“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” –Jacques Cousteau
A beach with perfect sugar white sand only a five minute walk from our campsite. I think I am in heaven!
Gulf Islands National Seashore at Ft. PickensThe beach at sunsetGulf Islands National Seashore
Our home for a week is Ft. Pickens Campground in Gulf Islands National Seashore on Santa Rosa Island. I’ve been doing a lot of walking on the beach and beach chair sitting.
Site A1 Ft. PickensReady for Beach Chair Sitting on the Gulf of Mexico
We’ve taken a couple of hikes on the half-mile Blackbird Marsh Nature Trail near the campground.
Along the Blackbird Marsh Nature Trail
It is nest building time for Ospreys and several nests can be seen in the area. Ospreys are frequently seen soaring over the campground and a few of the nests can be viewed close up from the nature trail.
Pair of Ospreys on the nature trailPair of Ospreys on the nature trailOsprey
And the sunsets over the Gulf of Mexico are breathtaking!
Sunset over the Gulf of Mexico
More of the Fort Pickens area coming up in my next post.
Our latest RV journey took us past many pecan orchards in south Georgia before we arrived at our first destination, Eastbank Campground on the banks of Lake Seminole. Although located in Georgia, the closest town is Chattahoochee, Florida. From our campsite we were treated to a beautiful sunset our first night.
Sunset over Lake Seminole at Eastbank Campground
The campsites are large and many are waterfront. It was a great place to wind down from the hustle and bustle of being at home.
Eastbank COE Site A01Loop A at Eastbank COE CampgroundFoggy morning on Lake Seminole at Eastbank
We tried geocaching in nearby Chattahoochee, Florida. Our first two attempts were a bust but we enjoyed looking around the train car at the Heritage Park.
Heritage Park in Chattahoochee, FloridaHeritage Park in Chattahoochee, Florida
We ended the day watching another beautiful sunset.
Another beautiful sunset over Lake SeminoleHenry checking the GPS
Our second geocaching excursion took us to part of the Chattachoochee Nature Trail along the Apalachicola River.
No amount of looking over, under, and around the boardwalk helped us find the geocache but I found something better. A baby alligator was sunning himself beside the boardwalk.
Palmettos beside the boardwalk on the nature trailI spotted this baby alligatorBridge over Apalachiacola River
We were determined to find the geocache at the train car so we returned there and Henry found it!
Henry with his first geocache find
Later we drove to the Jim Woodruff Lock and Dam to take a look. The dam and locks were constructed for navigation, hydro- power and recreation purposes on the Apalachicola, Chattahoochee, and Flint River systems.
Snowbird – one who travels to warm climes for the winter (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
No, we’re not snowbirding this year – yet. Doctor’s appointments and household chores caused us to get a late start this year. Instead of hitting Florida during the peak snowbird season we will be arriving in Florida in early March just before spring break.
While we have been home, I’ve been thinking about all the places in Florida we have enjoyed. Here are just a few highlights from our snowbirding adventures from past years.
We had white sandy beaches almost completely to ourselves at St. Joseph Peninsula State Park.
The beach at sunset at St. Joseph Peninsula State Park
Watching the sunset was a perfect way to end the day at Cedar Key.
Cedar Key Sunset
We loved Everglades National Park and camped at the Flamingo Campground twice.
Pa-Hay-Otee Overlook in Everglades National Park
There was a lot of bird watching in Cedar Key.
White Pelicans and Cormorants at Cedar Key
And lots of alligators in Everglades National Park.
Alligators along the Anhinga Trial, Everglades National Park 2012
It was fun seeing manatees at Homossassa Springs Wildlife State Park.
Manatee in Homossassa Springs
This Gopher Tortoise walked across our campsite at Silver River State Park (now Silver Springs State Park).
Gopher Tortoise at our campsite Silver River State Park
We rode the Fort Gate Ferry across the St. John’s River near Salt Springs Recreation Area.
Waiting to cross the St. John’s River on the Fort Gates Ferry
And of course we went for boat rides.
Went for a boat ride in the Salt Springs Run
We ate our fill of stone crab claws and other fresh seafood.
Delicious Stone Crab Claws in Everglades City, Florida
Soon we will be hitching up the fifth wheel to do a little late snowbirding this year. We are going to a few new places and returning to a couple of favorites. Stay tuned to see where we wander next!
As American college football fans, we see many team logos using letters of the alphabet.
We have spent many fall Saturdays in Sanford Stadium watching the Georgia Bulldogs. We see the Georgia G everywhere we look.
G is for Georgia BulldogsG is for Georgia BulldogsG is for Georgia Bulldogs
We love our Georgia Bulldogs so much we added the team logo to the front of our fifth wheel.
Georgia G on the front of our Fifth Wheel
We’ve made several RV trips to other college stadiums to watch the Bulldogs play. Here are a few more college football logos on display.
University of Kentucky UK logo at Commonwealth StadiumOklahoma State University Cowboy with OSU FlagUniversity of Missouri Logo in the grass at the Mizzou StadiumThe Auburn University logo at Jordan Hare Stadium
Wandering Dawgs 