2/14/22 St. Mary's Georgia into Florida

 2/14  Happy Valentine's Day!

A chilly 40 degrees this morning as we enjoy the free breakfast at Sleep Inn before heading out.

We go to nearby St. Mary's, on the coast and stop at their Visitor's Center.  Two of the museums we're interested in are closed.  We check out the First Presbyterian Church across from the Visitor's Center.  Built in 1809, it is small and plain, but still in use.

Next we head to Crooked River State Park.  On the way we pass King's Bay Naval Submarine Base which has this interesting submarine out front.  Gated with guards, so that's as far as we can go.

The park is a pretty drive.  Lots of blue water, moss covered trees.

  We stop at McIntosh Sugar Mill Tabby Ruins and walk a short trail to the ruins.  A great example of the tabby construction we've seen at various places along the southern coast and saw at Fort Frederica.

Here's one of a kajillion marinas we saw this trip.  

From here we head into Florida and decide to take the A1A highway, also known as Florida Scenic Highway, which follows the coast.  Unfortunately, there is heavy traffic and it is mostly developed land now.  We pass Amelia Island and quite a lot of beach homes.  Lots of round-abouts don't do much to alleviate the traffic. As we get close to Jacksonville suburbs we pass just about every chain store you can name, from Applebees to Home Depot to Starbucks as well as locals such as Suchi Burrito eatery - odd combination! 

We take a small ferry at St. John's to save an hour or so of driving.  Next stop - Big Talbot Island State Park, home to Boneyard Beach. We walk the Shoreline Access Trail to this unusual beach.  

The bleached "bones" of large oak trees are scattered along the sand, as the water has encroached on the heavily wooded island.

Moving on, we spot several live armadillos along the road, which surprises us.  First, because in Texas they are mainly nocturnal.  And secondly, in Texas most that you see are roadkill - Texas speed bumps!

At St. Augustine, which we've visited previously, we begin to head inland on 207 to 17.  Much more rural and less traffic.  We stop at County Line Produce, which is very popular, and pick up some Florida strawberries from Plant City, as well as a honey bell orange. Their veggies look great too.

Beth is looking ahead for a place to try some seafood, and as we approach Palatka, we pass Corky Bell's Seafood.  The parking lot is packed, even though it is 2:00 in the afternoon, so we figure it must be good!

 Located on the water at Gator Landing, there is a very large outside area and we decide to give it a try. So glad we did - it was delicious and pretty reasonably priced!

We order a Senior Citizen platter for two, half grilled and half fried, (being half good?) along with cheese grits, fries and cole slaw. There is a bit of a wait, but we chat with a nearby couple and time goes quickly. They live an hour away, are retired, like football, barbq, and came here to celebrate Valentine's Day.  The food is excellent! Very fresh shrimp, scallops, oysters, 2 fish fillets and 2 deviled crabs!  (Needless to say, we'll need a doggy bag!) Yum!

 

We head to a boondocking spot we found on Campendium, only to discover that it is now closed except for a few days at hunting season!  So we continue on and find a spot at a boat launch area. We are on State Forest land.

 No amenities and no company except a small tear drop camper.  I meet Cathy, a lady around my age, from Pennsylvania, traveling with her dog.  We chat.  She survived two heart attacks and a bout of cancer before finally hitting the road.  In talking, it turns out she used to be a truck driver! Stayed local while raising her family, then passed security and did long haul travel for US government hazardous materials.  She has transported bombs, radioactive materials and says she has lots of stories that she can't talk about!  This lady is smaller than me and is one tough cooky! 

It is a quiet night and we are far enough from the roadway that we aren't bothered by lights or traffic noise.  Not bad for a quick catch!