2014 - CONNECTICUT TO TEXAS

GEORGIA to FLORIDA

Tuesday, November 11, 2014 - Brunswick, GA, to Yulee, FL

Unlike the early morning alarm call a few days earlier for a sunrise photo-call - which had failed to wake me - this time I had the phone (alarm) close to my ear and set for 6:00am for our relatively short drive over the causeway from the mainland at Brunswick to nearby St Simons Island.

Life - and early morning photo-shooting - being what it is, however, although I arrived as planned "on site" near the lighthouse in plenty of time to catch the sunrise, right at the coast there was some low cloud cover that obscured the sun.

So I strolled around the waterfront area near the lighthouse and pier until the sun eventually cleared the clouds and I could get some warmer-looking pictures.

Slightly "Californian" feel to the place, with dog-walkers, bikers and groups of joggers appearing along the waterfront as the sun came out. One rather strange older lady, now out "power-walking" without the little dog I had seen her with earlier, even stopped me to say what a nice RV I had, that she and her husband had a similar one, and that I could park in their drive nearby overnight if I wanted to...

After retreating to the RV for breakfast, I drove on up the island to Fort Frederica, the first vehicle in through the gate just before their 9:00am opening time, and found that it was "fee free" day today at this National Park Service location, maybe because it's Veteran's Day?

Watched the interesting and informative orientation film at the Visitor Center before heading out for a self-guided tour of what remains of Fort Frederica, a military town and fort on the river established in 1736 by settlers from England.

This was a planned town on a grid pattern, as was Savannah, due to the strong design influence in both locations of James Oglethorpe, British General, Member of Parliament, philanthropist, and founder of the colony of Georgia.

Archeological excavation and surviving documents describing the town have allowed a fairly comprehensive presentation of the space as it was, though only the foundations of the more substantial houses remain, and a small section of the fort itself.

As the first one through the door, I had the place to myself and really enjoyed wandering slowly around as the sun warmed the day.

Time then for coffee, obligingly provided by Starbucks, along with a dose of WiFi.

Decided to drive on to Jekyll Island and possibly splash out $30 and stay at a campsite on the island for the night, but the unexpected $10 entry fee just to get onto the island seemed about as much as I thought I should contribute to the local economy, so I parked the RV, slipped on my padded lycra bike shorts, and launched the bike for a vigorous two-wheeled tour of the island

Some wild parts, some normal housing in a residential area, and then the Jekyll Island Club building and the "cottages" of the well-to-do group of developers and investors who had bought the island as a winter retreat at the end of the nineteenth century.

Another Walmart on the horizon for overnight, and fortunately this is located only a few miles from tomorrow morning's sunrise target of Amelia Island.

Wednesday, November 12, 2014 - Yulee, FL, to Amelia Island, FL

Experimented with the RV's pull-out sofa-bed and air mattress last night, which was reasonably comfortable, but putting it away this morning took a little longer than the usual rear bed tidy-up of 30 seconds so I was 10 minutes later than planned getting away to head to the beach for sunrise - which meant missing a little of the pre-dawn cloud display.

But I didn't have to wait too long for the sun to peek over the Atlantic Ocean horizon and climb swiftly into the sky - only to then disappear into the waiting bands of light cloud...!

With all photography done by 7:15am, I contemplated going for a run even though it was chilly in the morning breeze.

Duly put in my 4 miles, which felt like hard work - perhaps the result of a couple of early mornings and the extended bike ride around Jekyll Island yesterday (or just that I was running harder than intended, as my running watch recorded an average pace of a second under 8 minutes per mile).

Had a thorough wash and brush up, to complement the quick brushing out of the RV that I had undertaken while procrastinating about my run, then drove to Fort Clinch State Park on the NW corner of the island.

Watched the orientation video, toured the very modest "museum" on site and walked to the fort, trying to keep out of range of a group ahead of rather brash and loud older Americans - that's what I get for not being first through the door, though...

After my fort tour, had coffee in the RV, got out the bike to check out the Fort Clinch State Park campsite (not very appealing) and head the few miles downtown to the "historic district".

This was a little disappointing after the write-up mentioning a 52-block historic center listed in the National Register of Historic Places. "Cobbled" Centre Street was really the only street of any interest, historic buildings mostly tourist-oriented (other than the rather grand Post Office) and the "cobbles" turn out to be nothing more than modern brick-laid pedestrian crosswalks...

