The end of the road.

Friday, September 1

Time to leave this glorious site!  I took my coffee outside to see the sun rise, and Clem soon joined me for a short stroll out for a better view.  The ankle is good enough to walk short distances at least, and I am very pleased at the progress!  We said goodbye to Lou and Roberta, who were headed home.  

We will stop at Johnathan Dickenson State Park for a night to unpack and clean the coach for storage with the luxury of full hookup and AC.  They can park theirs in their driveway to unload, but we obviously cannot!

Stop for gas on the way, the kitties both curious, which is unusual for Loki, came out to see what was up!

Ahh...back in the car?  Must mean this is it!

We packed up the kitties and most of our luggage and groceries,  and loaded the car for the trip home from the campground.  It's very much like moving to the summer or winter home, really, except we take all the cold food too, instead of giving away what we have not managed to consume!

We spent the night at home, and when we returned to do some cleaning, then move the coach to storage, we decided to check out the interpretive Nature Center, which had been closed the last time we were there.  I was so glad we did, as it was very interesting and informative, and I learned things about Trapper Nelson and Johnathan Dickenson that I had not known.  

We had visited Trapper Nelson’s island years before on a pontoon boat ride, but we learned that he had invested his earnings from folks visiting him when he had a zoo there, and bought up hundreds of acres of land, some of which is now the park.  I am motivated to read and learn more!  

We also spotted some new cabins in the park, which are air conditioned trailers....pretty cute! And miles and miles of bike trails, paved and what appears to be new off road trails.  I think the park has expanded its offerings from when we visited years ago, and we will have to make better use of such a neat resource so close to home.  

I walked into the coach after a night out of it, and it felt like coming home!  Comfortable and cozy, and so homey, we have really enjoyed our trip this year.  Always fun to go away, and always good to come home, but I will look forward to our next adventure.  And for those along for the “ride”, thanks! It was great to have you along! 

Back home, foot elevated, and Sas keeping me company as I finish the blog!  

Exploring Amelia Island

Aug 30-31

Spectacular sun rise.....

and the sea oats with the golden light

Wednesday dawned with some confusion, as we weighed options for the day.  My ankle puts a damper on a trip to Cumberland Island nearby, as the boat ride there would be ok, but to really experience the park, it would require walking to the ruins, and that is a difficult task right now.  We decided to do that another time, and I am disappointed and frustrated with having hurt myself!  There are wild horses that roam the island in addition to the ruins, and it being a National Park.....oh well.  They will still be there!  I love this campground, and it is not really that far from home, so we can come again, and make that our goal.  

So plan B was a trolley tour of Jekyl Island, which has been on my list, but neither that, nor the local trolley tour worked out that day,  so scratch that plan! Instead we went to lunch again!  Actually, the plan was to drive to the southern end of this long skinny island, and check it out, and of course, have lunch out on the way.  Lou and Roberta had eaten at a place before on the beach, and we found Sandbar, a cute little place with the inside floors painted to look like a boardwalk in the middle of the water, and a mermaid and a merman.....is there such a thing?...... painted on the bathroom doors.  I opted for something light, but was soon sorry when their fabulous Milliionaire’s BLT s arrived, with thick bacon, baked in brown sugar, and a drippy special sauce arrived.  Clem graciously gave me a couple of bites....yum!  As I am typing this sitting outside by the coach, with the sea breezes blowing, I am wondering if I should send Clem to get one to split for lunch!  

But to continue, we drove down to Amelia Island Plantation, where I sat in  a rocking chair resting my foot on a porch in front of one of the resort village stores with the breeze blowing and the mosses swinging in the big Live Oaks.  One of those romantic southern delights of the imagination, which left me wishing for a front porch!   We completed our drive south, crossing the bridge to the mainland, before turning around and  heading back north, where we stopped at the Fort Clinch gift shop.  We had visited the fort our first year motorhoming, and it was very interesting, built in 1847 after the second Seminole War, with an inner and outer wall, both pentagonal in shape, and having been seized by the Confereate troops, then reoccupied by the Federal troops when Lee abandoned it.  It was pretty warm, and my foot not great, we decided not to tour again at this point.   

