1255 April 7, 2025 Sad In Cedar Key

It was nice to walk in a new place.  This campground is really cute.  I went to check-in at the office this morning and they offered us a spot here for next winter.  I think I would rather be in the Keys…

We left around 9am.  We had a longer drive today; our destination was Cedar Key.

There was no easy path from central Florida to the coast.  There were ten different ways to go and they all involved a lot of wiggle waggle and navigation.  We worked our way steadily north and west until we arrived on the Suncoast Parkway.  We arrived at Cedar Key RV Resort at around 2pm.  It was 86 degrees and very windy.

We packed dinner and drove into Cedar Key.  We were last here in November of 2023.  Just a few months before, in August, Hurricane Idalia destroyed the town.  There was a lot of damage to the waterfront restaurants and shopping area.  When we got there before Christmas, the stores and restaurants were just beginning to reopen.  The following August, Hurricane Debby struck the town again.  There was more damage to the town businesses and infrastructure.  As the town was beginning again to recover, Hurricane Helene struck in September of 2024.  3 hurricanes in 13 months. The waterfront area is devastated.  I am not sure if they will ever be able to rebuild.  The area is so terribly broken.

The post office is boarded up and there is a post office on wheels in a parking lot.

There were multiple motels and homes that were in shambles.  There is still a lot of debris that needs to be cleared.  The drive through town was quite sobering.  The reality of the power of wind and 8-12 foot storm surges fully evident here.

The Community Park has been rebuilt with fresh paint on the pavilions and new playground equipment.  It seemed like it was important to the community to have the center of town look put together.

A new sculpture installation at the park.

The ibises were foraging for bugs in the grass.  The male has his mating season color on.

We saw large pink birds, spoonbills, flying near the shore.

More pelicans.

A wildly outlandishly decorated golf cart!

We left town and drove on a dirt road through the National Wildlife Refuge.  We immediately saw feral hogs.  There were two black and homely sows and we could see two small brown piglets.

We have another day to explore tomorrow.