Michigan Upper Peninsula

Out of sight – out of mind?    It’s true!   No wifi and being on the go all the time means you write the blog when you get home.  Well . . .  we all know, once home there is laundry, yard work and all that other catching up to do.  Now we’ve gone again and are back and I still have to tell you about the rest of our Yooper trip!    I’ll get right to it!

From Indian Lake State Park, our little caravan headed northeast across the Upper Peninsula to Tahquamenon State Park and the tea colored Upper and Lower Tahquamenon Falls.  Remember our school days when we read about Longfellow’s story of Hiawatha building his canoe on the Tahquamenon River?  The Upper Falls is the 3^rd biggest fall east of the Mississippi and is 200 feet wide with a drop of almost 50 feet.  Five miles downstream is the Lower Falls which is a series of falls that cascade around an island that can be reached by rowboat or by swimming/wading across just a bit upstream by either brave, stupid or adventurous souls!  The river bottom is slippery rock and the currant is swift and strong!   The campground is located just around the bend from the lower falls and is extremely popular in the summertime with campers with families and their pets. Our site should not have been assigned to anything bigger than a pop up camper but H managed to get us wiggled in and situated.  And with the assistance of an extension cord we reached the electrical post that was being shared by 3 camping units!  The campground was crowded and the evening air quickly filled with smoke from all the green firewood that was being sold by the local pickup truck that slowly crawled thru the park each day!  Mosquito control?

Further east is Sault Saint Marie, Michigan and her famous Soo Locks. Across to the north of the 4 locks is the industrial town of Sault Saint Marie, Ontario!  To the west of the locks is Lake Superior, to the right, past all the islands that dot the way, is Lake Huron.  The campground stretched along a curve in the waterway about a mile east of the locks.  You could “feel” the gigantic freighter approaching before you could see it.  When you did see it – it was close enough to read her name and what country she was from.  I had such fun hollering for Carol to come see, whenever one was coming by!  Once we even jumped in the truck and chased to town and ran (?) quickly to the 2 level viewing platform to watch her approach the westbound lock!   She had to moor for awhile, tho, because 3 other freighters were either in the lock or next in line. We watched as the water in the locks slowly filled or emptied and each 500-foot long vessel entered and then slowly moved on, once the level was adjusted and the powerful gates opened once more.  On a visit to a park just past the campground, H tried his luck at casting a line in the water and promptly snagged it on a hidden rock!  Oh well.   It was worth the trip anyway because we got to watch a westbound freighter approach and cause a small fishing boat to bob and bounce as the behemoth vessel pushed the massive wake away from her bow.

Oh - if you need a good restaurant while in town – try the grill RIGHT across from the locks - Good Pasties and good breakfast!

60 miles to the south is Saint Ignace and we parked there at the state park once again before crossing the Mighty Mackinaw Bridge to the lower peninsula of Michigan and once more became Trolls.  Remember?  Yoopers ( U P’ers ) live north of the bridge – Trolls live “under” the bridge!!

 Our next stop before heading home was the Pet-o-sega Campground just east of Petosky. This beautiful, county campground is nestled on the southern shore of Pickerel Lake on the western end of the Inland Waterway that we’ve written about in the past.  I hope future trips north will include this pretty spot!   A return visit to Legg’s Inn in Cross City was a MUST!  This time the weather was warm and the bright beautiful flowers on this high cliff overlooking Lake Michigan made the visit complete!  Friends, Mel & Donna even came over for a visit one afternoon and to enjoy some burgers on the grill with us!

A lovely, fun trip!  Some new sights and some good ones revisited! 

August is now over.  Labor Day is past.  The garden is done.  The maple tree in the side yard is turning red.  All the kids are back in school!  Time for another trip!    I’ll post that soon!   I promise!   I won’t forget!

