Inside Fort Clinch

It hasn't been good picture taking weather here at Fort Clinch. Things looked pretty good when we arrived late Thursday, but Friday and Saturday was SUPER foggy and wet. Gary went antique shopping on both days. Thankfully we have good TV reception here, since it was so foggy that I couldn't even see the squirrels in the trees. I caught up with all the shows I missed, and caught up on some sleep too. Today (Sunday), the fog lifted, but it was overcast and REALLY windy. Temperatures dropped drastically as well. Gary made up for his days without taking pictures, and snapped over a hundred of them at the fort this morning. It's only $2 admission, and it looks like some great entertainment. The building of the fort began around 1847, but it was never totally finished. There was supposed to be 77 weapons installed, but there was never more than 29. Only 10 of the original cannons are still on site. It was used during the Civil War, again in 1898 in a war with Spain, and for the final time, during World War II as a surveillance and communications base in a joint operation between the Coast Guard, the Army, and the Navy. The State Of Florida bought the fort and surrounding property in 1935, and the Civilian Conservation Corps developed the property into Ft. Clinch State Park. I'm not much of a history buff, but found all of that information out by reading the park brochure. I actually know more about it than Gary does! Anyway, Gary had a fun time checking out the fort. Later, he spent over four hours walking the beaches within the park. The persistent winds didn't slow him down at all. I normally share pictures of the park with you. If I remember right, I did that the last time we were here. So, I decided to dedicate this post to a look inside Ft. Clinch. Here are a few pictures to give you an idea of what it's like. I hope you'll enjoy them. We head home tomorrow, regroup for a couple of days, and head back out for round three of our camping season on Thursday. My next post will be from Lake Kissimmee State Park, a place we've never been to before. Or, if something exciting happens between now and then, I'll post even sooner. Have a TERRIFIC week, everybody.

Ft. Clinch State Park Revisited

I can't believe that it's been three years since we were last here at Ft. Clinch State Park. Time really does fly when you're having fun. After checking in at the ranger station, it's three full miles back to the campground. That's a LONG way! We are in campsite #30. We are separated from the beach by what appears to be an empty lot and some sand dunes. I can see the ocean through a break in the dunes if I look down the campground road in front of me. I LIKE that! This isn't the prettiest campsite we've ever had, but it is a nice one. Gary has already scoped out a nicer one that's even closer to the ocean if we ever decide to come back here again. As I recall, there is a lot to see and do here. If I can keep Gary in the park and away from the local antique stores, I might have some more pictures to show you soon. We'll see how it goes. I REALLY missed my TV shows at Tomoka and Stephen Foster, our two previous stops where there was absolutely NO TV reception. Since we are close to Jacksonville here, TV reception is no problem. I can't wait to see my little honey, Judge Marilyn Milian on People's Court. She's my FAVORITE!!! We'll be here for four days, so I will definitely check in with you all again, with or without pictures. Have a GREAT day, everybody!

Sharing Our "Buddy" Campsite with Celine and Jean-Pierre

Campsite #3 at Stephen Foster State Park is generally not a rentable campsite. For example, if you look on the Reserve America website for the park, you'll see that there is no campsite #3, the companion (buddy) campsite to campsite #1, the one we were staying in. There are exceptions to the rule, and such was the case on our last night's stay at the park. The park was totally full, so campsite #3 became available for rent when Celine and Jean-Pierre from Quebec arrived at the park, looking to stay for one night. We couldn't have asked for nicer people to share our campsite with. The campsite was HUGE and I am very small, so there was plenty of room for another trailer. Even with my campmate the Aliner next to me, there was still room for several more trailers. Gary struck up a conversation with our new Canadian friends, and they talked from time to time before we all packed up and left the following morning. Celine and John-Pierre came over to see me, and Gary went over to check out their Aliner. Jean-Pierre installed a large solar panel on the roof of the Aliner, and it creates plenty of power for all of their uses. They had electricity at the campsite, but it's cool that they have another option when they need it. Hmm...maybe I need one of those. Jean-Pierre also built some additional cabinets inside the Aliner, and his woodworking skills are quite impressive. Celine is a pottery maker back in Quebec when she's not on the road camping. You can see her work at www.lapipedargile.com She makes some BEAUTIFUL things! Go by and see her at her shop, and tell her that Toaster sent you. She will know EXACTLY who you are talking about. Gary and I were very pleased to share our campsite with Celine and Jean-Pierre, and we hope we run into them again in the future. They were really fun and interesting people to be with. Our Canadian friends left just before we did on Thursday. They were heading west to Torreya State Park in the Florida panhandle, and we were heading east to Ft. Clinch State Park on the Atlantic coast. We had a GREAT time at Stephen Foster, but we're excited to see what lies ahead at Ft. Clinch. I'll check in from there.

