Rain Rain Go Away

 

The skies opened up on Tuesday night. It rained hard until midday Wednesday. I need an RV. I hate wet tents. This is what it looked like as we were leaving Anastasia:

 

I had to carry my umbrella at our first stop, Faver-Dykes State Park. Here are some photos:

Noted for its pristine condition, this tranquil park borders Pellicer Creek as it winds along Florida's east coast highways down to the Matanzas River. Pellicer Creek is a popular site for birding with more than one hundred bird species seen during spring and fall migrations. Songbirds, including the colorful wood warblers, along with eagles and falcons, return to nest at the park each year. Wading birds, such as egrets, wood storks, white ibis, and herons, feed in the tidal marshes and creeks.

This peaceful park is also home to deer, turkeys, hawks, bobcats, and river otters. Fishing, picnicking, and nature walks are popular activities. Pellicer Creek is a designated state canoe trail and visitors can rent canoes at the park. A full-facility campground is available for overnight stays. Located 15 miles south of St. Augustine near the intersection of I-95 and U.S. 1.

 

Our next stop was Gamble Rogers State Park, more or less a parking lot next to the beach, but very popular with the RV crowd. The skies are starting to clear:

Nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway, this windswept park is named for Florida folk singer Gamble Rogers. The beach is the most popular feature at this park, where visitors enjoy swimming, sunbathing, beachcombing or fishing. The daily low tide is an ideal time to observe shore birds feeding in tidal pools; summer months bring sea turtles that lay their eggs in the golden-brown coquina sand.

On the Intracoastal Waterway side of the park, picnic pavilions provide a shady place to enjoy a meal. A nature trail winds through a shady coastal forest of scrub oaks and saw palmetto. Boaters and canoeists can launch from a boat ramp on the Intracoastal Waterway. The park's full-facility campground is situated on the dune above the shore of the Atlantic Ocean.  A short walk along a boardwalk takes you to the beach.  Located in Flagler Beach off Highway A1A.

 

We stopped next at Tomoka State Park near Daytona Beach:

Native Americans once dwelled here, living off fish-filled lagoons. Today, these waters are popular for canoeing, boating, and fishing. The park protects a variety of wildlife habitats and endangered species, such as the West Indian manatee. Tomoka is a bird-watcher's paradise, with over 160 species sighted, especially during the spring and fall migrations.

Visitors can stroll a one-half mile nature trail through a hardwood hammock that was once an indigo field for an 18th century British landowner. A boat ramp gives boaters and canoeists access to the river. The Park Store offers snacks, camping supplies, and canoe rentals. For overnight stays, the park has full-facility campsites and youth camping. Located three miles north of Ormond Beach on North Beach Street.

I would love to spend a week here exploring the area in my canoe.

 

Luckily we  found a campsite at Lake Louisa State Park for Wednesday through Friday nights. It is located in the center of the state only 20 miles from Disney World. Glenn left for Ocala to visit friends for Thanksgiving, so I was left to fend for myself. The first photo below was taken Wednesday afternoon as we arrived at the the campground. The rest were taken on Thursday. You can see how the weather cleared up:

Lake Louisa offers some of the most beautiful vistas in Central Florida and is becoming a showcase for upland habitat restoration and recreational facilities. It’s 4500 acres protects six lakes, two streams, and 105 acres of lake shoreline.

Voted one of America’s Top 100 Family Campgrounds by ReserveAmerica, Lake Louisa’s full-facility campground is nestled between Dixie and Hammond lakes, both of which offer fishing piers. Anglers can also fish from boats at four of the park’s six lakes. There are 23 miles of trails for hikers and bikers.

Below are some very enthusiastic campers giving me thumbs up on Thanksgiving. Later on, my neighbors brought me over a complete Thanksgiving dinner. Campers are cool.

I sometimes like to chew on a twig while writing my blog. Imagine my surprise when the one I picked up turned out to be alive. And kind of chewy!

If you look closely you can see the baby stick bug on the mom’s back.

Don’t forget to bring a bathing suit to enjoy the warm lake waters. Just ignore the signs posted:

 

Saturday morning will find us heading to Blue Springs State Park for two nights and possible manatee sightings. I’ll see if I can get some photos. It’s supposed to be mating season.

Regards,

Greg

Finally Florida!

 

We passed through Georgia and ended up camping Friday and Saturday at Fort Clinch State Park on Amelia Island. The St. Mary's River enters the Atlantic here in an area known as Cumberland Sound. The fort was built to protect this passageway.

There are two campgrounds here with a totally different look to them. Atlantic Beach campground (sites 1-21) is located in an open area right near the ocean. Amelia River campground (sites 22-62) has an abundance of shade provided by moss covered trees. This was our favorite campground so far on the trip. Below are photos of our campsite, a campsite from the beach area,  the beach, and the pier:

A part of the park system since 1935, Fort Clinch is one of the most well-preserved 19th century forts in the country. Although no battles were fought here, it was garrisoned during both the Civil and Spanish-American wars. During the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps began preserving and rebuilding many of the structures of the abandoned fort. Daily tours with period reenactors depicting garrison life bring the fort to life for visitors. Sunbathing, swimming, and beachcombing are popular activities at the beach. Anglers can fish from the pier or take advantage of excellent surf fishing. Hikers and bicyclists can enjoy a six-mile trail through the park. Self-guided nature trails provide opportunities to learn about and observe native plants and wildlife.

