Tims Ford Blueway

Headed up Thursday to check out a couple of the camping islands on the Tims Ford Blueway.

The AC in the van went out while I was still in the driveway.  I have a HEAVY chest cough and Ben is just getting over a similar funk.  My energy level is about 3 out of 10.  Then Matt called from the doctor's office to say they figured out why his back hurts-he's fractured it.  There's a meeting Monday to discuss what to do about it and how much it will cost.

We parked at the Devils Step Boat Launch/Day Use Area.

We arrived and Ben got sunscreen in his eyes.  Then he tried really hard to pull off his toenail on a rock.  Alex had a paddle that looked like squirrels had eaten 1/3 of one blade.  He had a splinter in his foot that my tweezers were useless against.  There were terrified feral kittens in the weeds that we could not catch.  It was a REALLY WEIRD, really off feeling day.  It was hot, too.  Heat index in the triple digits.

There was an info kiosk, but no way to sign in, as it states is required to use the blueway.

So, we launched our boats.  We went over to Devil's Step Island and paddled around it then back to the van to get first aid, then back to the island to try to find the cemetery.  It's very easy to find, it's right next to the campsite.  The campsite smelled like someone had used diesel fuel to try to get wood burning and the smaller trees all around the site were chopped about belly-button high.  It looked awful between the piles of partially melted trash in the fire pit and the hacked up trees.  Not where I would want to set up even if it is next to a cemetery.

The cemetery was pretty beaten up.  The fence around it had been hit by trees over the years and at least 2 graves had collapsed.  There were 3-4 stones that were still readable.

After we got back in the boats, we headed across toward Maple Bend island.  It was rough going in the heat and we pulled off to have a snack and drink.  We discussed going for a swim, but the water is VERY warm, it was not refreshing.  We made the last push to the island and checked out that campsite.  It was in the sun, slanted red clay tent platform, just as trashed as the first site and it smelled like everyone who had ever camped there had peed in the same spot.  The smell was overwhelming!  It was like goat pee.

We got back in the boats and went over to Goose Island, but none of us even wanted to see the campsite, we just wanted to get back to the parking area.

As the day went on, more and more boats were on the water.  The wakes from them made for HARD paddling, there was lots of stopping to swing our boats into the waves to keep from tipping, then paddling hard to get some distance before the next boat.  One guy was just doing circles, coming back over and over to turn at the last minute before hitting one of us.  I BET HE DRIVES A TRUCK.

So, keeping in mind it was not the best day to begin with to head out to melt in a plastic tub on some bathwater, I still have to say the blueway is was not worth it.  The total disregard from the other boaters, the damage and disgusting state of the campsites we did see plus the fact that the water is likely teeming with all kinds of horrors because it's basically a giant, overheated pond all combine to keep this off my list for the summer.

First, Ben has some confusion about how to kayak.

Then he realizes he has no paddle and starts looking around for it.

Cypress!

The launch is clearly visible from the island.

All of the banks are badly eroded and nearly all are mostly rock ledge.  There's not much shore, at least in this part of the lake.  It drops off quickly.

You can't paddle right smack next to each other.

I'd apologize for the bright lighting, but that's what it looked like.

Back across, it's Maple on the right and Goose to the left.  Maple Bend is a HUGE island.

There are 3 more islands with camping to check out.  They are closer to the state park, so maybe a little less manky?  There are also two "non-motorized boats only" launches near Estill Springs, so I want to check those out in hopes that there is at least a small section of the lake that isn't overrun with fast boats.

For now, the van is at the shop.  We had hoped Matt's $150 battery Monday was it for the month, but no. My van is unwilling to let another vehicle hog the budget.   My voice is gone, Ben feels so rotten he's actually skipping band.

Update: It was a fuse.  Which might be a fluke or it might be the compressor going out.

I'm going to have a few days of downtime.  I have the house clean and the yard mowed, so I am declaring this a holiday weekend and we are not going to do anything that does not involve being in front of a van or at least neck-deep in cool water.

Cumberland Island

Chan and I have been planning to join a women's group on Cumberland Island for months!  It was first set in October and got moved after Irma demolished the road (via debris) and the island was shut down for 2 months while they cleared it.

Shelly, our fearless leader, persevered and got us back on the schedule for April.  We needed a LOT of camping space!  Sign-ups had closed weeks ago, but there was a last-minute cancelation.  Gina had a last-minute open schedule (after juggling one family illness after another) and a last-second slot opened from about 3 in the afternoon until midnight the day before the trip and she nabbed it!  I had not seen her in 6 months!

Chandler had the whole back seat and spread out accordingly.  The middle seats were taken out to give more space and because one of them squeaks when the road is not perfectly smooth.  hahaha.  It can be nutsy making.

We stayed at a campground cabin Thursday night, booked via AirBnB and that worked out fine.  It had 3 beds in the cabin and we had a fan to mask the worst of the highway noise.  

We arrived too late in the day to do much, but we wandered the grounds and checked out the amenities.  Chandler jumped on the bounce pillow, we checked out the pool and playground, walked around the perimeter of the grounds and played ball racker.

Gina had blue balls.

The next morning, we met up with our group at the Riverview Motel in St. Mary's. 
Shelly did the roll call, there was a Q and A time, a little time for chatting, then off with our parking permits and time to get our stuff!

