Travel Interrupted

Following Blackwater River SP, we were scheduled for a two week stay at Fort Pickens Campground on the Gulf Island National Seashore near Pensacola, FL.  We have been here several time before  and always enjoy returning.  It is a pretty routine state campground as far as campsites go, but the beach is beautiful, there are a number of nice day-hike worthy walking trails, and the fort itself is always a fun place to visit, not to mention the AMAZING fresh fish available in Pensacola at Joe Patti's, which is always a treat!

Two days after we arrived, the campground was placed under mandatory evacuation due to intense, tornado-bearing storms heading this way which had already wreaked havoc in Louisiana.  We moved back inland to Black River State Park, where they thankfully had a space for us for two days, but just as we settled into the new site we saw on the local news channel that our immediate area was expected to be in the thick of that same severe storm.  Since there were no concrete or cinder block structures available at the park, we deserted poor Silver Spirit II at the campsite and went into the nearest town (Milton, FL)  to wait out the impending storms at a Red Roof Inn, where again - fortunately - they had a room available and accepted pets.  About two hours after our arrival there staff moved all occupants downstairs to the first-floor interior hallway, where adults, kids of all ages, and pets of various types hunkered down on the floor to wait out the storm.  One of multiple tornadoes that hit that county that evening leveled several townhouses a mile from the motel, but we were safe, and when we returned to Blackwater River SP the next morning we found that our camper and the entire campground had been spared any damage.  Sigh of relief!  Fortunately for us, Pickens re-opened a day later, at the same time that our spot at Black River became unavailable, so we were able to return to Fort Pickens to enjoy the remainder of our planned stay.  And it HAS been enjoyable!  Beautiful days generally in the mid-60's (lower 70's today), sunny skies, beautiful walks, pretty evenings.

Killdeer on the beach

Pelican posing on the fishing pier

Blue Heron hoping for a handout at the fishing pier

Mockingbird - one of many here

Osprey pair in their nest (the park erects such structures to encourage nesting Osprey and Great Blue Herons, although most of the birds seem to prefer to nest in the tops of large dead trees.

The more common type of Osprey or Heron nest

Reflections

We are spending two weeks at Blackwater River State Park in Florida - new to us - and find it to be a beautiful and peaceful setting to which we will definitely return in the future.  There are only 30 campsites total, and those are divided into two separate areas. Each campsite is not only large compared to most park campgrounds, but also meticulously maintained and separated from neighboring campsites on either side by at least a 15ft area of trees and shrubs; the overall feel here is  private, relaxing, and  thoroughly enjoyable.  Before we arrived, we received a call from one of the rangers warning that due to extremely heavy rains in the previous weeks, the river was high and flooding.  This does not affect the campgrounds, but did affect one of the entrance roads to the park and a number of the hiking/walking trails in the area.  Because we're inland, fresh seafood is not as readily available as it has been while we were on the coast.  Instead, we have enjoyed meals cooked in an outdoor cast iron dutch oven, or those prepared indoors on our cast iron pan.  Weekdays have been quiet here, but young families with children moved in for the long weekend, and we were treated to the sound of much laughter and joyful playing in the playground across from our camper, reminding us of the days when we also had children that age, and what a joy that is!  We became quite nostalgic as one young dad chased his young daughter and toddler son around the playground growling and playing "wolf" to their "little pigs".  One of the things we enjoy so much when in state campgrounds is seeing all the active families - children riding bikes and trikes, rollerblading, swinging, sliding, playing tag (really! some still do!) and NOT just sitting indoors glued to electronic devices.  We've really enjoyed daily long walks around here, at least a couple of miles a day, but two days of 4 miles, and one of 6 miles.  This is a beautiful natural area of Florida, with extensive long leaf pine forests in the high ground (sandy soil), low-lying, swampy areas thick with cypress trees, unbelievably pretty white sand beaches along the river.