Long ride back to the RV, drove downtown to Starbucks for high tea (and MacBook charging and WiFi) and while checking our overnight stop - which was going to be the Walmart a few blocks away - discovered a County Parks parking lot that allows overnight RV parking, right behind a public beach towards the southern end of the island .

So here we are... a little secluded (good and bad) but right behind the beach, so another dawn photo session likely on the cards tomorrow morning if the weather cooperates.

Thursday, November 13, 2014 - Amelia Island, FL, to St Mary's, GA

Well, last night's seclusion didn't feel so good after dark - no lighting, so it was pitch black, the odd car (and probably even odder occupant) in the parking lot, an occasional car or truck pulling in, circling and heading out. So at 9:00pm, I fired up the trusty diesel engine and headed back to Fernandina Beach and a Walmart car park - lighted, level, safe, and a pretty quiet location as local island traffic faded away...

And only a 5-minute drive this morning to get back to the same beach location as yesterday morning for another sunrise, though actual sighting of the sun was somewhat intermittent due to cloud cover.

Then back close to our overnight spot for some grocery shopping, a little admin in the car park there, and a couple of hours follow-up in Starbucks, including PC charging and downloading of software updates - all the kind of thing that's taken for granted when sitting comfortably at home at my desk.

Relatively short 45-minute drive from Amelia Island looping back north to St Mary's, Georgia, which we had skipped on the way down from Jekyll Island.

Very quiet in the historic downtown area that makes up most of this relatively small town, its main current function being the setting off point for the passenger ferry to nearby Cumberland Island. Unexpectedly, I saw a sign at the elongated parking sections at the waterfront park saying "Parking limited to thirty-six hours", which made me wonder whether overnight parking might be allowed for RVs. So I walked the few blocks inland to the Visitor Center to check this out and, sure enough, they do allow overnight RV parking.

So my possible nearby state park campground (Plan A) and nearby Walmart (Plan B) both superseded by a much more attractive option of spending a quiet night here, with only a short three-minute walk first thing tomorrow to an ideal spot to catch sunrise over the marsh.

Had a relaxed stroll around town, treating myself to an ice-cream from a store with lots of "witty" placards.

And to round off the day I toured the rather large Oak Grove Cemetery at the west end of town.

Many graves and monuments here are in French as they are for the early French settlers - "Acadians" - who were driven out of Nova Scotia by the English in 1755, took ships to the French colony of Santa Domingo but then had to flee from the insurrection of natives there, many finally settling in places such as Louisiana.

I didn't know this, but the Acadians are the origin of the derivative term "Cajun"...

Friday, November 14, 2014 - St Mary's, GA, to Live Oak, FL

Very quiet night - after the local teenagers went home - though the occasional wind gust whistling round the RV emphasized just how cold it was getting outside, as the forecast had predicted for overnight.

Worken by the alarm at 6:15am, only to peek out and see clouds obscuring what I had hoped would be a clear sunrise. So I retreated to the warmth of my bed, pondering how ironic it was that I had arranged to be as close as I could possibly get to a sunrise spot only to be let down by the weather.

A nagging doubt that there might be a glimmer of sun finally forced me out of bed, however, dressing swiftly in the chill of the morning, and heading the few hundred yards to the previously-scouted sunrise photo spot.

And my reward for this bravery? The briefest of appearances of the sun between lines of cloud - the industrial paper mills on the north west shoreline of Amelia Island also gracing the horizon - before it was all over.

Back to the RV, running the propane furnace (heating) for 30 minutes while clearing up the RV and preparing for my run - up to 68 balmy degrees inside, I noted, as I headed out into the 46 degrees (before wind chill) for my run.

All very bracing.

By the time I was done and cleaned up, patchy sun was breaking through, so I took a few repeat photos from yesterday afternoon before heading to the local Blue Goose cafe for an early coffee on my way out of town. The worst kind of cappuccino, unfortunately, all warm milk. And a rather uninspiring muffin. But at least some WiFi...

Planned the day while sipping coffee - we'll head in a westerly loop on smaller roads in the general direction of Tallahassee. And with bright blue skies and strong sunshine as I came out of the coffee shop, took yet a third set of repeat photos...!

Despite the iPhone's "Siri" app turning up a blank, as did a quick Google search, I saw a propane filling station on the opposite side of the road shortly after leaving St Marys, so doubled back and filled up with propane

(This may not sound like a big deal, or even worth noting, but a full propane tank means I can now quite happily keep the RV warm over the particularly chilly nights that are in the forecast for the next week or so.)