The fort was closed when we went to look at it, but we played pirates and gained entry from the beach side. Below are photos of the fort and some “graffiti” gouged into a brick:

 

We left Sunday morning bound for Anastasia State park, but stopped first at Little Talbot Island State Park to take photos.

With more than five miles of beautiful, white sandy beaches, Little Talbot Island is one of the few remaining undeveloped barrier islands in Northeast Florida. Maritime forests, desert-like dunes and undisturbed salt marshes on the western side of the island allow for hours of nature study and relaxation. The diverse habitats in the park host a wealth of wildlife for viewing, including river otters, marsh rabbits, bobcats and a variety of native and migratory birds.

Surrounding surf and tidal streams present excellent fishing for bluefish, striped bass, redfish, flounder, mullet and sheepshead. Other popular park activities include hiking, kayaking, beachcombing, surfing and picnicking. Beachside picnic pavilions are available for use by park visitors and can be reserved in advance for a fee. A full-facility campground is located along the eastern salt marshes of Myrtle Creek. Kayak rentals, guided paddle tours and Segway tours are available.

Below are photos of the boat launch area and a typical campsite:

 

We arrived at Anastasia State Park Sunday afternoon and set up camp. If the trailer below looks different it’s because, well, it is a different one. Glenn sold the other one while we were in Hunting Island, and took off for two days to pick up his new one in Tampa:

Anastasia State Park includes more than 1,600 acres featuring four miles of pristine beach, a tidal salt marsh, and a maritime and upland hammock. There is also an archaeological site where coquina rock was mined to create the nearby fortress, Castillo de San Marcos National Monument.
At Anastasia you can enjoy camping, beachcombing, swimming, picnicking, fishing, windsurfing, hiking, wildlife viewing, boating and more.

Anastasia's full-facility campground, including 139 campsites, is located in a wooded area within easy bicycling or walking distance of the beach. A self-guided nature trail takes hikers through a maritime hammock on ancient sand dunes, and anglers have the opportunity to haul in the big catch.

Monday morning we visited St. Augustine, the oldest city in America. We drove about 2 miles from the campground, glanced at the St. Augustine Lighthouse, parked, and crossed the historic Bridge of Lions into town. Below are photos of the lighthouse and some views from the bridge:

The photo above is Castillo De San Marcos National Monument, which for many years was the northernmost outpost of Spain’s vast New World empire. It is the oldest masonry fort and the best preserved example of Spanish colonial fortification in the continental United States. It anchored East Florida’s defenses, which extended northward to the St. Mary’s River, westward to the St. John’s, and southward to Fort Matanzas. It protected St. Augustine from pirate raids and from Spain’s major rival, Great Britain, during a time when the Florida-Georgia-Carolina coastline was an explosive international battleground.

I took some photos of the fort:

Looking at the photo above, you might ask yourself, what the heck is that fort made of? I have your answer: seashells! Here is a close-up view:

A compressed mixture of seashells and other secret ingredients called “Coquina” was mined from a quarry right near the entrance to Anastasia State Park.

Just west of the fort is Saint George Street, a tourists wet dream. Countless little shops selling overpriced souvenirs and trinkets line the narrow road. Photos below:

There are also museums and old schoolhouses:

 

Tuesday morning I went to the beach at the campground. There is a concession called Island Joe’s that offers supplies and free Wi-Fi. The water felt about 70 degrees and the clouds were breaking up as I too these photos:

You can see the pier through the mist:

We will be leaving here on Wednesday to spend three days at Lake Louisa State Park. Actually, I will be there while Glenn heads to Ocala to spend Thanksgiving with friends. But he is celebrating in the wrong month.

Most history books agree that the first Thanksgiving feast was held near Plymouth, Mass. in 1621 when English settlers known as Pilgrims asked Native Americans to join them in a celebration of their first successful harvest in the New World.

That’s the traditional story of how Thanksgiving came to be, but ask someone familiar with St. Augustine history about the first Thanksgiving on American soil and they will explain how, on September 8, 1565, Spanish explorer Don Pedro Menéndez de Aviles called for a day of giving thanks to celebrate his safe arrival at a place he named San Agustin in honor of the saint upon whose feast day (August 28) he had first sighted land near Cape Canaveral.

Anchored on the Matanza River near a large marshy and treed area area where the Timucuan Indians lived in their 22 acre Seloy village, Menendez became the first European to step foot on what would later be called the city of St. Augustine. To celebrate that accomplishment, he and his crew of over 600 men along with 200 Spanish settlers who sailed with the five-ship fleet, held Mass at a spot where today a 208 foot stainless steel cross stands on the eastern edge of the Mission of Nombre de Dios on San Marcos Avenue.

So it was here in St. Augustine, just north of the Fountain of Youth grounds, that the first Thanksgiving was celebrated, not at Plimoth Plantation in New England.

Regards,

Greg