Here's Looking At You, Stephen Foster

Gary stuck to his word, and spent most of today exploring this beautiful park. From the looks of the 145 pictures he took, he did some SERIOUS walking. He seems kind of tired, so that explains it. I'd like to show you all of the pictures, but I am limited to only post a few here on my blog. I picked out a few favorites, and will leave it up to Gary to post all the rest on his Facebook page. Let's start at the beginning, and I'll try to describe what you are looking at. First is the ranger station at the entrance to the park. We got the impression just by seeing that, that we were in for a nice stay at a well-maintained park. By the way, the park staff and volunteers here are some of the friendliest that we have ever encountered. We can't remember the last time we actually got thanked for staying at a place, and that's exactly what happened here. The big yellow building is the Stephen Foster museum. It was built around 1950, and is gorgeous inside and out. Gary tells me that there are lots of pictures and displays, and some really cool hand-carved dioramas that actually have moving parts. They are true works of art from what I can tell. The big tower is the Carillon, a 200 foot structure that was completed in 1957. It's peak contains 97 tubular bells that regularly play some of Stephen Foster's songs. We have enjoyed hearing them from the campground. Behind the Carillon Tower is the craft village. It consists of several buildings where goods are produced and demonstrations are shown. Many of those goods and others that are made by local craftsmen, are sold in Cousin Thelma Boltin's Gift Shop. The two-story shop also contains a wide variety of park souvenirs, as well as food and drinks. You can also rent bicycles there. There's a gazebo that overlooks the Suwannee River, and a ramp to launch canoes. The path where the canoe launch is, also serves as the starting point for a couple of the many trails that are here in the park. Gary wasn't energetic enough today to walk any of the trails. According to the sign by the canoe launch, if the river depth is between 51 and 59 feet, then it's ideal for canoeing. It was 56 feet when Gary was down there, so it would have been a perfect time for a canoe ride. I wish I could fit in a canoe, but I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon. There are five rental cabins near the river that look like they would be REALLY nice. Not pictured are the numerous picnic areas and pavilions that are spread throughout the park. There are several playgrounds for the kiddies too. I'm sure that Stephen Foster would be most proud to know that this park bears his name. It truly is a beautiful place.

Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park: Our First Visit

We are now at Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park in White Springs, FL. This is the first time we have ever been here, but I'm sure it won't be the last. This is a VERY nice place. We are in campsite #1, and right next door to the restroom. This is a HUGE campsite. It is a "buddy" campsite, which means that it shares it's driveway and part of it's space with campsite #3. It would be a bummer if someone was actually in campsite #3, but we were told when we arrived that they never rent it out. So, we are happy to have this big campsite all to ourselves. Gary told me he would take pictures of the park today, but he actually spent the entire day antique shopping in nearby Lake City. The only pictures he took were the ones I've posted. We will be here two more full days yet, so I'm sure that he will explore the place and take a boat load of pictures like he usually does. It's nice and quiet here except for the occasional ringing of the bells in the Carillon Tower. Stephen Foster songs are played, along with other music. Although there isn't any decorations here in the campground, Gary told me that there are LOTS of Christmas lights throughout the rest of the park. I'll see if I can get him to take a few pictures of them tomorrow night. There is no TV reception here at all, but Gary leaves the iPod playing when I'm here alone. He's SO thoughtful! There are quite a few squirrels here too, and they are always fun to watch. That's about it for now. I hope to have more to show you and tell you about next time. Have a good one!