Monthly Archives: June 2014

It was time for some exercise given all the great food we have been eating.  We read about two bicycle trails nearby that are becoming part of the Georgia Rail Trail so we thought we would check them out.  These Rail Trails are all over the country and are basically old CSX railroad tracks converted to biking/walking trails.  We have one near Ocala that runs from Dunnellon all the way to Floral City.

The first piece of the trail starts in Woodbine, about 15 miles north of St Marys.  It starts at the river and runs south for 3 miles.

The City did a very nice job of converting this trail with historical markers and the Women’s Club is maintaining bird feeders all along the trail to encourage birds.

Gazebo along bike path with bird feeders

Unfortunately we saw more squirrels than birds at the feeders.  There was even a marker talking about the hobos who rode the railways in the 18th and 19th centuries including one who frequented Woodbine on a regular basis.  He was killed one year jumping off the train and the city fathers moved his grave to a spot near the trail in honor of his history.

The next piece of trail was longer, 3.5 miles each way and started in White Oak just north of Woodbine.  From what we could see, White Oak consist of a Post Office

and some homes, which explains why their section of trail is nowhere near as good as Woodbine’s.  It’s not even paved but only gravel, sand, and pot holes.  We lasted about 1/2 mile and turned around fearful for our tires and fillings!

We drove back to St Marys hoping for crepes and scones at the Mad Hatter but they were closed so we settled for the Blue Goose instead.  Check out this picture of Goosed Turkey sandwich on multi-grain bread with apple slices, Cheddar cheese, and peach mango tango preserves with an apple walnut salad with goat cheese, cranberries, bacon and orange maple dressing.

Not bad but it looked and sounded better than it tasted.  The patio table was so pleasant though, we lingered longer than necessary.

Back to the RV and we finished with another ride through the Crooked River State Park.  It’s amazing for such a lovely park, there are no people staying there. The campsites and cottages always look empty.

We ended the day with dinner at Shark Bites again.  I had to have one of those wild caught ground gator burgers with provolone cheese and remoulade sauce.  I chose collard greens as my side dish and they were some of the best I’ve ever had.  There was to be music in the park on Saturday night but a storm came and it was cancelled.

We did see a rainbow after the storm giving us a perfect ending to our short stay in St Marys.  Tomorrow we head back to Ocala and reality.

Another problem with traveling when you get older is your memory.  Jim and I have the worst problem with trying to remember if we have been somewhere or not and what we did there.  That’s one of the reasons for this blog.

Yesterday was a perfect example.  We started out going to Jekyll Island and after we got there we realized we had been there in 2012.  So after paying our $6 car admission fee, we turned around and headed to St Simon Island which wasn’t too far away.  Back when our oldest daughter and her husband were first married (now that has to be a minimum of 12 years ago) we went there and remembered this quaint beach village with a lighthouse and restaurants and shops.  What we found was a little different.  Its amazing what 10+ years can do to a place.  The lighthouse was still there and there were more shops and restuarants, but it had much more of a commercialized feel and much less quaint.  Here are some pictures.

Park along the coast at St. Simons

We walked in and out of some shops and then drove to the Fort Frederica National Monument at the other end of the island.

This is where Jim Oglethorpe (founder of Savannah) went next and set up a community and military fort to protect the southern port from the Spanish who were in Florida.  The remanents of homes and shops were interesting to see considering we are talking about almost 300 year old foundations and artifacts.

Our last stop was Marshside Grill with lots of cars in the parking lot by 5:30 pm.  Always a good sign!  Obviously the cars tell the story.  We got a table outside on the deck and Jim ordered the fried fish basket and I ordered a bowl of crab stew and onion rings.

The fish was wonderful with  spuds that were thick sliced potatoes dip in a batter of some kind and fried.  The crab stew had huge chucks of crab in every spoonful and the onion rings were fresh made and yummy.  We definitely had our year’s supply of fried food, but doesn’t it look good!

While we were eating a woman asked if she could share the end of this large picnic table we were sitting at.  We were so engrossed in our conversation and food we never realized the place was packed by now.  These two nice ladies from Ohio sat down and of course a conversation ensued leading to lots of laughs and interesting stuff.  One thing they said was that two people had told them to eat at Marshside.  I guess the cars do tell the story!

