Fort Clinch State Park, Florida

 









I suppose there are other places where you can stand in the shadow of a 10” gun forged for the Civil War and proudly salute a Triton Class Submarine leaving port for a mission, but WE have never been there.  Here at Fort Clinch near Fernandina Beach Florida, we stood atop the Fort watching the Sub depart, lucky to have an ex submariner nearby to give us pointers. 



NOTE Big Red Numbers – more on that later. 2626

The Fort itself was built during the Civil War and seldom fired a gun in anger.  The park is equally peaceful with roads overarched by twisted Live Oaks, draped with Spanish Moss and Resurrection Fern. Our campsite overlooks the Amelia River and we prefer its shady niches to the more open Beach campground.
 The Weather has not been pleasant –- grey skies with sprinkles -- but compared to the rest of the country  we are FINE. Son Jeff dumped his rain gauge at 4.5 inches and restarted, we were well away from the Mississippi Tornadoes but Daughter Joanie lay just at the fringe of the huge eastern snowstorm.  Yes, it is good to be mobile.

  We have found diversions.
Like Barbeque?              
Like pimento cheese?
Like them TOGETHER??
Then head to The Happy Tomato.  We did.  We split a Platter and took home enough to eat lunch for two more days!


The Marina Seafood restaurant has been in business since 1960 in a building that was well over 100 years old then.  No real need to redecorate –- the walls are covered with “BEST OF THE BEST” AWARDS.  We enjoyed  our pre Valentine dinner and all the red hearts…


As usual, the best part of this stop has been the People and their stories.  We walked and talked with “Dirty Ernie” ( Appalachian Thru Hiker 2007) who thankfully has near total recall of his hike.  The stories were great, better because he was seasoned by his 65 years at the time of the hike.


We are rerouting our trip to take in the boyhood home of President Carter in Plains, and the Presidential Library and Carter Center in Atlanta.  This, after a delightful night listening to stories of the Center’s construction  from the man who built and managed it. Pat and I are big Jimmy Carter fans and we were like groupies hanging on every word from this delightful warm new friend. 



There are shark teeth littering the beaches here and more if the dredges have been at play.  Patty felt that a direct approach would yield fresher specimens.




As is her custom, Patty went hiking with grumpy.










Part of our Historical research at Fort Clinch revealed the original use of a common euphemism.  Observe…
  POWDER ROOM






….and right next door “POWDER ROOM”







We haven’t seen much of “town” at our last two stops, but Fernandina has so very much to recommend.  “400 years of recorded history, under eight flags”.  We walked streets platted by the Spanish, ate in buildings nearly 200 years old and walked streets of restored Victorian beauties.




The shops were gorgeous with red hearts and roses, but my honey and I went for the deserts.