At the next turning point on our route, Folkston, I pulled over for a lunchtime sandwich at a chance sighting of a Subway store just as the barriers came down at the rail crossing ahead of us, and a freight train started slowly creeping by.

And the barriers were still down, with the same freight train rumbling past, as we returned to the RV with a sandwich. (I'm reliably informed that the previous 2-mile maximum freight train length, with two locomotives, has now been extended to a 3-mile length by the addition of a third locomotive, all three linked by computer to properly share the load.)

After munching through half my sandwich and preparing to head off, the last of the freight carriages finally drifted by - a full 14 minutes after the first - only for the barriers to stay defiantly down as another freight train came by immediately afterwards, heading in the opposite direction.

But this one was through in a matter of minutes, and we were soon back on the road, driving on arrow-straight roads past miles and miles of pine forests.

Stopped mid-afternoon at MacClenny for a more predictable (Starbucks) coffee than this morning, and contemplated staying there - the Starbucks being coincidentally next to a Walmart - but finally decided to press on for another hour to the next Walmart along...

...which may have been a mistake.

The MacClenny Walmart was new, small, clean, a perfect RV spot off to the side of the parking lot. And here at the Live Oak Walmart, it's all pretty much the opposite - but at least a truck nearby with its noisy trailer cooling generator running has just pulled out, so maybe the evening won't be so bad.

Saturday, November 15, 2014 - Live Oak, FL, to Crawfordville, FL

Actually it turned out to be a pretty quiet night, though I woke to 45 degrees in the RV (39 degrees outside).

So - after my propane fill yesterday - I happily let the furnace run for 15 minutes to take the chill off before getting up and thinking about a plan for the day.

Decided to drive the relatively short distance to Tallahassee - state capital of Florida - for coffee (and WiFi) before doing a little sightseeing downtown and then heading on to one or two more stops to the south of town, with our overnight likely to be Walmart in Crawfordville.

Trivia item - the Suwanee River, of that song, has it's spring source nearby.

Initially a little disappointed in what I saw of Tallahassee, the old state capitol building overshadowed by a much taller modern skyscraper (though a judicious angle for this photo doesn't reveal it).

But a stroll a few blocks into town revealed a rather more attractive mix of old and new with the city clean and clearly a place that would be buzzing on a workday with state administration, law courts, attorney offices, and all the ancillary businesses that go with it.

Then, by contrast, a relatively short drive south of the city took us to Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park where all is peace among the trees.

The Wakulla Spring itself, centerpiece of the park, is one of the largest and deepest fresh water springs in the world and discharges 500,000 gallons a minute into the spring's large basin and thence into the Wakulla River.

A complete mastodon skeleton was recovered from an underwater cave there and scuba divers continue to explore and map the extensive underwater tunnel system - as I saw on my way into the park, where half a dozen trucks were parked off to the side of the road, with scuba equipment strewn around.

A little more trivia - the early Tarzan movies were filmed here.

Walked around the main spring area, taking a few photos and enjoying the peace and quiet, deciding to forgo the boat trip down the river as it was getting late and the sun was low. However, I did unload the bike for a 6-mile ride along the trail in the park, most of it fairly tough going with exposed tree roots.

And although I saw none of the alligators advertised on warning signs, I did disturb a fairly large owl which flew up from the undergrowth and then sat obligingly for pictures.

A short drive from the park got us to a quiet spot in the Crawfordville Walmart parking lot, being informed on the way by a roadside billboard that "Wakulla loves Jesus" (another of the many roadside sights I couldn't stop to capture in the camera).

Sunday, November 16, 2014 - Crawfordville, FL, to Panama City, FL

Fairly fresh start to the day - 48 degrees - but a reasonable temperature for a run.

Short drive into town for the UK-Sunday-morning-post-run omelet substitute of an Egg McMuffin at McDonalds, which is growing stale (so to speak), so we'll have to find a better Sunday morning routine...

After only two miles on the road I drove past a collection of very old pick-up trucks rusting in a spot just off the road.

Couldn't resist investigating further so parked up a little way on and jumped on the bike to ride back for some pictures, including the classic "May they rust in peace" sign someone had set up there.