Still in the land of the Yoopers

Indian Lake State Park is stretched out across the southern edge of Indian Lake, the fourth largest inland lake in the U.P. and is in the middle of the Hiawatha National Forest.   It is 6 miles long and 3 miles wide.  The land was acquired in 1932 and the 2 picnic shelters, which are made of huge, black logs and large sandstone blocks were built using CCC and WPA workers.   We selected one of the few available lakefront campsites and H deftly backed the condo in at an angle that would allow the best view from the back window.  It was so close to the waters edge that during the night you could easily listen to the waves lapping the shoreline. It was going to be perfect for sliding the portabote off the truck and practically right into the water - - IF all the ducks would get out of the way!  Families of ducks and ducklings of various sizes called this shoreline home!  The weather was gray and cool so of course we felt the call of town and headed back the four miles to Manistique to reacquaint ourselves with this busy little historic town.  The red brick 1921 water tower and nearby siphon-bridge are still listed on all the brochures!  The harbor was hosting their annual salmon and trout fishing tournament but we arrived there just as the winners were being announced.  Downtown was quaint and had more full stores than empty and the shopkeepers greeted everyone who entered their shops.  On Monday, it was way too windy and the waves were topped with whitecaps so the boat stayed on top of the truck a bit longer!  Our campground hosts, Ralph and Karen are real Yoopers – accent and all and shared local information and gave me a cute story about the “Creation of the U.P”!  They even served coffee every morning, starting at 8 a.m.   Bud and Carol arrived from their trip up thru Wisconsin and we all relaxed and caught up with each other’s travel adventures! 

Munising Falls

Pasties were on the “must find” list for Tuesday so we all loaded in Bud’s Chevy Equinox and headed north to Lake Superior and the small town of Munising, the home of Murdock’s Pasties AND of course the Pictured Rocks National Seashore.  The last time the 4 of us were in Munising, B&C attempted to see the beautiful sea sculptures by water but were turned back by the fog.  The boats were not venturing out in the wet/windy weather today either.  It was even TOO cold to order pasties at Murdock’s and sit outside to eat them.   We stopped at the Visitor’s Center and then drove up the road and walked the short pathway up to see the 20-foot vertical drop of Munising Falls.  There was plenty of white spray coming over the high cliff and splashing down on the rocks and tree trunks that had fallen in its path before stumbling and bubbling down the rocky creek-bed.  We did find our pasties at Shooters Firehouse Grill and were almost as good as Murdock’s!   Our return trip home always requires a different route back and we ended up on a forest road heading south.  One side-venture turned into a 2-track road that even dared to boast a sign that stated it was an “Adopt a Road” – and it dead-ended into a small boat launch and a pretty little lake!

Wednesday started out windy – AGAIN, so we headed to town for breakfast!  The Cedar Street Café was the mutual choice and H and I chose to split a “Garbage Omelet”!  Well worth the price and PLENTY for us to share!   From there we strolled out onto the long cement break-wall, lined with huge quarried boulders, built out into Lake Michigan to protect the harbor and the mouth of the Indian River.  At the very end of the jutted barrier was the bright red  Manistique light house.

Back at the campground, since the sun had come out and the winds chose not to blow any longer, it was time to get the boat in the water!  We sure were not going to get another chance on this lake.   Off the truck, unfolded and put together, it slid easily into the shallow (now calm) water.  Off we went, mighty fishermen, out across the vast open waters!   Again, the fish, teased us by nibbling and yanking at our lures.  Finally, H landed his feisty small mouth bass.  I followed with a nice sized brightly colored yellow perch!  His bass was bigger than my perch but my perch was at least big enough to keep!  We didn’t.  Three more small perch made it to the boat before we called it quits and headed back to shore to regale about our fishing prowess to B&C!!   After “Happy Hour” the clouds moved back in and before our supper was over, the winds and rain returned.   Oh well, time to pack down anyway because it was time to head out in the morning.  We’ve more places to go before we have to go south instead of going further north.

Up North

Between late June and late July, our trips have been limited to just daytrips because our annual “Up North Trip” always happens in late July!  One such trip was a boat ride, starting out in Sandusky Bay about 50 miles east of Toledo and venturing out onto Lake Erie (Oh No - - - another Great Lake!)  Our ride took us along the downtown area of Sandusky Ohio and out and around the peninsula that the whole world knows as Cedar Point - - the amusement park that is home to all the famous sky high, fast moving roller coasters.  From our floating, bobbing perch out on the water, the set of coaster cars looked like inchworms slowly creeping up a long skinny branch and then zooming down the steep other side at 60 miles per hour!  We crossed the choppy bay waters to the famous Marblehead lighthouse that sits on thick layers of rugged limestone and finished up around island that held the historic prisoner camp and civil war cemetery - Johnson’s Island.   Our other road trip took up to Baldwin and Houghton Lake Michigan, checking out campgrounds and small lakes on the way up and back.