 

Clarification about St George Island shelling

I received a question from a reader about why we took shells from a protected area that I mentioned in the previous post.  The answer is that the BEACH is not protected, but rather it is the dunes that are protected. When we arrived at the campground and asked about shelling, the Ranger enthusiastically pointed us to the best shelling spots, including the area I described in my last post, cautioning that the dunes throughout the park are restricted access, and each beach access site along the road points out the same thing: stay on the path ONLY until you reach the beach, do not walk on dunes ANYWHERE.  The dunes are protected nesting habitat for several species of birds, including the snowy plover, but the beach is fair game, whether you access it totally by foot along the entire 8 mile length or approach it through the designated access points/paths along the road.

Please note: we are great fans of state and national parks, so we are ALWAYS careful to observe all park rules, and would not have taken anything other than photos if shelling was not allowed!!  That said, my picnic bench full of shells does not even make the slightest dent in the volume of shells along that shoreline - REALLY, I promise!!!

Shelling at St. George Island State Park, FL

 

We had read that shelling at St. George Island State Park was exceptional,  and since the park is located on literally miles of undeveloped barrier island with only limited access points to the beach, it made sense that it would be so.  While the first few days I picked up a few shells that were larger than we had experienced in the past, it didn't seem to be living up to the hype in terms of shelling, although the endless dunes and miles of beach in their natural (un-groomed) state are breathtaking, and being able to walk the white sand for great distances and meet only a few other people the whole time provides food for our souls.  Yesterday we purchased a day pass to the East End Road on the park, which allows access to a vast area of protected wilderness accessible only by a 5 mile, deeply rutted, one-lane road that allows NO beach access until the very end of the road, which coincides with the end of the island.   Since the park only offers a limited amount of passes to this area each day on a first come, first served basis, we were expecting solitude and we got it.  Ours was the only car in the parking lot on an overcast morning, and as we began our beach walk, although we saw some human footprints in the sand, mostly we saw a variety of seabirds, and all kinds of natural flotsam and jetsam; surprisingly, on the entire 2 ½ mile section of beach that we walked we saw only two pieces of "human" trash, namely an old worn and tattered glove and a Dasani water bottle. As we went further along the beach, a deep fog rolled in, almost hiding the dunes in the distance, and wetting our hair and clothing. 

Horseshoe Crab

Sponge

Some Kind of Egg Case?

And the SHELLING!!!  AMAZING!  Below are photos from yesterday, including my "haul" of varied shells, sea life, and corals.

Perceptions..

When we plan our travels, we rely somewhat heavily on reviews of campgrounds and towns that we find on the Internet, fully recognizing the fickle nature of the folks who have contributed these words of 'wisdom' and experience.   Basically, we've learned to interpret the comments to reflect how we might interpret the same experience.  For example: "Nothing to do here, no shopping" means we'll probably like it; "Awful beach, no one cleans it!" means we'll love it - it's in it's natural state; etc.

A few nights ago we had a single-night stay at Ochlockonee River State Park because I mixed up ending and starting dates for two consecutive campgrounds, leaving us stuck with no planned place to stay for just one night, in an area that is not exactly rich in the kind of campgrounds we generally frequent (State or National Campgrounds vs private ones). It was far back in the the wilds, on a river, and the campsites were set up backwards from the way most are, so that water and electric connections are on the "wrong side" of campers, and you have to practically jackknife car and trailer to pull into the sites.  My first reaction was, "glad it's just one night".  After setting up and going for a walk, we found that it is one of the loveliest parks we've been to, beautifully maintained, with LOTS of ways to enjoy the area: walking trails, fishing areas, swimming areas, rental kayaks, and more.  White squirrels, piebald deer, and picturesque campsites, once you've positioned your vehicle in them.  My review, had I written one, would have varied drastically from first impression to later impression.  We actually enjoyed it so much we are trying to fit it in during March if we can find availability.

 Now we are staying at St. George Island State Park, a beautiful but remote campground situated on MILES and miles of unspoiled beach with excellent shelling.  We have an ENORMOUS campsite, and are absolutely loving this place; this is our first, but not last time at this campground.

Beautiful young retailed hawk 

Most trees here are gnarled - beautiful!

This only shows about HALF of our campsite at St. George Island.