered in palms and live oaks, creating a very scenic entry.  We parked our vehicle, paid our park fees, and walked to the beach.   After about an hour of walking the beach, we found no shark’s teeth but did find a great place to relax and spend some time outdoors. The beach behind the fort had very few visitors.

Next up on our itinerary was a visit to Cumberland Island National Seashore, a National Park that I’m not sure I knew about before we planned this trip. We’ve visited Cape Cod National Seashore and consider it a treasure.  If Cumberland Island is half as scenic, I’ll be ecstatic.

Before boarding the Cumberland Queen, a Park Ranger gave us a briefing of the do’s and don’ts of visiting the Island, reminding us several times of the scheduled departure for the return trip. If we missed the ferry, it would cost three hundred dollars for a charter vessel to bring us back to St. Mary’s.  For once, Helen promised to be on time.

The Cumberland Queen left the port at St. Mary’s for a forty-five-minute voyage up the Cumberland River under sunny skies.  The cool temperature tempted us to ride inside the ferry, but I wanted to take in the scenery, so we rode atop the vessel. A dolphin swam along beside us for much of the trip.

A pair of the famous wild horses of Cumberland Island greeted us when we arrived. Helen and I ate the lunch we packed earlier in the morning before starting a four-mile hike to the Atlantic side of the Island, the dunes, and the Dungeness Estate ruins. The pathway to the beach bordered by towering Live Oaks draped in Spanish Moss made for a great start to our hike.

After a mile or so, the pathway opened up to one of the most expansive beaches I’ve ever seen. Except for the gulls and a gaggle of Sandpipers, we had the entire area to ourselves. We walked to the south and could see King’s Bay Submarine Base in the distance.  I often stopped to take pictures, including one of two gulls taking flight.  I named them the Wright Brothers.

Soon, the trail turned from the beach toward the dunes, then on to the Dungeness Estate, built in 1884 by Thomas and Lucy Carnegie, owners of Cumberland Island at the time. A fire took a sizeable portion of the home early in the twentieth century. The Estate remains in ruins but maintains a majestic appeal.  Wild horses grazed casually on the lawn (picture at top).

We made it back to the departure point in plenty of time to avoid a more expensive ride home.  We chose to ride inside for the return trip because the winds picked up. Nevertheless, a few hearty souls decided to ride on the deck. Once underway, I joined them long enough to put my camera to work.

I can’t remember when I’ve had a better day. We’re Floatin’ 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!