Quiet Day at Home

Tuesday, 21 May
Eastbank COE Campground — Bainbridge, Georgia
Temps: Lo 68F / Hi 95F (20C / 35C)

Seems odd to be writing about everyday mundane things while so many in
Moore, Oklahoma are dealing with the aftermath of a horrific act of Mother Nature.
We all know that Mother Nature isn’t always kind and gentle.  But do you wonder
sometimes if she is sending us a message with the increased ferocity of these storms?
Our hearts go out to all those affected.

Today wasn’t as hot as yesterday.  The high reading on our weather station was 95F (35C).  Amazing how that felt “cool” after the oven-like afternoon we had yesterday.  It helped, of course, that there was a barely-felt breeze at times, and that the humidex wasn’t quite as high as yesterday.

Taking advantage of the temp being a mere 68F (20C) at 7:00a, we started our day with a walk around the campground.  With only three loops that have a total of 65 sites, this is a smallish campground; it didn’t take us long to wander around and enjoy the well-maintained, lush green grounds.  There’s a trail to the dam that we hope to walk soon — if we can find the trailhead, that is.

Open green space to the left of the C Loop; there’s a picnic pavilion at the far end.

The C loop area behind and to our right has trees for those seeking shaded sites.

We took the opportunity to check out the main bathhouse while we were at it.  It is located down the road from us, and has four individual shower rooms for unisex use behind the restrooms.  (There is another bathhouse at the back of Loop B with facilities and one shower each for men and women.)  Since we don’t have a sewer hook-up here, we’ll be taking advantage of the bathhouse, though we may have to schedule our showers for off-hours once the campground fills up.

The water channel between loops A and C is a haven for small birds.

On the other side of the channel is Loop C.

Of course, I’m always on the look out for birds and other interesting subjects that might give me an opportunity to click the shutter while we’re wandering around.  Here are a few things that caught my eye today.

Insect eggs?  I have no idea; they look like pearls and are everywhere along the shoreline.

The cypress tree across from our site makes a great drying room for this anhinga.

A male anole displaying for the gals.

We were out for just an hour or so, but by the time we returned to the Phaeton, the temp was already up to 75F (24C).  And it kept going up from there.  So, we hunkered down for the rest of the day.

Foil-lined skillets to warm-up the last of our leftovers eliminates dishwashing.
From now on, it’s simpler meals for us until we return to the world of full hook-ups.

Mid-afternoon, the Canada geese family that welcomed us yesterday put in another appearance.  They stuck to the grass, respecting Mui’s hard work yesterday to clean the cement pad of the evidence they had left behind on previous visits.

Here come the mowers!
This time Poppa (standing guard) cooperates for the photo-op.
And one of the Goslings provides “the End” for this post.

Later …

Despite “The End” above, I had to come back and share the sunset photos from today.  I walked over to a different vantage point to include “our” cypress tree in some zoomed in shots of the red sky and red waters of Seminole Lake.

I’ll let the Waning Gibbous Moon be the second and final “The End” for this post.

P.S.  The ant shield is holding up.  Except for the couple of Argentine ants we saw when we arrived, no others have been spotted on or around the site.  The vigil to make sure it stays that way continues ;-)

Wowza … It’s Hot at Lake Seminole

Monday, 20 May
Eastbank COE Campground — Bainbridge, Georgia
Temps: Lo 68F / Hi 98F [on our home weather station] (20C / 37C)

We left Niceville, Florida this morning and traveled 117 miles (187 km) to the Eastbank COE Campground overlooking Lake Seminole, which is on the Florida-Georgia state line.  And I mean right on the state line — depending on where you are within this US Army Corps of Engineers campground, any self-adjusting clocks will show you in either the Central or the Eastern time zone!  We’re in the latter.  Although we’re a mere 1.6 miles (2.5 km) from Chattahoochee, Florida, our address is Bainbridge, Georgia … 27 miles (43 km) away.  Go figure!

117 miles (187 km) and a three-hour drive takes us to Georgia, a new state for the Phaeton.
(Inset shows our retirement meanderings thus far.)

We arrived at Eastbank at 1:30p.  The temperature gauge was reading a hot, hot, hot 95F (35C).  Not even a hint of breeze to stir the air, or ruffle the waters of Lake Seminole.  Breaking out our wide-brimmed hats and putting wet towels around our necks, we started to set up … slowly.  In that heat, it just wasn’t smart to move too fast.  Our weather station flirted with 98F (37C) several times before the temp started dropping much later in the day.

The welcoming committee of Canada geese; sans poppa, who is standing just outside
the range of the camera to keep an eye on the two geese near the shoreline.

Our set-up today included additional tasks.  First was washing down the cement pad.  Not to eliminate the Comet markings from the previous occupants of the site.  Nor to cool things down a bit.  Rather, because there are a lot of Canada geese at Eastbank.  And you know what comes with geese, don’t you?  Yeah, a lot of droppings :-o

These goslings are still in the furry-stage; have no idea how old they are,
but mom and dad let them wander pretty freely around our site.

