First, in mid-August we drove down to Lauderdale-By-The-Sea (next to Fort Lauderdale). Taking advantage of off season rates, we stayed at an oceanfront lodging called Little Inn by the Sea. What a treat to be able to walk right onto the beach and go for a swim in 80 something degree ocean water.
Then in late September, following another trip to our condo in Columbia, SC, we decided to drive up to the mountains of North Carolina to celebrate the arrival of fall. At an elevation of over 5,000 ft., Beech Mountain, NC is the highest town east of the Rockies. Located in the northwestern corner of North Carolina in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the long range views of peak after peak into neighboring Tennessee and Virginia are just breathtaking.
As we had hoped, the fall colors were already beginning to appear, especially on the slopes surrounding Buckeye Lake, one of the prettiest parts of Beech Mountain.
This is a great place for hiking enthusiasts, with several easily accessible and well maintained trails available. We decided to check out the Falls Trail near Buckeye Lake and were rewarded for our efforts with plenty of natural beauty to enjoy along the way.
Just a short walk from our lodging at the Pinnacle Inn, we discovered the new Bark Park, which is sure to please the doggy lovers among us.
Of course, a trip to Beech Mountain would not be complete without having lunch at Fred’s General Mercantile, whose motto is, “If we don’t have it, you don’t need it!”
As mentioned in an earlier blog entry, one cruise destination on our bucket list is the St. Johns River right here in Florida. Since various ports and attractions along the river are also accessible by car, we opted for a road trip now and a cruise later on at some point.
Unlike most rivers, the St. Johns runs from south to north, beginning somewhere in the swamps west of Vero Beach and running all the way up through Jacksonville and beyond, emptying into the Atlantic Ocean. Our first stop by car was the town of Sanford, located on the southern shore of Lake Monroe. First we had a tasty lunch at Gators Riverside Grill on the eastern side of town where the St. Johns enters Lake Monroe.
Next, we checked out the Monroe Harbour Marina, which will probably end up being our southernmost destination when we cruise the St. Johns.
Its location in the heart of Sanford’s revitalized historic district provides cruisers with easy access not only to a popular waterfront park, but a multitude of shops, restaurants, and sidewalk cafes as well.
By the way, we can highly recommend the German Restaurant on 1st St., which was in full Oktoberfest mode, including live music and wonderful food and drink.
Heading north from Sanford the following day, we stopped to explore Blue Spring State Park along the eastern shore of the St. Johns River at Orange City. Referred to as a first-magnitude spring, Blue Spring pours over one hundred million gallons of fresh water a day into the St. Johns. With a constant water temperature of 72 degrees year round, this popular wintering spot for manatees attracts many visitors each year who can stroll along a one-third mile boardwalk following the flowing Blue Spring run through a shady native hardwood hammock.
Visitors can also swim, tube, snorkel, SCUBA dive, or canoe in the spring waters.
This early in the season, we were fortunate to see at least five manatees up close and personal, including a pair of adults with a young calf in tow. What gentle looking creatures!
Continuing north on Rt. 17 through small towns and marshland, our next destination was the riverfront town of Welaka, a few miles west of Crescent city on CR 309. According to one of our cruising guides of Florida, this tiny burgh is home to the Welaka Maritime Museum, offering “an artisan glimpse of the river’s history with its collection of antique wooden boats in various stages of restoration.” Doing my homework ahead of time, via Google I had located a blog (http://www.favorsgreatloopblog.com/our-new-loop-adventure/welaka-maritime-museum/.) with great photos of this museum, but unfortunately it has apparently closed, so we didn’t get to see it.
So back we went to RT. 17 north, which eventually turned west across the St. Johns River to Palatka, where we intended to check out a couple of possible marinas and spend the night of our second day. We ended up staying at the Quality Inn - Riverfront (listed as Riverfront Inn in our cruising guide), which has an interesting policy that if you rent a room (which also includes breakfast), your boat can stay free at their dock.
After a late lunch/early dinner at the adjoining riverfront Beef O’Brady’s Restaurant (including 2 for 1 pints of draft beer), we decided to leave further exploration of the downtown historic district for another day. The following morning, however, with news of a developing tropical storm heading north toward Florida and the wind already picking up along the St. Johns River route, we opted to cut our road trip short and head back toward Vero Beach to prepare the Docker for the impending onslaught.
Cutting southeast across the state toward the Atlantic coast, we stopped briefly in Cocoa (near Cape Canaveral) to check in with cruising friends who are wintering at Cocoa Village Marina before beginning their own Great Loop Cruise next spring. Although this marina does provide some protection from unfavorable weather, their 50 ft. live-aboard vessel was still moving around quite a bit as the wind speed continued to increase.
With only a relatively short distance to go, we drove the rest of the way south along scenic coastal Rt. A1A, arriving back “home” at Loggerhead Club and Marina - Vero Beach by mid-afternoon on Tuesday, October 23rd. Now, having stocked up on food and supplies and doubled up on the lines securing us to the dock, we are experiencing tropical storm conditions (with lots of rockin’ and rollin’) caused by Hurricane Sandy, currently crossing the northern Bahamas just east of us.