And now we are really UP NORTH!  This annual trip began in Gaylord Michigan at the county park on the west side of Otsego Lake.  The campground was pretty full but there was one lakeside site available and we took it!  Our big picture window looked out over a sandy beach complete with a relaxing 4-person swing and tall shady trees. Downtown Gaylord is Alpine in design and architecture and hosts an Alpine Fest each summer.  We just missed it!  But we did not miss seeing the herd of elk that live in a multi acre enclosure on the outskirts of downtown!  Lots of babies and their mommas and lots of mammoth big bulls with their wide velvety antlers!  They are very flighty creatures. When one got spooked, they all got up from their resting spots and galloped out onto the wide open field before them. Once there, the whole group stopped and grazed again.  We were also fortunate to visit with good friends, Glenn and Beth whom I’ve known since high school.  We won’t say how long ago that was but we did just celebrate our 50^th class reunion last September!

We went up and over the Mighty Mackinaw Bridge to spend a night at the Straits State Park in St Ignace, JUST over the 5-mile long, double arch that was built in 1957.  On the west side of the bridge is Lake Michigan.  On the east side is Lake Huron.  Remember that the back of your left hand is Michigan? The tip of your long second finger is where the bridge is.  Those that live in the Upper Peninsula are called Youpers (U P’ers).  Those of us who live “below” the bridge are called “Trolls”! 

Heading west on Route 2, the road follows the shoreline of the rugged, beautiful, extremely blue, Lake Michigan. The roadway is lined with lush green pine trees and dotted with the occasional Pasties Shop. (Pah-stee, NOT Paste-ee!!)  We stopped and enjoyed one of those handholdable potpies filled with meat and finely chopped vegetables but smothered with rich brown gravy on our way to Brevoort Lake National Forest Campground.  This park sits on a prominent peninsula and is surrounded by sandy beaches on one side and lily pads and thick forest on the other.  While we did not get one of the many wooded lakeside spots, our inland spot was wide and sunny which was perfect for the cool weather and no electricity.  H put together his little PCV pipe trailer and we towed the Portabote to the small boat launch.  On our 1^st day of fishing and exploring this 6-mile long wilderness lake, I “let” H catch the first fish and the most.  I caught the biggest!  On the 2^nd day, I again caught the biggest, the 1st and the most – all 2 of them. H caught one.  It’s just too bad that not one of those pretty yellow perch were big enough to keep, filet and fry!  But it was indeed a fun time, trying to snatch all those many nibbles on our lures. While out on the lake we encountered an eagle soaring high overhead and looking for his lunch with his dark wings outstretched and his bright white tail acting as his rudder, guiding him in the thermals above.   A lone loon kept diving down into the deep water and swam farther away, avoiding our curious gazes.

On one gray foggy afternoon we ventured out to find something exciting that we had not seen before.  We stopped at the Cut River Bridge parking area and walked out across the 640-foot long green cantilever steel bridge that is 147 feet above the tiny river below.  At each end of the bridge is a set of stairs and passageway under the intriguing structure, which lead to the other walkway on the opposite side of the heavily traveled road.  In one of the under bridge passages was a round topped, narrow wooden door with a brass plaque which read “ T Troll”!  On our way back, the GPS took us on a “trail” that lead thru deep green forest and then out across a wide sandy meadow. Alongside the rutted sandy trail were cars and trucks parked haphazardly every bit of the way.  They were out picking wild blueberries! So we also stopped and picked some. To complete our venture we finally saw a deer and H even stopped the truck to investigate some strange looking tracks in the soft sand.  Bear Tracks!  But we saw no bears.  Back at camp, the tiny but tasty blueberries tasted sweet on our pudding that evening!

The air has turned even cooler and the rains have moved in. Thunderstorms are threatened.  Time to move farther West on Route 2 to Indian Lake State Park, just west of Manistique.  Time for some electricity!  Our shower in the “condo” works just fine but we don’t push much water thru.  Time for a GOOD, HOT shower - - and shampoo!!

