Camping in November

While the folks up North are beginning to hunker down, here in Florida we are just beginning to emerge from our long, some might say, unbearable and interminable, heat season. Now is the time to go camping or so one would hope! Obviously predicting the weather is a tricky business, however, in general it is mostly pleasant this time of year. 

Except when it is not.  

On the first night in our tent the humidity was so high, after some light showers, that our pillows and bedding were terribly damp. Although Bruce brought a fan along, we still did a lot of tossing and turning. The tent was damp, the sheets, the whole shebang, however, while it may sound as if I am complaining, that is not my intent, purely documentation! 

But first we had to get there didn't we?

At first light we got going hoping to arrive in Neptune Beach, about six miles south of the campground, in order to...you guessed it...play pickleball!! Tell me you remain surprised. 😁

During the planning of this trip I did some sleuthing and found a phone number to call. As is usually the case with old folks, the woman called me back in a few hours, detailing the level of play, as well as the times that people play. Armed with that information, and knowing that it would be as simple as showing up, we found the park and said...let's go! Watching for a few minutes, Pat, pictured below with Bruce, came up and asked if we wanted to play. Heck yeah!

There was a time when I would have been too shy to try this but over time I've grown more confidant, not to mention I have Bruce with me to bolster said confidence, and so we played Pat and his wife Alice. By golly, we won the game 11-3! After playing a few more games with others, we made our way to the campground, Kathryn Abbey Hannah Park, which is quite the mouthful isn't it? A city of Jacksonville park, I learned of its' appeal from a tent camping group on Facebook. No doubt, it has a lot to offer beginning with tremendous  hardwood trees lining the roadway back to the campground.

It's a huge park with various areas. When we spotted the sign off the main road towards fishing we made a quick right-hand turn. A large meandering lake was there, along with a gazillion picnic tables everywhere. We seriously could not get over how many they had. Because of our recent storms, it probably wasn't quite as tidy as it normally is and from the looks of this pile, they had some tree loss.

Before going there, I read that alligators were prevalent even along the shoreline, however, with no sun to bask under, they seemed to have stayed in the water. After exploring the area we continued on the above pictured main road until the campground sign came into view.

There are close to 300 wooded sites, set up in loops amongst what I learned is a coastal hammock, otherwise known as a maritime forest. Although picking a camp site must be far easier these days, what with campsite photos posted online, I goofed a little and the original one I chose was not to our liking. In a stroke of good luck, there were plenty of others to choose from in the middle of the week. Our new space in row P was nice and roomy. 

Because it had been some time since last we camped, we always have to remember all of the details of setting things up, one of the reasons that I like to go camping because it forces us to use our brains in fresh ways. Once we began it took about an hour and a half before we were get-to-go with a cozy spot to spend the next few days.

I left Bruce reading and popped on my bicycle, which btw, this park was the very best for cycling that we have visited, and went to what some might call the main attraction. Adjacent to the road pictured, is another long road, a little over a mile long with 10 entries to the beach!!

Pretty awesome wouldn't you agree?? There was a tiny bit of blue sky peeking out through what had been a cloud cover all afternoon. I had a nice little chat with this young man who was waiting on a family to do a Christmas card photo shoot.

One of eight children!! He asked me why I never shot people and sheepishly I told him that posed and staged photos were just not my thing. When I go back and look at all of the photos of our children, the ones that I love most would be considered throw aways these days! We also talked about the increasing clouds and how long the rain would hold off. I left just as it was beginning to sprinkle, hoping it would be short-lived for my new photographer friend. 

What do you think this sign means?

While we were with the pickleball folks we asked about hurricane damage to which they replied that the dunes did their job. They are much larger in this part of Florida.

I was grateful for the numbered signs because with no development in either direction, it mostly looks the same! That said, once on the beach access road it is very well marked another plus for this park. A huge amount of parking is available too. 

Zooming back to our site in a light rain I began preparing an early dinner of steak, baked potato and some leftover corn casserole. Sunset is pretty early right now which is not much of a problem for us as we have loads of lights to both cook and wash dishes. Oh yeah, and eat!

From playing pickleball at 7AM for so many months now, we wake up early whether we want to or not. Donning our clothes quickly, we rode our bikes through the quiet campground to the beach for sunrise. No dice, as the cloud cover dashed our hopes.

One thing to note is the boardwalk with lots of sand and sea grass which washed up in Hurricane Ian as it crossed the state from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean. Could the sky be any duller?

That said, the above is more about the shell line which featured loads and loads of broken shells.

Again from the storm, however, a little later in the narrative, you will understand more fully why I have included the photo above. This was kind of helpful as we headed back to our bicycles.

We saw none of the above!!

On the lakeside of the park, where we went to before heading back to our site, fog was filling the air adding to the dampness.

It also adds a lot of drama to a photograph don't you think?

After cooking our hearty breakfast, we decided to explore something else that the pickleball folks told us about and that was a nearby ferry. Shoot, why not? 

Only about six or so miles away on A1A, we made our way to Mayport and saw this interesting sign about the area.

The last time we were on a car ferry was in Vancouver, traveling to Vancouver Island. I found this post and if you have time there are some really lovely photos and a considerably longer ferry ride! 

This ferry ride is super short but does save many miles of driving.

We saw some birds,

along with parking right next to a Rivian, a vehicle that has fascinated both of us since we watched Long Way Up earlier in the year. 

This provided Bruce the perfect opportunity to have a chat with an owner who expressed great appreciation for his new vehicle.

The cost? $7.00 for about a four minute ride. Still it was fun. Hooking back up with  A1A, our destination was Little Talbot Island State Park for a look-see. We have explored very little of NE Florida, aside from a trip to Amelia Island probably 25 years ago, so now was our chance. 

Hmmm....I'm trying to decide if I should stop right now or continue.......

Oh what the heck a tiny bit more, shall we?

A long boardwalk

leads you to a wide beach that has been ravaged a bit; certainly not to be unexpected because it is a barrier island after all. Between Hurricane Ian and Tropical Storm Nicole our beaches on both sides of the state have taken a beating.

More washed up sea grasses, as well as dune erosion.

What really puzzled me was the black parts which extended onto the beach. The boat top, we were told by the park ranger, washed up only the day before.

What also washed up were shells and I am talking good ones.  Someone left this for folks to enjoy as they strolled the beach.

I came across this beauty.

There were only a few of the cutie below I was sad to see because I was hoping for way more sea birds. That said, the weather wasn't much, so I can't blame them if they found some sun somewhere!

And now is when I will sign off. More fun to share in my next post which I will be sure to write before the week is out. 

I hate to leave you hanging, but until we meet again, I remain,

your friend,

Gail