The day's clearing and warming weather changed noticeably as we continued south to the Gulf coast, with low cloud being blown onshore and the temperature dropping 10 degrees. Roadside signs instruct me to be on the lookout for bears crossing...

Next stop Apalachicola, previously a British trading post for cotton in the late 1700s and major Gulf coast port.

A few converted warehouses now the only evidence of busier days, for the rest an oyster industry ghost town, production collapsing due to pollution and lack of water flow in the Apalachicola River - on the shoreline of which I had docked at a rickety marina in early January 2004 when on my extended Lagoon powercat winter cruise.

It was a sunnier day back then, so much better for pictures, but I still took the camera and strolled around the picturesque downtown area, fairly quiet and sleepy on an early Sunday afternoon - and some places destined never to wake up...

I was delighted to come across an old barber shop once again that I had seen on my visit in 2004, very much trapped in a time warp as little has changed since the picture I took back then.

Then on to Panama City, stopping first at a small and scruffy K-mart with a hilly parking lot where the overnight parking advice was "over at the side where the rigs park is not our property, so park there if you want, but not in our lot".

Since I had pretty much decided to move on to a new Walmart 5 miles away this caused no distress and, by contrast, the new and clean Walmart was welcoming, the parking lot flat and well away from the highway.

The only remaining fly in the ointment this afternoon, then, is that as we've crossed into the Central Time Zone I'm going to have to wait an extra hour for my 6 o'clock beer...

Monday, November 17, 2014 - Panama City, FL, to Niceville, FL

The cold front approaching, and warm air being sucked up from the Gulf of Mexico, meant that the temperature actually rose overnight and the 72 degree high for the day was around 8:00am, just before the serious rain and wind came through.

Morning TV reported a tornado watch for the general area and the evening news suggested there had actually been a couple of tornados further inland. For me and the RV just wind and rain, although some was pretty heavy.

Decided to stay put in our quiet spot in the Walmart parking lot to wait for it all to blow through and got stuck into a few hours of work, most notably beginning the process of updating the Sound Yachting website.

All cleared through by late morning, winds drying the roads out quickly, temperatures noticeably cooling down even with the sun starting to show through, so headed out of town, via a prolonged stop at Starbucks to recharge the laptop and get a WiFi connection.

Panama City seems to have as many cars for sale at roadside dealerships as there are actually on the roads and once clear of town we seem to be driving past endless strip malls, signs off the highway to the beach, where high rises are constantly appearing, and continuous waterside building and developments.

Several unsuccessful attempts to get WiFi connections so that I could confirm the reservation held for the forthcoming flight back to the UK meant that it was only by the skin of my teeth that I managed to get to Rocky Bayou State Park and check in just before they closed up for the night.

But I'm in and fairly quickly settled, and at a whole $17 for water, electricity, heated bathrooms (should I need them), pleasant and quiet surroundings and a dump station on the way out I really don't know why I haven't stopped at state park campgrounds more often - other than the lack of WiFi.

(Picture on the right of our "site" taken just before leaving the park)

Temperatures are forecast to be freezing by dawn, so being on shorepower means I can run the reverse cycle heat, at least while there's any heat in the outside air to draw from - down to 36 degrees, according to the manual.

After that, I'll be relying on the propane heater but after the recent top-up, there's plenty of propane in the tank.

So... with heat on, beer in hand, having managed to get my flight reservations confirmed via the AA website on the cell phone, I'm all pretty well set and happy.

Tuesday, November 18, 2014 - Niceville, FL

Niceville... I don't make these names up, I just record them...

Very quiet night. The temperature inside was perceptibly dropping towards dawn, although at 44 degrees when I got up at 6:30am not actually the coldest I've seen inside the RV - though the outside temperature was, at exactly 32 freezing degrees.

Having mulled over our situation yesterday evening, and particularly the forecast temperature of below freezing for tomorrow morning, I decided to stay put here for the day and get on top of a few outstanding projects - the Sound Yachting website update, this RV website (which is so far behind schedule as to not really be on one...), and maybe some laundry.

But started the day with a bracing run, three loops of Sandy Pine Trail here in the park. Not so bad in among the trees on the trail, but biting cold when the wind managed to get through in some of the more open spots.

Still cold in the wind when out on the bike early afternoon for a little fish-burger and WiFi at the McDonalds a couple of miles down the road.

Laundry next on the agenda, perhaps even including a little ironing with my new iron and countertop ironing board - all the comforts of home here in my little box on wheels...!

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