We did make a stop at a lookout on the grounds of the park to see the lighthouse from what is supposed to be its best vantage point for photos.  Not so much, to my mind, as it is far across the salt marsh, and more than half blocked by vegetation!  While Lou and I took cell phone photos, and discussed the merits, I balanced my walking stick along the railing, where all of a sudden, it slipped and fell through, tumbling down, in what seemed like slow motion, into the marsh!!   Shocked and dismay soon turned to laughter,  Lou saying it was a good thing Clem had not done it! We  all debated how we might retrieve it, and drove back to camp to gather our idea of rescue items.  Lou found an extendable hose fitting, Roberta got some rope, Clem got what rope he had, which amounted more to shoe strings,  and I got the other walking stick!  We all returned with a plan, and together, we were able to retrieve it!  My second mishap of the stay, but it made for a good story! 

Retrieving the walking stick from the marsh!

The three of them were not even hungry last night, but I had thawed a turkey tenderloin, and told them they could eat or not, but I was cooking it!  I also whipped up some corn pudding to go along with it, and we ended up having a nice dinner outside once the sun dropped, and enjoyed the beautiful night air well into dark.  Lou’s butane lamp/bug killer proved helpful at keeping the evening creatures at bay, and I will look into buying one for us when we get back! 

Gorgeous evening, and it turned out a very lovely dinner and visit into the night!

So today, I think the plan may be just kicking back for the most part.  It is decidedly warmer today, and will be too hot for a boat ride or even a trolley tour, and we have seen most everything else.  The ankle seems to be  doing better, but we are doing our very last leg tomorrow, and will need to pack up, so I would like to have as much use of it as possible, and be rested for the drive. We decided given the state of our supplies, and having things we wanted to do in preparation for leaving, to eat up our leftovers for lunch, work around, then go out for dinner on our last night.   

No wifi, but working on the blog on word processing while resting my foot. 

We moved inside as the temperature started rising, and the AC was running non stop!  I think our dream weather may have come to an end.....and it is even hotter where we are going, with temps in low 90’s, and heat index of 107, which is the very reason I did not want to go back home yet. But we have been out a long time, and are both looking forward to being home.  I will enjoy spending some time in my new craft room, as I do not plan on being outside much.  Clem thinks he is going to start construction of the train room in the garage, but we will see how long that lasts.  It is way too hot to play golf .......he may end up building some models for the layout! 

I took a rest from packing and worked on blog a bit, with Sas beside me, but Loki took over my seat when I stood up!









We chose Gilbert’s Underground Kitchen for some southern food, and found it to be a very cute restaurant, with great ratings.  However, we chose three of the described 4  most popular offerings, and were less than thrilled!  Even the cornbread was a disappointment, with a very odd flavor that prevented me from eating more than one bite!  

Cute place, with alligator on the menu, and we were excited to have a great southern meal, but it didn't quite pan out!

But a highlight to the evening, on our return, I asked Clem to turn on street where the lighthouse was supposed to be, although gated and locked except on the first weekend, for a closer look, and perhaps a shot through the gate.  We circled, and turned through what was a neighborhood, trying to find it, oddly inland.  We finally asked some folks out walking their dogs, and they said the same....you can get there, but it is gated and locked.  So we circled again, then turned up a very narrow street to be rewarded by full exposure, as the coast guard was having a meeting and left the gate open! We didn’t even realize we had gone through a gate, with all the vegetation and houses surrounding it, some built so close to it, it was amazing!  It is inland, because that is the highest point on the island, but it is the strangest location of all of the lighthouses I have ever seen. 

           

I have learned the small buildings alongside were used to store fuel for the lights before they were equipped with electricity. 

Back in Florida!

Monday- Tuesday, Aug 28-29


We arrived at Fort Clinch State Park on Amelia Island and met friends Lou and Roberta, whose campsite is right next to ours.  So fun to camp with friends!  We have had a great time exploring the quaint historic town of Fernandina Beach, sharing lunches and laughs and hanging around the campsite.  We are sad to learn that they are selling their RV, but happy for them, as they bought a house in the mountains near Asheville, where they will spend their summers.  There is a nice campground nearby, so we are already planning to visit them on our travels next year! 

Historic Canopy Road leading 3 miles to our site!

And what a site! Right on by the dunes, ocean out there in the haze. 

Happy Hour starts anytime when you are camping......it's 5:00 somewhere! 

