November 10, 2020

Florida

Manatee Hammock Campground Titusville, Florida

It rained off and on all night. I got ready for my walk this morning and headed out, only for the rain to begin again. We drove south on 95 into Florida hitting bands of rain for most of the day. We stopped at a rest area for a break and a walk…and it began to rain. The sky appeared to be lightening and the forecast was for sunshine as we continued to drive.

We saw hundreds of utility emergency response vehicles, heading north, no longer necessary to make repairs on the power grid in Florida after Eta made her exit into the Gulf.

Late in the afternoon, we arrived at Manatee Hammock Campground. It is a simple county facility on the Indian River. It is directly across the water from Cape Canaveral. It is apparently an amazing place to watch rocket launches. There is one on Saturday but by then we will be in Big Cypress. We are going to watch from there and see if we can witness the blast.

Neighbors…

We rode our bikes around in loops. There is no place nearby for a longer ride today. The view at the pier was lovely.

November 9, 2020

Saint Marys

Crooked River State Park Saint Marys, Georgia

After a morning walk, we packed up and got ready to move south. We had a very short ride. We drove on Winding Road, past Meandering Way on our way to Crooked River State Park. We were too early to get into the campground so we hung out by the river while we waited.

We noticed a hitchhiker on the top front of the RV.

Gopher tortoises are the state reptile of Georgia. They dig burrows in the ground that up to 360 other species of animals also use. Their burrows can be 10 feet deep and 48 feet long. Females of the species occasionally visit with other females in their dens.

This afternoon, we drove past the Kings Bay Submarine Base into the town of Saint Marys. Ferries to Cumberland National Seashore leave from here. The town is very well done with lovely parks and waterfront areas.

Southern hospitality…

Nice walk in the campground before dinner.

It looks like our friend Eta is not going to bother with us, so we are heading into Florida tomorrow!

November 8, 2020

Jekyll Island

Blythe Island Regional Park Brunswick, Georgia Day 3

Rain again during the night and into the morning. I did chores and some cooking while waiting for the weather to improve. Gradually the sky brightened and we packed our bike bags with lunch. We took the Jeep to Jekyll Island.

We unloaded our bikes and took off along the oceanside.

The bike path then took us through the marsh.

We had lunch at the pier where we watched from a distance as a a guy brought in a huge fish.

We rode around the top of the island beneath mighty live oaks, dappled sunlight, and long thick strands of moss.

We circled back around to the beach. Jekyll Island was a great place to ride and we enjoyed a really pleasant day!

On our way back to the RV, we stopped for groceries.

The Ravens won today and Tim got to watch the final NASCAR race of the season.

I took an evening walk around the lake.

We have made reservations for tomorrow night at Crooked River Sate Park. It is only about an hour away. It takes us a little further south…but not too close to the storm. We are diligently watching the weather and timing our journey to south Florida.

November 7, 2020

Brunswick

Blythe Island Regional Park Brunswick, Georgia Day 2

Thee was intermittent rain during the night and more rain this morning. We decided to spend another night here. The rain stopped for a short time and I tried to get in my morning walk.

About halfway around the loop, it began to rain again…hard! Thank goodness for my bike umbrella (thanks Vicki!)

The skies began to brighten and we packed the cooler and headed to Brunswick island with the Jeep and our bikes. We rode by the marina.

Through town.

Old City Hall.

New City Hall.

Through Queen’s Square.

Through Hanover Square.

We circled back to the marina on a bike path along the causeway. There was a Farmers Market in the park and we got fresh corn and zucchini and squash and tomatoes and Georgia pecans!

This evening we took a walk. I had noticed 2 rabbits in the campground yesterday…today we saw lots…big, well-fed, soft, fluffy, colorful bunnies that seem to call this park home! A little research revealed that families who no longer want to keep their pet rabbits bring them here. They and their babies are allowed to roam freely. There is a non-profit group, Blythe Island Bunnies, that tries to find homes for some of the bunnies.

Beautiful this evening at the dock.

This evening, we decided to add another day to our stay here. There is this Tropical Storm/Hurricane, Eta, headed for south Florida. We have reservations there beginning on the 14th of November. We had thought we would be be in Florida by now…but we need to wait and see what the weather does and what path the storm takes. So we are going to stall here for a couple of days to let the rain and winds pass.

November 6, 2020

Blythe Island

Blythe Island Regional Park Brunswick, Georgia

The campground had a nature trail perfect for my morning walk.

We drove 242 miles south mostly on 95. Just 20 miles short of our destination we hit heavy traffic for an accident ahead. We sat there a long time…but I kept thinking of the people in the accident and it was no problem to wait for our turn to pass. It was after 3 before we arrived at Blythe Regional Park. This little park turned out to be a wonderful surprise.

Just as we were backing in, rain began. It was the perfect excuse for an afternoon quiet hour. At 4 the skies were blue and clear and we took our bikes on the trail in the park. It was a sandy path studded with pinecones and live oak tree roots…but the scenery was worth it! Lots of huge old trees dripping with Spanish moss, palmettos, and water all around.

