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| Singleton's |
We really must be heading north – from Ocala to Jacksonville
in one day! In one morning! But in all fairness – we did pull out
early, but not before Bob came over to wish us well and safe travels! He was also moving soon.
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| The Sullivans |
Jacksonville straddles the mighty St Johns River that is the
only river in the USA that flows from south to north. Out on the beach island is the small historic town of Mayport,
which was founded in 1562. This small
town is home to the nation’s third largest Naval station which is port for 22
vessels, a Nuclear air craft carrier, an 8000 ft runway and a helicopter pad
that launches over 100,000 flights a year.
The last time we camped at Kathryn Abby Hanna City Park, we included a
picture of the oldest structure in this quaint OLD town – the St Johns
Lighthouse that was constructed in 1858.
Also in that old blog was a discussion about the Singleton Seafood
Shack. It is STILL the total package
of a seafood SHACK! Its shackitude
displays it all: low ceilings, wood floors, tables and hard benches, food
served in Styrofoam and plastic utensils!
The seafaring bric-a-brac is hanging everywhere and the annex/museum
still holds the dusty collection of fabulous hand crafted wooden ships. And the food is still dee-lish!!! Scallops one day and on the second visit we
split our sweet tasting fried shrimp and stuffed deviled crab. Out back are moored the very boats that
bring the various fishes and crustaceans in from the ocean beyond. Hopeful pelicans still perch and wait for a
snack. They can dream, can’t they??
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| Jacksonville Beach |
After one of those very satisfying meals at the Singleton,
we found a narrow looking hole in a fence that showed tire tracks that lead out
thru the wetlands and along the rocky shores of the river. Unable to yield NOT to temptation, H
carefully threaded the truck thru that opening and out along the narrow rutted
path. At the end of the sandy track was
a loop and a good spot to get out and stretch our eyes to see what was up and
then down the river. Up river we could
see the Nuclear power plant and across the river was a large Navy vessel in
dry-dock. We could see the big number
68 on her bow. Upon some investigating,
we found that that number was assigned to the 505 ft guided missile destroyer,
“The Sullivans”. She is named for the
5 Sullivan brothers who fought and died together in World War II. Since her launch, she has served in the
Persian Gulf and after 9/11 she served as a temporary hospital in New York
during Operation Noble Eagle. During
Operation Enduring Freedom in 2002, Al Quaeda attempted a bomb attack while she
was in port in Aden, Yemen. Their small
boat was so overloaded that it sank and the attack never happened. Later they tried the same type of attack and
successfully bombed the USS COLE in October of that year. As of December 2013 she had just returned
from another 6-month deployment. It
must now be her turn to be rested and renewed!
This long thin stretch of island is home to Mayport, her
seafood and 3400 acre Naval station, the mile and half of ocean beachfront of
Hanna Park and then south to Atlantic Beach, Juniper Beach and Jacksonville
Beach with its long thin fishing pier on pilings that stand out across the wide
beach and into the rolling waves of the Atlantic. Again we parked and slipped out of our sandals and onto the cool
damp sand. Between the pier and us we
spotted a gathering of gulls like we had seen over on the Gulf side of the
state. This group was even more diverse
with long black-billed Skimmers, my favorite “bad hair” Terns, black headed
Laughing Gulls and a half dozen other kinds of gulls and shorebirds! On another sandy walk on Hanna Park Beach,
we heard the soft roar of an approaching engine. H turned towards the noise and realized a motorized para-sail was
humming up the coast, cruising low over the young ladies lying on the beach in
their brand new Spring Break bikinis!
Another snowstorm was on the evening news for up north. Another rain- storm was on the same evening
news for Florida and Georgia. Seems
every week there is a threat of more rain – some even severe! Like the folks up north are saying – “Will
this ever end?” We were up early Sunday
morning, in time for the 9am ferry boat that crosses the wide dark St Johns
River - up the length of A1A on Amelia Island and over to the mainland and
Yulee. Farewell to Florida - Georgia
was on our mind! However, a “bridge
out” sign caused us much consternation and we ended up on an extremely lengthy
detour before we finally reached Blythe Island Campground in Brunswick Georgia. And it has rained ever since we parked the
“condo” and unhooked the wet truck – ALL night and ALL day! Thankfully no
severe weather but it has sure put a damper on this part of our adventure. Two
nights here and we’ll be on our way again!
