Southbound and Back

Southbound and Back            

By John W. Vander Velden

Having returned from our excursion, I take some time to share our adventure.  Florida seems to call us.  Perhaps it’s because we take our trip in mid to late March, and we have winter “up to here” and seek warmer environs that the state comes to our minds.  In any case an episode of “Island Living”, on the travel channel, introduced us to Amelia Island and we were off.  For the unfamiliar Amelia Island is north of Jacksonville on the western most portion of the east coast.  Does that make sense?  Get a map and you will see what I mean.  Cross the St. Mary’s River and you find yourself in Georgia.



Fernandina, FL 

Jackie and I love the sea shore, and Florida has grand beaches, and of Florida’s grand wonderful beaches thirteen miles reside on Amelia Island.  No we did not walk every inch, but several miles of white sand passed beneath our feet the week there.  We find something in the wind and waves, the thundering breakers that vibrate our ribs and lift our spirits.  We laugh at the antics of the sanderlings, those tiny birds carried on racing legs toward the retreating water only to dash before the next foaming surf.  We gather shells and talk as we walked on the seashore.  But most of all we feel connected to something much larger, seeing, hearing, feeling, and smelling a power that drives wind and water.  God’s hand visible, and to us obvious.

In the craziness of our everyday the time spent away returns us to our middle.  Seems strange doesn’t it? That you need to travel a thousand miles to reach your center.  But it was not the distance that mattered, but rather the purposeful separation and through that separation the joining.  It reminds us that we both work too hard, have accepted too many obligations, and try to keep too many people happy.  And after three hundred and fifty some days of juggling all these things an escape is not only deserved, but necessary.

We were fortunate in the weather department.  Some sprinkles on our driving days but the skies were clear throughout our stay on Amelia.  One morning broke cold and windy…I mean cold and windy…I mean like Indiana cold and windy.  And of course we took a river cruise that morning.  We were not alone for I was told they carried a capacity crowd.  For all those that cancelled…wimps…left openings for those like us that chose that ride on a whim.  We sat inside and they supplied blankets…thin…I mean very thin…blankets.  But it made it all the more fun, and Captain Pajama Life Jack kept us in stitches as he described the island and former inhabitants.  A great time and I recommend it to anyone…cold or not.

Now Amelia Island has a lighthouse…of course or why would we have come.  OK it was not the only reason…maybe not the top reason…but you know us and lighthouses.  BUT…and it’s a big BUT…the lighthouse is operated by the coast guard and the grounds are off limits, except on days when they offer a tour, not the Wednesday we were in town.  Now I must mention that the site is in a residential district for Amelia Island Lighthouse is the furthest inland of any Atlantic coast lighthouse.  It is hidden by a thick grove of live oak trees.  We searched for it for more than an hour and drove passed it twice.  You can catch a glimpse of it from the highway or from Fort Clinch State Park, but both keep you a mile away.  At last I found an alley that led to the gate only to be foiled by trees that prevented even a fair view.  Hmmmmm.  Maybe next time we will be on the island on the right Wednesday, a body never knows.

Speaking of Fort Clinch…well I mentioned the park…we spent an afternoon wandering around the fort and another walking on the fishing pier.  The pier, we were told, at a half mile in length, is the longest in North America.  Why did we walk it, you may ask?  Because it was there…and so were we.  It seems reason enough when you’re on vacation.  And it should be reason enough anyway.  The water of Amelia Island seems to draw fisherman…and fisherwomen.  For every bridge, every pier, every breakwater seems covered with them.  We spoke to many.  Most are locals open and friendly.

We ate in courtyard cafés, like “The Happy Tomato” and “π pizza” and other places with great food…too much usually.  Jackie loved all the quaint shops in Fernandina and continually wondered, how she could get that neat stuff home, so most of it remained in Florida.  We played two rounds of “Adventure” golf.  That’s what they call put-put these days.  We tied on the first and I got slaughtered on the second.  But it was fun and that’s all that mattered.  I mentioned the beaches, but the best was in Amelia Island State Park on the southern tip of the island.  Miles and miles of undeveloped coast.  We nearly had the beach to ourselves.  It seemed to draw us on and on and took great effort to turn around to walk the miles back to our car.

It would have been easy to lose track of the days, but Friday morning came and packed we left the hotel that had been our home base for the week, and taking A1A south we slipped out of that little place that seemed so near paradise, and began our way home.

Our trip to Amelia Island with stops in St Augustine…a great place too…and side trips to St Mary’s, Georgia and Kingsley Plantation on St. George Island will be one we shall always remember.  We look forward to our return.  

(974 Words)   4-1-2016