The day of our arrival, we set up and visited with a stiff  breeze coming off the ocean.  We are right near the dunes, and that prevents direct view of the ocean unless you are tall enough to see over them....in which case, I need to be elevated a bit! But the sea oats are blooming, and it is lovely, and a board walk  two sites down takes you out to the waters edge.  Unfortunately, I was coming out of the coach, became distracted talking to everyone, and kind of missed the step and rolled my ankle over the edge.  Initially I thought it was ok, as I was able to put my weight on it, and even walk, but later when we went for dinner, it was swelling and tight, and by that night it was apparent it was not. .  

Lou and Roberta at Tomati's

 But we had a great dinner at a super casual place called Timati’s  that smacked of seaside dining, where you place your order and take it out to picnic tables under a portico.  Great seafood, and even better hushpuppies.....all worth hobbling to! Normally I would be up for a walk, but we drove up and down streets looking at the historic homes.  Fifty some  blocks of the town are on the historic register

This house had won an award for historic renovations....beautiful.

The old Inn, pretty inside as well. 

 Live band playing on the deck of this restaurant seemed like a great place to hang out on a nice evening. 

"The Villa Las Palmas is a magnificent structure and a remainder of the elaborate but tasteful expressions of eclecticism found in many houses of the early twentieth century. It should also be noted that the house is situated on a part of the site of the now destroyed home of David Yulee. "

You guys were out, so we took over the couch for the evening!

Tuesday morning, not to be deterred by a painful ankle, I wanted to walk out to the water, so Clem obliged and brought my coffee, and I wrapped up with a cold compress I had, and used my walking sticks to hobble out.  Of course, once I got out there, I realized I had to get back....groan!

By Tuesday I was really hobbling, and we found a drug store for an ace bandage and brace, and I used a walking stick to help me hobble around, and we went for a nice late lunch at Brett’s on the water in town.  Our waiter was amazing, rambling through a very long list of specials, and how much of each he had left!  I uttered a wow out loud, and  a conversation ensued about the extensive training that was required to work there.  Then when asked about beers, another huge list!  Funny!  

Clem has been on a Bloody Mary kick, and this one was complete with shrimp and  a peppery rim!

I had a great shrimp quiche, and Roberta shrimp bisque and salad, while the boys enjoyed an unusual smoked fish on bagel sandwich.  

We enjoyed an excellent lunch, then ventured across the way to the Visitors Center, located in a historic train depot, where  we gathered some information from the knowledgeable woman on duty.  David Levy Yulee, whose statue sits on a bench by the station, was a businessman and representative of the Florida territory, started a railroad that went from Fernandina to Cedar Key on the Gulf Coast before the Civil War, and before Mr. Flagler’s railroad, and was the first Jewish Senator in the US.  A  town nearby bears his name, and I always find it interesting to find out where unusual names come from. 

I saw this pirate from the visitor center, and wanted to get a closer look. One of many, as there were apparently pirates in their history, yet not much said about them!  ThePalace is Florida's Oldest Saloon, complete with old time saloon doors, and I had to have my photo taken with my fellow peg leg! 

 I asked at the visitor center how to get to the lighthouse, said to be the oldest in Florida, maybe because it is the only one left standing from the time, but it was actually built in 1820 in Georgia, and moved to its current location on Amelia Island.  I am clearly on a lighthouse streak, so I must see it!   I even bought a cute lighthouse statue for the motorhome, which just happens to be an artistic one in the same colors as my new decor! 

That evening we were preparing to  sit outside with wine and cheese, when some folks walked by with their glasses and started to chat, as they own the same model motorhome.  Lou and Roberta had run across them the last time they were here, too, and we invited them to join us, and we all enjoyed a lovely evening sitting around and swapping stories, well past dark.  He was full of ideas about books to read about the history of the area, and I made notes!  They actually live nearby, are big boaters, and camp here often, apparently leaving the coach at the campground, and going back and forth.  Kind of a seaside cottage for them, though they said they live on the water.  We don’t quite get it, but whatever floats your boat!  And they are very nice people, easy to talk to, and full of stories and ideas.  Tom and Trisha often go to the Keyes, and we told them about our RV club, and that we are going in November, so we may cross paths again. 

An overnight in Walterboro, SC

Sunday Aug 27

Travel day, we stopped for lunch along the highway, on the way to a Walterboro, SC campground for an overnight. 