Mid Michigan

Enough is enough!   We’ve been home for over 2 months.  All of H’s doctor appointments and checkups have been met.   My eye surgery was April 15^th and I have healed VERY well.  I can now read street signs and I can go outside without BOTH a baseball cap AND my huge sunglasses!   My garden is planted and most of the “crops” are doing great – the tomatoes have blossoms and the peas have pods.   However, H is restless and it was way past time to uncover the “condo” and take her out for a spin!   We headed NORTH up US 23!  Our first stop of the day was for breakfast at a well-known Michigan “travelers” restaurant called Tony’s.   Thru out the state they are best known for the amount of bacon served with their huge breakfasts!   H ordered eggs, potatoes and of course the bacon.  I ordered eggs and toast! They do not serve just 2 eggs but 3!   H’s week’s worth of food came out on a platter and the bacon was piled at least 10 inches high!  We split the potatoes and both gorged on the bacon and still took home a “to go” boxful and chomped on it for the rest of the week!  Off of 23 is another famous Michigan town – Frankenmuth.  It is as German as it sounds, only modern and full of tourist shops, architecture and, of course, Bronner’s Christmas Shop.  It’s always a must to park and walk from one end of downtown, across the bridge, to the other end of all the German themed shops and restaurants, checking them out as we stroll to see if anything has changed since our last visit.  Our final stop was in Bay City at the Bay City State Park.  It was Wednesday and Michigan schools are still in session so the park was pretty empty!  A few weeks from now and that won’t be the case!  When asked where in Michigan you are from, a Michigander will raise his left hand and point to a spot on the back of it!  We live in the extreme lower right at the very base of the thumb and wrist.  Bay City is just above the joint where the thumb meets the hand.  That open area is the Saginaw Bay and the thumb area is called – The THUMB!!  Go figure!  On our second day we went exploring and ended up at the tip of the thumb.  The lay of the land was extremely flat and the agriculture went from potatoes to sugar beets.

To enlarge pictures just click on a picture

When the road ran closer to the waters edge we got our views of Saginaw Bay and then as we rounded the top of the vast peninsula, we looked out over one of the 5 beautiful Great Lakes - Lake Huron.  Grand Harbor was our last stop and we had to check out their man made harbor.  A grated walkway led out over the sandy beach till it reached a massive cement breakwall that jetted out into the lake. Its long curved arm provided much needed protection for the many moored boats nestled at the marina from the wind and waves coming off the rolling blue green waters.  The winds were calm and the air was warm while we were on land but once we ventured out to the end of that wall, we were both wishing we had our jackets to ward off the cold winds.

 

The next leg of our adventure led us thru Midland and Mt Pleasant Michigan to a picturesque lake that was only one in an extensive chain of small pretty lakes.  Tubbs Lake State Forest Campground is not just rustic but it is PRIMITIVE.  Outhouse and pitcher pump!  Of course the “condo” has its own “facilities” and H brought the Honda generator, so we were good!   Our campsite was one of the prettiest that we have ever been blessed to park in!  Situated up on a small sandy cliff, it overlooked a lake that would make you feel like you were up in Canada!  A pair of loons floated by each morning and evening and their melodious calls floated on the quiet night air.  During the daylight hours there was a gentle breeze that kept the mosquitoes at bay. The lengthy course of the lakes and rivers that joined them were lined with cattails filled with Redwing Blackbirds or vast sections of floating waterlily pads and bright yellow lotus blooms that also had more than their share of darting, diving birds.  As we slowly cruised by one such section, I noticed a baby Canada goose all alone, while 2 families of geese were grazing up on shore.   It was stuck and was struggling to get away from the goofy looking craft that was going so close by him.  H circled back around and cut the motor. The baby was panicking and diving under water to escape!  As I grabbed him and gently lifted him out of the water, I found a fishhook stuck in its tummy and fish line cutting into its small black leg.  Once on board, he lay quietly in H’s lap while H cut the hook and removed it.   I cut the fishing line and unwound it from where it was embedded around its leg.  Back in the water, he squawked and called for his folks!  I never even got a picture till he was safely back with his family and we were back on our way. 

