A Full Day Includes a Very Fine Time on the Water

Monday December 1, 2014
Fort Clinch State Park
Fernandina Beach, Florida

 

 

When I go out for the sunrise this morning most of the color is in the west. Looking over to the east, everything looks gray.

 

When I get around to the east side and can see the horizon, the sun is really trying to burn a hole in those thick clouds. It’s having some success.

 

As I watch, it finally manages to rise above it all. It’s a great morning at the beach.

 

 

 

After breakfast we head out for a bike ride to see some sections of the park road we have not seen and to confirm with the ranger where is the best put in to kayak Egans Creek.

The park road is just so lovely.   These pictures do not do it justice.  It’s the “real Florida”.  It’s the Florida I remember from trips here as very young girl to visit my great Aunt Carrie.   Riding on the park road is wonderful.  There is very little traffic.

 

 

 

 

 

At the Egans Creek Overlook we find a lot of information about the lighthouse which is not in the park and not on the water anymore. It’s actually in a neighborhood and the only way to take a tour is for $5 with the historical society every 1st and 3rd Wednesday. But it looks lovely at the far side of the Salt Marsh.

We don’t actually get much of look at Egan’s Creek since it turns out to be on the far side of the marsh.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The lighthouse is the oldest documented structure on Amelia Island. It is brick with a stucco exterior. Its 59 granite stairs were hand hewn in New England.  I think I’ve mentioned before that the Historical Society gives a tour at 10am on the 3rd and 5th Wednesdays.  I don’t believe you get to go up and see the lens though.  I’d still love to do the tour but we got here on a Wednesday after the tour, they didn’t do it the day before Thanksgiving and we have to leave this Wednesday.  The stars are not aligning for this obviously.   Next time?

 

 

 

 

 

It looks from my zoomed up picture as though it still has a Fresnel lens although the information on it that we find here says the light was electrified in 1933 and automated in 1979. Does it look like a Fresnel to you?  I’m sure Nina will know if she’s reading.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outside the Ranger Station we see what we think is a Cloudless Sulphur butterfly.   We watch him stay for a very long time inside this flower tube before he flies off.   The ranger has just the information we need so we head back to pack some lunch, get the kayaks on top of the car and set out for our first paddle in months.

 

 

 

We launch into Eagens Creek from the boat ramp at Leaders and Sinkers Bait shop on 14th street.  The tide is coming in and we go with it away from the ocean knowing that we will have to kayak back cup the creek against the tide.  But that’s later.

If this is a creek, I sure wouldn’t want to paddle the Amelia River.

 

 

Lots of big boats on this “creek”.   The right side of the creek has waterfront homes and the left has the Salt Marsh.  We are exactly on the other side from where we were just looking out over the marsh.  No wonder we could not see if from where we were.  The marsh hid it.

 

 

Inspite of all the houses and boats, we see a fair number of birds today beginning with what we thought was a rookery.  But when we looked closer we saw about 6 ibis and one heron.

 

Not sure what the heron was doing with these guys but as I watched, he flew off leaving them to populate the tree.

 

 

 

David almost always puts in after I do.  Takes him longer to get his Sh**  ahh stuff together.  So at this point I’m in the lead.  He’ll over take me later but at this sign I decide to take a side channel.  The “creek” is pretty big for the kind of paddling we enjoy most.   So I turn down the left lane.

 

Good choice.  What a gorgeous day it is.

 

I see later from his pictures that David was pretty far behind me at first.

 

But once we reach the dead end, he’s in the lead returning.

 

 

 

On the way back I stop to watch the blackbirds.  The male never sits still so no shots of him.  The female doesn’t have the striking red wing but I think she’s lovely.  Just look at those detailed markings.  She was quite cooperative for a while.

 

 

 

The reflection of the clouds in the water makes me feel like I’m in some sort of wonderland.  It is an amazingly lovely day after so many have been dark, rainy and cold.

 

 

 

Back out on the creek we barely have to paddle at all since the tide is coming in and we are going with it.  Boy is it a blue sky day.

 

 

 

 

David takes a couple of pictures of this unconcerned pelican and drifts on by.

 

 

His is a nice shot!   But you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.   I’m on the other side of “the creek” and head over to say hello.

 

 

 

When I get near, Mr. Pelican starts putting on a show.  I’m thinking maybe he’s in to yoga.

 

 

 

I’ve never before seen a throw your head back pose like this one.

 

 

He straightens himself back up and I start to leave but he has one more.

 

 

Looks like a nice neck scratch before he makes himself small, probably for a nap.

 

 

A little further down I can see the lighthouse.  But what really catches my eyes is a group of Black Crowned Night Herons on the posts in the water just below the lighthouse.  I have never seen a group of them hanging out together.   David gets too close and they fly off before I get there but luckily they merely circle around and return.  There are 6 or 8 of them.

 

 

There are 6 of them in this picture and a couple more off to the left.

 

They all actually look a little bit different but when they shrug up their shoulders and look like little old men, they make me laugh.

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately like hiking in the Shenandoah National Park where the first part is the easy hike down and at the end you have to climb back up, this nice float down the creek with the tide has to end and we begin paddling back up against the tide. 

We have also been far too relaxed barely paddling and have stayed too long before turning around.  The very common late afternoon winds around water have begun.  Of course they are blowing toward us.   Doesn’t look as rough in this picture as it looked from inside my kayak and as it felt as I was paddling.

 

 

If I stop paddling up stream the current immediately sends me back down and I have to regain the ground I’ve lost.  It’s not as bad as we’ve sometimes had since we are near the tide shift and things are slowing down but the wind is really a factor.

So I only take two pictures on the way back.  One when I almost catch up with David who has pulled over for a breather and one of this amazing Great Egret.  He’s got some ruffled feathers there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

David takes this one, I assume from his pull out spot.  I think it’s lovely.

 

 

When we get back almost to the take out, the wind dies down and so does the current.  David takes these last shots from the take out to show just how wide this “creek” is as I’m coming in at the end of a wonderful day on the water.  We usually prefer paddles that aren’t quite this urban but the fun birds made it an even better day.

 

 

That’s all folks!   Only one more day here in the Fort Clinch Area and we’ll be moving on.  Really glad we finally got on the water after nearly 2 weeks.