I don't remember who said FL beaches don't come close to ours! Fernandina Beach was a pretty spectacular place. Just over the border but still in view of Georgia, we stopped at Ft. Clinch State Park on Amelia Island for two nights. The beach side was all booked up so we stayed on the riverside which we thought was the better spot nestled in the live oaks looking out over the entrance to Fernandina harbor and a sandy beach. In fact, our campsite (#40) was right by the beach and fishing pier.
The beach side was a little too tight and exposed for us.
Weather was turning cool for FL but we enjoyed biking, touring the fort, beach and had an interesting walk around Willow Pond. Not long after Harry said there wasn't enough water for alligators, we heard a loud crack and then thrashing in the water. Across the way, a fairly large alligator had an equally large turtle that he was wrestling with. Harry was convinced the alligator thought the turtle too big and let him go. I don't know. Sounded like a cracking shell to me . . . . ! Met an interesting couple, Jack and Ann, who customized an ammunition truck into an RV. Avid fishermen, they caught a Sheep's Head, black bass and sea trout. Ann treated us to a taste of Malbec wine she had made. Nice! Sightings of great water birds and deer.
Photos
With 0 degree temps and the bay freezing over in Hull, it was definitely time to get out of Dodge! We really had no other plans than to get as far south as possible our first night so we wouldn't freeze in the van.There was also a forecast for freezing rain down into DC and Virginia. Sane folk would book into a hotel for the night but not the Chisholms who didn't want to risk (or unpack) all the perishable food and wine. 20 miles south of DC, we stopped for a dinner break and attempted another run that only got us another 60 miles to the Cracker Barrel in Ashland, VA by 11 p.m. totaling 609 for the day. Turned out to be a good move because our frozen windows melted by the time we were ready to go in the morning with temps at a balmy 33 degrees.
We readjusted our goal from FL to SC and headed for a favorite, Buck Hall Recreation Area in McClennanville, SC for a couple days so we could stretch and relax sort of. Now that we could fill our water tanks, water started dripping underneath the van. Imagining the worst that our winterizing routine was lacking, further investigation revealed faulty elbow connections to the shower mixer. "MacGyver" is pretty good but not without parts that would have to wait another day.
Just a couple photos