Now...Chandler and I had full packs that weighed over 20 pounds.  Food, gear, extra rain gear, hammocks, swim gear, 2 towels each!...I thought we had overdone it.
Then I saw the WAGONS of gear the other women were bringing.  I swear, it was like that boat was headed to some deserted island 1,000 miles from WalMart, so better bring it ALL!
I will admit, I had a pretty good time trying to guess what all was in there.

At the new docks, awaiting our 'don't try to pet the horses' talk.

Our vessel

Goodbye, mainland USA!

The trip over was uneventful

Chandler says, "This is literally my mother's zinc."
It's true.  I got that in a Cairn box.  Twice.

I LOVE maritime live oaks and Spanish moss.
Spanish moss is neither Spanish nor a moss.  It is in the same family as pineapples!
Natives called it Spanish after seeing Spanish beards.
No clue where the moss aspect came in.

These are so pleasing.

Ah, Chacos.  Has there ever been a sexier footwear?  You don't even have to have them on to enjoy the way they hold your feet.
Look at that tan line and how the sand is sticking to my sunscreen.

horse!

We set up quickly and went off to walk a while.

We, of course, walked to Dungeness.

The osprey are back!

I WAS HERE

We walked over to Ice House to see if there were manatee at the docks, but it's a bit cool yet.

There were horses aplenty though!

The tide was out, so we walked along the riverside shoreline back to Sea Camp docks

We waited a few minutes for the last ferry to dock, then rented bikes to ride to Plum Orchard for the tour the next morning.
We rode for the rest of the day, I have not been on a bike in YEARS

Back to Dungeness!

We rode all the way to the salt marsh, checked out the cemetery, then parked the bikes and walked the boardwalk, looking for critters.

We saw a garter snake which was a blur in the shot I took.  Then we saw this deer.

Another anole

GIANT turkey

Gina on a bike

Possum

We rode back up to the dock to watch the sunset:

Our camp!

Saturday morning we were up and packing for the 15-mile bike ride to Plum Orchard.
One of the ladies came running over and said Shelly needed to see me NOW.
I walked down to where she was, wondering what I had done! 

She explained there had been enough tour slots bought to cover us if we wanted to join the group.  Otherwise, they would just go to waste.
We got the okay to keep the bikes another day since we would not get to use them after all, then Shelly added several goodies to our lunch menu (of a protien bar) and we went off to get in the vans with the rest of the group!  We got to see the whole island!

This is a private residence now, but the little building beyond the trucks was the hospital on the island for a plantation.
The slaves were able to grow veggies and they worked on an assignment system.  Once done with their assignment, they were free to do what they wanted.  Higher echelon slaves were allowed to check out guns and hunt for meat.
After the war, the slaves were employed to help build and run hotels on the north end of the island.  They were able to purchase lots over time for $11 each to build houses and a small community grew.  They built a church, the first African American church in the US.

the road, called Grand Boulevard, crosses 4 tidal creeks and is about 18 miles long.
It took 90 minutes to drive to the end.

A raccoon!

A horse in the background!

The far north end of the island.

We went back to the settlement.
Below is the little church:

Most of the houses have fallen in or a gone.

One has been turned into the restrooms for the tour and another is occupied by Carol Ruckdeschel, who bought the house 35 years ago and is a self-taught naturalist.  She is basically a more awesome version of what I want to be when I grow up.  Check her out.

Wild boar!

We arrived at Plum Orchard after a 3 hour AC van ride and not a 7.5 mile bike ride.  :) 
We had lunch and did the tour.

Tiffany lamp, turtle shell on the outside, acorns inside.

Shampoo on tap

After trying to draw Dungeness the day before, I decided this doll house was likely more my speed for sketching!

I just liked the line of the sink

The horses are feral, not wild.
They are also not native to the island, and so are left totally alone.  They are given no supplemental feedings, no vet care, no vaccinations of any kind.  They will kick and bite, so people are asked to stay 50 feet away.  We were inside the van, which is how I got these so close!

The females fare far worse than the males because pregnancy, birth, and nursing all take a toll and the seagrass is not very nourishing.
The horses live about 1/3 as long as domesticated horses and struggle to survive on the island.
There are two camps, one that thinks they should be removed as an invasive species and another who thinks they bring in the tourist dollars.

Alligator

The salt marsh at the south end of the island

The tour ended at 4 and we headed off to do our own thing for a while.

Back out on the beach!

We had showers and went out to dry off in the sun.

Then we climbed in the live oaks

This is more a pic of Gina...

We popped in at site 12 to see they had improved the racoon cage situation there!  When we were there last year, our food was in the dead center of the cage and they still managed to poke it with their racoony fingers!

We took hammocks around to watch the sunset

That night, Chandler and I rode bikes up and down the Grand in the dark, letting the fireflies zip past us like stars.  It was SO beautiful!
Then we went and walked on the beach for a long time, listening to the roar of high tide.

The next morning, our last on the island, we went to watch the sunrise.

A cold front was coming in, bringing afternoon storms and there was no sunrise, only a lighter grey in the skies.

At camp, we finished packing and rode our bikes with full packs back to the dock to await the ferry.

AAAAAAA

I did this.

Our trash for 3 days! 
And we had a Sprite from the ferry one night.  Gina had those cans.  Still, not a bad haul!

We got back to the van, loaded up, and headed out toward the next stop, an AirBnB in Jacksonville.  We could not check in until 6, so we had some time to kill.