Just as we got back to the RV, the rain began again. We pulled the grill beneath the awning and I grilled onions and mushrooms for chicken marsala. I got a little damp…but we have lots of dry clothes!

November 5, 2020

Mount Pleasant

Mount Pleasant/Charleston KOA

My morning walk was unlovely…through the Walmart, Lowes, Staples, MattressFirm, Best Buy, and Hobby Lobby parking lots. I knew that we had a lot of driving to do today so I wanted to get my two miles in before we left.

Our ride initially took us through more low country.

Later, we rode mostly on Carolina highways flanked by tall pines in sandy soil.

We went about 250 miles and stayed at the Mount Pleasant/Charleston KOA. We wanted a full service campground so that we could get laundry done. I took a walk after throwing the clothes in the dryer. It is really pretty here!

We enjoyed some North Carolina shrimp scampi for our dinner.

I love the town of Charleston but we are really trying to stay away from cities…so tomorrow we will move further south.

November 4, 2020

Morehead City

Walmart Supercenter

It was a great morning for a walk. The weather was perfect and the breeze was warm.

Our goal today was to take the Cedar Island Ferry to the mainland. Fortunately the seas are calm today! We got to the terminal very early and so I passed the time taking care of paperwork and Tim puttered around on his bike.

We boarded and the boat pulled away from the harbor.

It was a lovely day for a ferry ride. We enjoyed being out on the deck and taking pictures. These cormorants were sharing this sandbar with pelicans and gulls.

In the middle of the ride, we were surrounded by shrimp trawlers.

We landed at Cedar Island after 3:30. We traveled for about an hour through low country…marshy and pretty.

It was after 4:30 by the time we arrived in Morehead City. There wasn’t much daylight left. We parked in the Walmart parking lot for the night. I went in to get supplies. Tim found a Greek restaurant, The Pita Plate, within walking distance. We called in our order and went to pick it up. Tim enjoyed a chicken gyro and I had excellent falafel with hummus. We did not move very far today, but what we did exhausted us!

November 3, 2020

Beautiful Beach Day

Ocracoke Campground Hatteras National Seashore, North Carolina

Today is Election Day and while we are very aware…it is nice to be away from the news and the ads and the frenzy of this particular election. We are in our happy place and there is something to be said for that!

Our campsite backs up to the dunes and I began my morning with a walk over the dunes and down to the beach. I circled back around at the access road and walked through the campground. It was a little chilly but the sky was blue and the wind and the waves were calm.

We took the Jeep and drove the entire length of the island on the beach as much as possible, using the access ramps. It was such a perfect autumn beach day…a little crisp with clear skies…great for walking.

We took our bikes and rode the 3 1/2 miles into the town of Ocracoke, through the side streets, and down to the dock.

We were looking forward to lunch at Eduardo’s food truck…great shrimp burritos for our meal. We were able to sit outside and enjoy the fresh air and fresh seafood.

We spent the afternoon doing a few chores after out rest time. We packed the cooler and headed to the beach to watch the sunset and have dinner.

November 2, 2020

Ocracoke…Finally!

Ocracoke Campground Hatteras National Seashore, North Carolina

Good morning!

It felt like winter when we got up this morning. It was 45 degrees and blustery. I decided to forego my morning walk…I did not want to be cold! We packed up and headed for the Hatteras-Ocracoke Ferry Terminal. We had to drive through six inches of water standing on the road. The wind was blowing water from the sound up into all the small channels. Yards were swamped and so was Route 12.

Today was long…longer than we expected by a bunch…sometimes it happens that way! We got to the terminal at 9:15 and the attendant told us that they had shut down service because of high winds and waves…we were welcome to wait…Good thing we have no schedule and no reservations. Good thing we had our own bathroom and snacks and books and stuff to do!

We got a little excited at noon. They were going to load priority vehicles and if there was room for us, we would also be able to cross. We could see as they loaded the huge dumpster truck with his trailer that we were not going to make it…maybe at 2 though! We were happy then to get on the ferry!

I had expected that the ride would be rather rough…but it wasn’t bad at all…at first…then the boat was a rockin’ as the ferry pitched to the left and right. I am certainly glad that we didn’t travel across when it was rough! The ocean water was splashing onto the front deck.

It was 3:30 before we got to our campground and got checked in. Tim decided we should take the Jeep into town and find some carryout for dinner. We found the Ocracoke Oyster Company and ordered.

Tim had fish tacos and I had a fried oyster salad and we took our meal to the beach to watched the sunset. It was a nice way to end the day!

November 1, 2020

The Best Part of the Day

Cape Point Campground Hatteras National Seashore NC Day 2

My morning walking companions.

Marsh Pinks.

Lovely scenery.

After breakfast, we took a long bike ride through the park.

We packed a picnic lunch with smoked whitefish and fresh vegetables and apples and headed to the beach.

We were not back at the RV very long when the sky began to fill with clouds.  By 3:00 it was raining.  We were grateful that we got to enjoy the best part of the day!

By 5:30 it was dark.  We went for a beach ride but it was so cloudy and black that we didn’t stay out very long.  There were still lots of fishermen out there though.