Final Days on the East Coast

We had this brilliant idea of either long driving days to the Everglades, or bike riding a few of Georgia’s Islands.  Islands it is.

And then … RAIN !!! Bucket loads!  But as we approached Tybee Island it cleared!  Sweet!

It’s Sunday and there is NO free parking on the island.  But the Post Office is closed …Isn’t that federal, not island property?  We didn't get a ticket!

The bike path is pretty lame, going only along 2nd Ave (2 blocks off the beach), no boardwalk :(

We did get down to the beach

And the pier.

I have been craving a fish taco!  A taste of home.  And Pier 16 is said to have the best on the island.  Only it’s not at the pier ;)  Still a pretty good taco plate.

As we returned to the Post Office, the rains also returned!  At least our ride was dry!

With constant rain, heavy at times, we moved on to Florida.  Where Big Talbot Island provided a great ride.

It is 6.3 miles out and then back

A fun ride!

We continued south on FL A1A to the St Johns River Ferry.  Only $14 for Rufus to enjoy the ride to Mayport.

And it was lunch time.  Singleton's Seafood Shack is next to the ferry landing.  My bestest ever oyster Po Boy!  Next time east I'll have to ask Gay where her favorite can be found!  And Fran’s Deviled Crabs were darn good too!

We continued south to Daytona Beach, where they not only race on the track, they drive on the beach.

Or just dip their toes in the water …

Finally reaching Cocoa Beach, and the end of my Atlantic Pilgrimage. 

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I may be a Hodad, but I can still dress in style.

And from Ron Jon Surf Shop we finally pointed Rufus west, passing through the Ocala National Forest, with a nice lunch stop on the lake.

A wonderful night at Salt Springs

And what we thought would be a fun stop was again dampened with torrential rains!

But it was nice to be at home on the beach for a couple days.  It didn’t rain all the time!

The air quality alarm went off about 5:30 am!  I replaced the LP sensor with a multi gas sensor, and it indicated the RV had been closed up and CO2 levels were high.  This thing is a bit too sensitive as it will go off with a wine spill!

But I was up for a sunrise!

We planned to meetup with our niece Janet and family Eglin Air Force Base for a visit.  Guest passes are issued at the Air Force Armament Museum.  We arrived early, thanks to an hour time difference and my early wakeup alarm.

We took a quick walk around the outside exhibits, lots of exhibits!

All exhibits are labeled with a bit of information about the plane and its manufacture and use.

This missile was manufactured in San Diego by General Dynamics.  As the factory would down we played volleyball at Missile Park.

An F4 Phantom.  As a Navy AT I worked on their electronics.  I knew the AF also flew them.  But why the tailhook ???

Not just fighter planes but exhibits of heavy lifting.

The last B25 built!  Those brave men under Lt. Colonel Doolittle launched themselves from the USS Hornet, providing the first attack on Japanese soil.  The team trained at Elgin AFB.

Sleek and fast

A lot more exhibits outside and even more inside!, as Janet arrives to escort us through security checks and obtain base passes.  We followed her home .. A home with a driveway long enough for the Rufus!  The kids played in the backyard while we chatted.

Notice the house is right on the water!  The benefits of an officer's wife!

We all enjoyed Marion's pizza for lunch!

Cute, energetic Anne; Blue is a wonderful young man;
and Janet their awesome mother

Westward Ho!!! We now head west with just over a week to complete the drive.  We do not want to miss Kg’s graduation from Long Beach State.  GO Sharks!

Congaree National Park

Congaree National Park is a relatively new addition to the National Park System. 

The Park protects the largest bottomland old-growth hardwood forest in North America.

To be clear this is an RV day trip!  There is NO overnight RV parking within the park boundaries.  But so worth a day trip diversion.

The park covers over 26,000 acres of the Congaree River, and contains the tract of old growth bottomland forest in the US.

Prior to a grass-roots roots effort to save the swamp, logging of the old growth cypress trees was performed.

In 1976 the Congaree Swamp National Monument was formed.

In 2003 the Monument was elevated to Congaree National Park.

John and Sharon (On the Road of Retirement) stopped at Congaree in 2022.  Their blog can be found HERE.  We’ll be doing the same boardwalk they hiked.  The trail is an elevated wooden boardwalk 2.4 miles

There are numbered stops along the boardwalk, having the tour pamphlet is handy.

The mud under the boardwalk is called Dorovan muck.  It is 8’ of clay and decomposing leaves.

Large Bald Cypress trees are seen throughout the walk.

The boardwalk winds around many of the old growth trees.

The spikes rising from the ground are not stumps, but ‘knees’.  The purpose of the roots generating these knees is not known.

The rich muck produces the some of the tallest trees in the east.

There were 5 turtles at the overlook of Weston Lake.

Loblolly Pine trees are the tallest trees in South Carolina.  This one is over 150’ tall.  I didn’t get a picture of the height, but check out the unique bark.

The remains of an old still

And a water snake

Although we could not stay in the park, we found a nice spot next to a loblolly pine.

VA - Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge Parkway

The state Virginia state slogan “Virginia is for Lovers”.  But it’s also for travelers and history buffs.

We left West Virginia and settled in Front Royal, the northern entrance to the 105 mile Skyline Drive

The speed limit on Skyline Drive is 35mph, it’s only a 3 hour drive … Right???  But with 75 Overlooks, hiking and picnicking areas, we took closer to 3 days!

The drive is north/South through Shenandoah National Park.  Entrance is free with our Forever Young Pass, also for Veterans and other recognized  passes.

Looking back over my photos I think we stopped at all 75 Overlooks.

The day started with a haze, making the light a bit flat.  But the views remained awesome.

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There is a tunnel at mile 32 which is 12’8 at the edge.

Mary's Rock Tunnel

The haze cleared as we continued along the scenic winding roads.

The cloud cover broke into large cumulus patches.

We settled in for the night at Big Meadows Campground about the halfway point,

It rained most of the night as the clouds settled into the valleys.

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Skyline Drive south entrance is at Rockfish Gap, which is also the entrance to the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Again do your own research on the tunnel heights, the lowest is in South Carolina and only 11’7” at the edge.

There are certainly view points on the Parkway, but there is also more history than on Skyline Drive.

A short hike leads to the ‘falls’ at Otter Lake.  It’s a very pleasant spillway at the dam.

Stepping stones below the falls continue the trail along Otter Creek.

The James River Bridge carries auto traffic, with a lower section for foot traffic.

James River

The foot bridge leads to a restored lock allowing water traffic to circumvent the rapids.

Fran is looking over the James River

The Great Valley is bounded east and west by the Blue Ridge and the Alleghenies and extends from New York to Alabama.

The Mabry Mill is certainly worth a stop and walk about.

There is several preserved pieces of pioneer equipment and construction on display.

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And of course they need to be self sufficient.

Moonshine Still

We stopped at the Blue Ridge Music Center.  It’s purpose is to maintain and preserve the history of Mountain Music.

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We lucked out and were able to enjoy a concert

More of a jam session then a concert.  But lots of fun!

Along the way Rufus had a milestone!

We left the Parkway at North Carolina, with no destination in mind.  But the rains hit and we took what was available.

There was a concert scheduled at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.  But at least a grass space was available.

And it was FHU!

Guess we were desperate :)

Where to next?  Stay tuned!