Our third and last stop was to another of our favorite Michigan campgrounds in Hart.  Hart is in the middle of asparagras country and we just missed their annual Asparagras Festival.  But we did not miss the Silver Lake Sand Dunes.  See Previous Michigan Blogs and you’ll see H’s truck (and previous Jeep Liberty) proudly poised at the top of the high white sand dunes!  It was a quiet day on the dunes so we aired the tires back up and went to re-visit the little touristy town of Pentwater, which sits on the shore of one of the other Great Lakes – beautiful blue Lake Michigan!  We did our usual stroll thru town and inspected the 3 story antique store before checking out the Charles Mears State Park, nestled behind a large dune on another of Lake Mich’s sandy beaches.  The whole campground is one big sandy beach!

Oh well – the rainstorms are coming in so it was time to head for home.  

NC and Tenn. Heading home

The Charleston weather was warming!  The sun was shining!  But – more rain was in the forecast.   According to the weather news from the norther’ regions – temps were rising for the weekend but more of the white stuff was on the horizon.  Time to go!  Gotta’ make it home before more precipitation hits us – the wet kind or the white kind!

Not a good camp spot

The route across SC, thru Columbia was good.  We had gone from the Low Country with all its history, and expansive salt marshes that changed from one mucky brown to another depending on if the tide was in or out, to tall sweet smelling pine forests that came right up to the highway in places.  My dear friend Sue, in Conway NC had warned me about all the ice damage that we would be seeing along the way – and we did!  All the way to Columbia the road crews were out in force trying to get all the broken limbs and downed trees cleared from the roadsides, but the lane closures caused only minimal delays and traffic was fairly light.  From the dense pine forests we moved to NC and her rising mountains!   Up and up!  Round and round!  The wide 4-lane ribbon of road took us higher and higher – and H’s big blue truck buckled down and did his job well!  We slid on past the sign that said  “Blue Ridge Parkway” and fond memories of riding the motorcycle on that beautiful road came flooding over me!

Good gas mileage the hard way

Up at the top of the mountain we passed a scenic overlook and I sighed.  I wanted to see over the edge!  And it was time for a butt break!  There was another turnout up the road and H pulled off and parked on an almost level spot near the stairs that led up even higher.   As he removed himself from his seat and walked back past the truck and attached “condo”, he immediately noticed the smoke coming from one of the wheels on the trailer.  Ouch!  It was way too hot to touch!  Black greasy stuff was splayed all over the wheel.   The wheel bearing had gone out – and we were stuck on top of a NC mountain with no towns other that Johnson City Tennessee which was 40 some miles to the north.  And there is NO cell phone service on the tops of mountains!  When the tire cooled enough, H struggled but managed to wrangle the wheel off of the axle and got it into the back of the truck.  There was a sign that said the Tennessee Welcome Center was a mile down the road.  With 4way flashers on and with only 3 tires on the “condo” we limped slowly down the berm of the road to the very welcomed visitor center!  The folks there were wonderful and bent over backwards to help us!  (Not so for the people at State Farm’s “Emergency” Road Service number tho)  With the assistance of the visitor center’s phone and their good advice, a tire and truck repair company was contacted and they ordered a semi truck with a flat bed trailer to come and scoop us off the mountain.  Before we could be “scooped” tho, H had to slowly and cautiously back his 3-legged trailer up the awaiting tilled truck bed.  The biggest concern was the height of the trailer with air conditioner on top being able to pass under the overpasses! For the first few, our thoughtful tow driver pulled off the exit ramp and down the entrance ramp on the other side.  Other times, he would put on his flashers, slow down and move to the berm to creep under each viaduct with us following closely behind.  Thankfully, our “condo” was safely carried down the road to the “Free Service Tire Company” where we would spend the night attached to an extension cord they had left out for us. 

 

 We were awake early Saturday morning and there were lights on inside the building, so, by 7:30am H had the truck and trailer pulled into one of the large bays.  Fresh hot coffee and a clean bathroom awaited us inside the spacious waiting room/office area!   What a great bunch of men work for this company that was started in 1919!   They had the bearing and tire we needed and the price charged was fair and very reasonable!  We were on the road by 10:30 that morning!

Across the rest of east Tennessee and the corner of Virginia and on across Kentucky to the Ohio River, we kept pushing on north.   One more cold night was needed to be spent before we could pull in our own driveway and sigh a sigh of relief!   H set the GPS for the Great Seal State Park near Chillicothe Ohio, but she took us up and around narrow hilly roads where the truck tires sent gravel flying as it tried to get traction.  No state park was found and H’s nerves were sparking with tension so we moved on.  Deer Creek State Park just west of Circleville was our second option and we parked just before dark.   We put the slide out and plugged in the heater – one more time! 

