Sunday, July 31, 2016

Day Seven: Sunrise To Sunset The Trip From Florida To Tennessee


As you notice I am writing this on Sunday and my trip home was yesterday. That is because Saturday was a long day from when I got up to when we unloaded the car was close to 16 hours (twelve of that was in the car driving). From the length of the day, I did start it with a sunrise, the last over Mulberry Cove and from the overlook. While today there were no Manatee the sunrise was just as beautiful. But I did see two Racoons (one fell out of the tree while one climbed down) and an Armadillo.










After breakfast and loading the car we said goodbye to the Navy Lodge it is a nice place to stay and enjoyed my time there. Two things can describe the drive back, first, it was a hard drive especially on I-95 and then I-26 to Columbia. We hit a number of spots where traffic came to a crawl. The second thing that made it even harder as it was Hot as Hell on the way back. In Georgia temperatures topped out at 103 degrees, that was four of the days on this trip that surpassed 100. While the traffic let up around Columbia so did temperatures. We started hitting clouds just before the South Carolina capital. While still in the mid-90's it was a break taking into account it was 103 degrees in Columbia on the way down. Then with driving through a thunderstorm and reaching the North Carolina Mountains it was 73 degrees at the welcome center. That was a 30-degree difference...nice!












Finally, when we reached Asheville we decided to take I-26 over Sams Gap instead of going through Davenport Gap on I-40. The reason, one lane is closed on both sides to finish construction, no thanks.  Going this way offered a nice sunset with Bays Mountain as the backdrop. Anyway, overall it was a great week in Jacksonville I had loads of fun. I would like to thank Dad and Terry for inviting Deb and me along for the week...thanks.





Day Six: A Hot, Hot Day At Jacksonville Beach


Today, Day Six is our last full in Jacksonville and today I changed how I had been starting them as I didn't go down to the Mulberry Cove Overlook for sunrise or hike the Nature Trail. No, I sleep in and just went to breakfast, which again featured waffles and today also oatmeal. After breakfast and before we headed to the Navy Exchange we got a surprise as the fire alarm went off. It wasn't a drill as the fire department showed up. I never found out what the exact cause was, but someone said that a person burnt toast.



Well, after a visit to the Navy Exchange, Deb and I were flying solo as Dad and Terry were meeting friends at Mulligan's. Anyway, we decided to head over to Jacksonville Beach for a day at the ocean. We parked near the Jacksonville Pier and decided to do some “Beach Hiking.” We went about a mile down the beach before turning back.







Then it was off to the Jacksonville Beach Pier and a walk across it. When I got to the end I stopped to watch a kid haul in a nice Yellow-jack. After walking back Deb and I headed on the walkway off the beach. We were looking for a place for lunch and we decided to stop at the Ocean Grill and Bar. I will say that the view from where we sat was nice, but the prices for the food was a little steep. So, I just enjoyed a beer. We headed back to the beach and walked down to the Red Cross Life Guard Headquarters to exit the beach and head back to the car.













We still had to eat and I had spotted an interesting looking seafood place on the way in...the Beachside Seafood Restaurant and Bar. While I will write more later, it was worth the trip. Our final stop was at Trader Joe's and then it was back to NAS Jax.





When we got back we toured the base old military airplane display at Patriot Park. It is here I must say that it was hot, I mean HOT! It has been hot all week, but today broke a record at 103 degrees. So, because of the heat, I waited until the evening before heading to the Mulberry Cove Overlook for my last evening there. It was a nice end to the day.