I love these little picnics on the road where we can enjoy a nice break from driving and enjoy nature.....even if we DO hear the traffic zooming!  And always fun to explore any visitor centers when they are there, which we did here.  You never know what I may have missed that I can add to the list of things to see!

We have been to this campground before, and it is an easy on and off the highway, has big pull through sites and big trees, and we enjoyed a grilled dinner and even watched the news outside,  the weather being so great I didn’t want to go in! 

We have been so lucky....I was sure it was going to be terribly hot and humid in the Carolinas, as it was the last time we were there, and it was a very pleasant surprise.  The fact that a major storm , Hurricane Harvey, a category 4, blew into Texas , may well have something to do with it.  A tough way to get some cool relief, as those poor people suffer the storm that is hanging around for days, leaving flooding and devastation in its wake. 

It is interesting to note that the hysteria surrounding the removal of Confederate statues around the country, in the wake of violence in Charlottesville, is completely out of the news, as friends and neighbors of all colors and creeds, and political persuasion, come together to help those in need from the storm.  If only it could last.  

Apex, NC

Thursday and Friday   Aug 25-26
photos not cooperating....to follow


We arrived at Poplar Point at Jordan Lake, the lovely woodsy campground where we always stay when visiting Bob and Judy.  We set up, and they came over and we had a nice visit under the trees, then out for dinner at an Irish pub in town.  

Cabin in the woods!

Why didn't I take another photo with everyone in these chairs??!

 Coffee and planning the route on a nice morning.  I always like to take a walk around, and this site has a walking trail adjacent, so we walked in the woods, instead of the loop road.  Clem was gathering twigs to become "logs" on his train layout.

Returning, you can see the back of the coach through the trees. 

Friday we discussed options, then set out for Chapel Hill, since it was listed in 1000 Places to See Before You Die!  We had been on a drive through with them years before, and got a great photo op of the world’s largest sun dial in front of UNC, but the NC Botanical Garden seemed a good destination for a nice walk, and Judy knew a great spot for a meal, so off we went!  The building at the garden was huge and engineered for sustainability, and the woman behind the desk was a fountain of information, had a great sense of humor, and a lovely British accent, and we enjoyed her as much as anything there!  The gardens were mostly native plants, and not the manicured gardens I had expected, but we enjoyed walking around on such a lovely day.

We ventured into a cabin, that we learned was the place an author and professor spent his time writing, and as I turned around to read some of the information provided on plaques around the walls, a young woman was sitting on a bench below, and I looked up to see a huge black snake slithering across the wall over her head!  Not wanting to startle her, I leaned toward her , took her hand, and,  as calmly as I could, said, you may want to come over here.  She was pretty calm too , but hand went to hair, and she asked if it was a spider.  Not quite!!   Well, the husband thought it was the coolest thing, and sat on the bench to pose for a photo, which Bob obliged!  Just a black racer, and really harmless, but who needs a snake in their hair! He slithered his way up the wall and out a crack, where he had apparently come in, and we had a few chuckles as we resumed our walk!  

Dad thought the snake was cool, the little girl was oblivious! 

 

Lovely quilt hangings in the building, of which I did not take a photo!  I am slipping!

We left the garden and found our way to the restaurant, driving past the huge campus with lovely buildings, found a parking spot on the next block and walked to it, only to find it was closed!  Bummer!! 

 But we set out for Southern Seasons, where we had eaten on our last visit, and from where I still remembered the amazing pimento cheese fritters!  They come 5 on a plate as an appetizer, topped with a pepper jelly, and I placed my order, telling the waitress I would share one with each, and keep two for myself!  They are so delicious!  We had them in a restaurant in Charleston, and they could not hold a candle to the ones at this place.  I also love roaming the isles of the big store, and seeing all the goodies, southern treats and spices and barbecue rubs and sauces, and of course the cases full of chocolates, not to mention two sections of chocolate bars from around the world.  I get overwhelmed sometimes with so much selection, and end up buying nothing, which I did with the chocolates, which is probably just as well. 

Chicken and Waffles for Clem, of course!  Again, slipping...no photo of the fritters! 

Good friends Bob and Judy. 

                             

Judy had made a delicious pie for our visit, so after our explorations we went back to their house to see their garden and have some pie, before bidding adieu and calling it an early evening.  Another nice visit with long time good friends, and it was great to see them, if only for a short time.