Sunday afternoon we hit the Michigan state line!  We were home!

Charleston S.C.

It was still drizzling when we pulled out of Blythe Island.  The “condo” was covered with soggy yellow pollen and thick drips of tree stain besides all the splattered mud.   The easiest way to get from Brunswick Georgia to Charleston SC is to get in line with all the roaring semi trucks on busy I 95.   Once parked in Lake Aire RV Park and Campground just outside of Charleston SC, H promptly set to making his filthy condo shine once more.  It took lots of elbow grease, simple green and polishing compound!  I had to check all our past blogs to see when we were last at Lake Aire and Charleston – it was last year!  With all the rain that has been released from the heavens lately – the serene little lake has a good supply of water now.  And the gaggle of Muscovy Ducks still make their daily rounds!  Our neighbors across the muddy path are from McClure Ohio but originally from West Toledo and Point Place areas! They have family in Bedford!  AND - - H’s grandparents bought their home on Wilkens Rd in Whitehouse Ohio from Gary’s grandparents back in the early 30’s!   Talk about the world getting smaller!

Fort Moultrie

Charleston is still an amazing and interesting historical town.  The weather on Tuesday was SO crappy but we still had to go explore more of the area. Old Charleston is actually a peninsula surrounded by salt marches and lined with the Ashley River on the west and the Cooper River on the east side.  We drove down thru the main part of old town and checked out the Fort Sumter Visitor Center at Liberty Square before crossing the double arched Cooper River Bridge that lead out to Mount Pleasant and Sullivans Island to see Fort Moultrie.  Older than Fort Sumter that sits in the middle of the mouth of the two rivers, Ft Moultrie was originally built in 1776 to protect Charleston from an attack from the British.  Back then it was made of palmetto logs spaced 16 ft apart and filled with sand.  The second fort was built of brick before the Civil War to help protect the busy important port.  It was restored again in World War II so all the displays now range from Civil War thru WWII.   Huge black cannons from those eras still line the high walls.  Driving back towards the tall graceful Cooper Bridge we could see the Navy vessels docked at the Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum. 

Click on picture to enlarge to read

  We found a wide cement pier that stretched out into the fast moving river and rested in the shadow of that tall graceful river crossing.  The pier was lined with plenty of benches and sturdy railings to lean on for the best views of the city on the other side and a closer look at the USS Yorktown, the aircraft carrier that was first in line at the navel museum!    One of the informative signs on the pier told of an old sunken hull of a cement passenger vessel that sank in 1926, refloated in 1929 and moved to its now final resting site.  On our drive back to the campground we saw sunshine – the first time in days!

Battery Park

The weather promised to be warmer so H extended our stay one more day so we could venture back down to historic Charleston!  Because the Portabote is still strapped to the top of the truck, parking in a garage was out of the question.   Parking on the street at a meter was impossible but we did manage to find a spot in Battery Park that was big enough for us!  And FREE!  The park was cool to walk thru because of the overlapping branches of all the ancient old live oak trees and the breeze that came from the waters just beyond the tall sea walls.  The grand stately gorgeous 3 story homes will never fail to amaze both of us.  The amount of wrought iron!   The colorful collections of flowers and hedges that divide each tiny enclosed yard.  The tall spires on the churches and even the steps by the curb where ladies entered their carriages in days of past glory.  We walked from Battery Park, up the 8 –10 blocks on Meeting Street to the city market and then back along Church Street and even thru the French Quarter area.  

Wandering thru the narrow, sometimes one way, sometimes cobblestone streets in the truck with those big wide side mirrors was a challenge as we tried to maneuver out of the old part of town and back to the busy traffic of modern day Charleston.

Showers are taken.   Dishes are done.  And now the blog is written!  We’ll be heading out fairly early on Friday and heading north.  H has his sights on Kingsport Tennessee.

Jacksonville Area

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.

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??

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! 

But now  - - - - - HAPPY ST PATRICKS DAY, EVERYONE!!   Our now just green Amaryllis sports a Welcome Flag; Erika’s Gnome looks dashing in green beads and my latest purchase 2 Vancouver Geraniums show off their Irish flags!