Just as planned, we were at the kayak rental place right at 8:30 and so was Blake.  One of the issues with getting older is everyone else starts to look younger and Blake looked like he was 14 years old to me.  Oh well.  We decided to take a two man kayak just in case I got tired Jim could do all the work and let me rest, which I thought was a good option, I might add.  Blake was using a paddle board so he set our kayak at the end of the boat ramp and said, I’ll put my board in and meet you in the water.  I thought it was a little strange because we have always been helped into the kayak whenever we do this at other places.  My first step down the boat ramp was a dilly.  I slipped about 2 feet and realized the ramp was covered in slippery brown mud because we were in low tide.  Walking carefully with baby steps I reached the kayak and the edge of the water only to realize I was sinking ankle deep into this thick mud.  When I swung my leg around to get into the kayak, I flung mud all over the seat but momentum had already taken over and I landed on the seat filled with mud.  I could only hear Jim since he was getting in the kayak behind me, but it didn’t sound like he was doing much better.

We met up with Blake and started toward a creek he said was not too far away.  Blake is making conversation but it is getting obvious my assessment of his age is not too far off.  It’s also obvious his definition of “guided” tour and ours are vastly different.  We are hearing about his friends and where he lives and how close we are to Fernandina Beach and suddenly we see something really big in the water, hunched up and we are headed straight for it. Now Blake sees it too and we are all watching what looks like a whale or manatee but with rough skin.  We finally decided it was one huge alligator having breakfast of something that was fighting back.  Over the course of the two hour tour, we found out Blake is going to be a Junior in high school, has lived in St Marys all his life, doesn’t get along with his boss very well, we are his second guided tour, and he doesn’t know much about St Marys.

After our tour, we walked around St Marys a while and found a coffee shop called the Blue Goose where we had something to hold us over until lunch.

Blue Goose Coffee Shop

Bed and Breakfast in Downtown St. Marys

Old Catholic Church in St. Marys

We went in and out of several shops and talked to the shop owners and got a lead on a great place for lunch.  Remember, the back of my shorts have brown stains on them from the mud and I’m hoping everyone thinks “mud” before they think it’s anything else.  When we were ready for lunch, we followed the lead we got earlier and went the the Mad Hatter Tea Shop.  So here, everyone is dressed better than we are but they seat us anyway.  (They haven’t seen the back of my shorts yet!)  We were so glad they allowed us to stay because it was one of the best lunches ever.  We had a chicken crepe with spinach and mushrooms in a basil cream sauce with fresh fruit that was wonderful.  Then we finished with their specialty of two white chocolate cranberry pecan scones with fresh cream and preserves.

Jim made the comment that these were the best scones he had ever had and we overheard someone at a table not too far away say the same thing.  After this, it was time for more exercise!  We went back to the RV and broke out the bicycles and rode for about an hour in the Crooked River State Park just 1/2 mile up the road from the RV.

We decided to try our favorite place for dinner called Shark Bites.  Its right across from the waterfront park and has a second floor balcony.

View from Shark Bite Restaurant in St. Marys

Dinner consisted of homemade Mac n Cheese with Shrimp for me and Jim had a wild caught gator burger with remoulade sauce.  We each agreed we would order the same meal again (which is our test of how good it is) so maybe we might come back again before we leave and reverse our orders.

 After dinner we decided to drive to Fernandina Beach and walk around since it was cooler in the evening.

Historic Downtown Fernandina Beach

Sunset at Marina in Fernandina Beach

It was 10 pm before we got back to the RV and we were really tired but in a good way.

Well, our “Big Alaska and Beyond” trip didn’t start the way we were planning.  My brother, Alfred, developed kidney cancer and the surgery produced all sorts of complications which meant it was not time to leave on an extended trip.  We postponed the Alaska adventure to 2015 and God willing, we will make the trip next year.

Alfred is doing better and is improving everyday.  He is improving enough that we decided we could take several small trips this year, no more than one week, and still be his healthcare advocates.  By the way, if you don’t have someone to act in this capacity for you, make sure you get one.  The new healthcare system in this country now makes it mandatory!  Trust me, I have just been through a great deal working on Alfred’s behalf and IT IS VERY HARD!

Our first trip is just to St Marys, Georgia for a few days.  If you don’t remember from 2012, St Marys is a small rural Georgia coast town whose claim to fame is having Cumberland Island just off its coast.  We just needed to get away and rest for a few days and it looks like the weather is going to cooperate.

We arrived yesterday around 2 pm, did our hook up/set up thing and before 3 pm I was in a lounge chair with a book reading and dozing at will.  There was a comfortable breeze keeping the summer air pleasant under the shade of our awning.  In fact, it was so pleasant it didn’t take Jim too long to do the same.

After dinner last night, we walked around downtown historic St Marys, (both blocks) and found something new had been added since our last visit.  There is a kayak concession on the water and a notice on the board about guided tours by kayak.  So that’s the plan.  We are meeting our guide, Blake, at 8:30 and I will give you a full report tomorrow.