Girls Weekend at Amelia 4/8/22 - 4/10/22 (no camping)

On occasion, I get together with a few girlfriends from work. Sometimes it's dinner but once or twice a year we try to get away for a girls weekend. It didn't happen 2020 or 2021, for obvious reasons, but we finally got our dates/schedules coordinated this year & went to Amelia Island Resort near Fernandina Beach in NE FL. We stayed in a 2 bedroom Villa which was a very short walk to the Omni resort & all it's amenities.

As usual, we ate, we drank & we talked ... a lot. But basically we just hung out & had fun. Weather was a bit cool but beautiful.

We went to Cucina South for dinner on Friday night. On Saturday morning we had a bite to eat at the Villa then went to Big Talbot Island State Park for a hike along Black Rock Beach. It's a beautiful beach covered in huge fallen oaks (mostly due to erosion) that you have to traverse as you make your way to the end.

After our outing we went back to the Villa for some lunch & after that, some went to the pool & others stayed behind for a nap. We then went to Fernandina & browsed the shops before dinner at Beech Street Grill. 

The trip ended on Sunday & we made our way home. Overall, a very lovely time was had by all & it was great to get together again. We're going to try again for later this year, cross your fingers that it happens!

Our group (-1)

Dames Ferry Park Campground (SP) 3/27/22 - 3/30/22 (#10)

Our first camping trip of 2022 went off w/o a hitch. Dames Ferry is a small SP in Juliette, Ga, just a few miles N. of Macon, Ga (SE of Atlanta) & operated by the much larger nearby High Falls SP. 

Left on Sunday morning & checked in just before noon. First time driving I75 almost the whole way. Not an issue except for construction the last few miles before our exit. The CG actually called to check us in when we were enroute. 

We had the 'premium' site this time (#28)  & was well worth it. It's located on the tip of the peninsular beyond a cove & very private. 

The only downfall was traffic from the busy road running near. But, even that was something you could tune out & it slowed dramatically at night. It was quite windy Sunday & Monday but not too chilly. Tuesday was darn near perfect. 

As is our custom, we take Nelly for a walk around the CG & noticed several very cute little campers, some vintage. 

Turns out they are part of a group called Sisters on the Fly. Consists of women who solo travel & have gatherings throughout the US, usually around festivals in various states. This group was in town for a nearby Cherry Festival the prior weekend & most had already left on Sunday morning.

On Monday we drove over to High Falls but didn't get to drive thru the CG sites because there was a gate & we didn't have the code. We drove over to Indian Springs & noted a few sites that would be worthy if we ever visited that park.

Juliette is where the movie Fried Green Tomatoes was filmed (1991 / starring Kathy Bates & Jessica Tandy). They had built the Whistle Stop Cafe for the movie & left it standing after filming was complete. They have since built several old style buildings creating a little tourist street that houses shops carrying antiques & movie trivia. We had lunch there on Monday & of course had to have fried green tomatoes as an appetizer. Greg got a burger & I got a salad with fried chicken (could only finish 1/2). Everything was very good. The train even went by & 'whistled" when we were waiting to be seated.

On Tuesday, took a longer walk w/o Nelly & just hung around the camper reading, watching boaters & casting a few lines. The local ducks (Moochy & Scrounger) would squalk (isn't that what ducks do?) as they came up to the campsite, come out of the water & walk right up to you wanting a handout. Nelly wasn't having any of that, she would run them off each time so they mainly visited other campers on the cove.

Overall, it was a very relaxing trip to 'get our feet wet' & kickstart the 2022 camping season. 

Various CG pics:

Beautiful Sunsets:

Obligatory Nelly pics:

Kolomoki Mounds (SP) 11/1/21 - 11/4/21 (#9)

Our last camping trip for 2021 was to Kolomoki Mounds State Park in Blakely, GA. The drive is only about 2 hours from the farm. It's a very small but well laid out state park. We had driven over when we were camping at Cotton Hill (Dec. 2020) & had scoped out what we believed was the best site (#11).

#11

On the end & on the water!

We like our sites to be secluded & on the water if at all possible. This one didn't disappoint.

This park is a local favorite for hiking, fishing & holiday activities (Fall festivals, Halloween - ghost tour through the woods, Christmas, Spring festivals, etc.).

The hiking trails were a short walk through the woods just a couple of campsites down from us. I can only walk about 2.5 miles before I have to take a break (due to foot issue that I hope to get fixed in 2022). But, we went twice & very much enjoyed both trails. Started out cool but stripped those layers as we went. 

The other hike we went on was to the mounds themselves (there are 8 total). These pics are from the largest of the mounds ... the Temple mound where religious ceremonies were believed to be held. It took over 2 million basket loads of earth to build this mound (couldn't figue out where the dirt came from, no real excavation area & we forgot to ask the ranger when we visited the visitor center. 

Climbing up Temple Mound

From top of Temple mound overlooking other mounds

Yes, it's as steep as it looks

Read here all about them if interested: Kolomoki Mounds

We also ate at nearby White Oak pastures. A regenerative farming operation that brought the town of Bluffton back to life. Read about that here: White Oak The restaurant has excellent food & would recommend if ever in the area.

Here are a few more pics:

As of 1/2022, I still haven't finished this book

2020 Christmas gift from our niece

Nell Mell

Our next trips start in late March 2022. Will try to be more timely in posting about them.