Our second extra set-up task had to do with Eastbank’s acknowledged Argentine ant problem.  Having read about the ants in recent reviews, we came prepared.  We sprayed everything that touches the ground with Ortho’s Home Defense Max, and created a perimeter around the pad with granules.  Seems to be working so far, but we will be keeping a keen eye on the situation to head off an infestation.

Mui spoke with the groundskeeper who came around to mow the grass, and he recommended a product called AMDRO.  He ought to know, right?  Since we anticipate further encounters of the ant-kind in this gypsy lifestyle, we’ll pick up some from Walmart; and also some Comet.  And should the worst happen and they get inside, we’re ready to break out the Terro ant bait.  Overkill?  Nah; an “ounce of prevention” and all that … cliché, but true ;-)

OK, now for the site itself.  C-31 is a W/E site overlooking Lake Seminole, and the Jim Woodruff Dam in the distance.  It’s a back-in site, but we drove in face-first to make the most of the view.  Now we have a “Florida Room” from which to enjoy the scenery since the hot temps may limit any outdoors time while we are here.

It doesn’t look like it on the map, but due to the way the sites are laid out, C-31 is an end site.

There’s sufficient room on either side of the site to give us a sense of space.  Our immediate neighbor to the left is situated behind us.  No one is in the site to our right, but that will change on Thursday.  In fact, we’re expecting an influx of campers at Eastbank for the long weekend.

Glimpse of sites 31 thru 33 from the top of the road.
It was a simple matter of driving past our site on the loop road, turning into the paved road
at the bottom of the photo to turn the Phaeton around, and driving it face-first into C-31.

Site C-31

View from our “Florida Room” (aka, the cockpit).
The trees at the front of the site act as a screen to cut down the glare
of the afternoon sun reflecting off the lake.

The water is dotted with lily pads, and we have our own cypress tree.
In the distance is the Jim Woodruff Dam.  It is about 1,000 feet (300 m) south of the origin
of the Apalachicola River at the confluence of the Flint and Chattahoochee Rivers.

Jacks down … shore power and water connected … slides out … living area Swiffered … rug laid down.  Time to take shelter in the cool interior of the Phaeton and rest up to restore our energy after being drained by the strong, hot sun.

C-31 is a great site in many ways … but you know what the best part is?  We don’t have to go far to enjoy the sunset … just a few steps for a perfect color-filled view.

The dragonflies here are really big … check out the ones flying in the photo on the right.

What a way to bring the day — this one and thirteen others here — to a close.

Wrapping Up Mid-Bay Shores

Sunday, 19 May
Mid-Bay Shores, Maxwell-Gunter Rec Area — Niceville, Florida
Temps: Lo 69F / Hi 82F (20.5C / 28C)

Our time at Mid-Bay Shores is coming to an end.  Tomorrow, we take off for new stomping grounds.  But first, a wrap up of the past several days.

Thursday, 16 May …

We were up and out the door early to hike the nature trails at the Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park — one of the many Florida “gold medal” parks in this vicinity.  It is just 3.8 miles (6 km) from Mid-Bay Shores, so we initially planned to trike over there, but the heavy traffic on Route 20 was a deterrent.  Instead, we drove over, arriving a few minutes before they opened the gate at 8:00a. ($5 day-use fee.)

First on the agenda was a drive through the campground to check it out for a future stay.  Turns out we had to drive through part of it anyway to get to the trailhead.  Nice campsites in a heavily wooded area; private and large; several with glimpses of Rocky Bayou; $16/night for W/E.  Sorry, no photos.

Starting out with a short walk from where we parked the car to get to the trailhead, we had our choice of two loops — the Rocky Bayou Trail (6/10ths of a mile [~1 km]) and the Sandpine Trail (1 mile [1.6 km]).

a polite reminder to enjoy the woods without doing anything to harm them.

Stream restoration is in progress in this area just before the trailhead.
In part, The sign reads: “In the 1950’s this stream was dammed to create what is now called
Puddin’ Head Lake.  This artificial lake is being drained and the steephead stream is being restored.”
(Click the photo on the left for a legible version of the sign.)

I’m not sure I can say that we enjoyed ourselves.  Our displeasure had nothing to do with the lack of critters to be seen.  Rather, despite our early start, it was already hot and humid, and our walk turned into a sticky one that was far from pleasant.  Add to that the flies that kept pestering us when we stopped to read about the plants and trees from the trail guides we had picked up.  In the end, we pretty much quick-stepped our way, taking some comfort in the fact that we were at least getting some exercise.

In the restoration area, pitcher plants are making a comeback.
Located right along the edge of the bridge, the only stand of pitcher plants
we saw were hard to photograph, but I did my best to capture them anyway.

Anticipating a walk to Rocky Bayou, we first did the shorter trail, which winds through “three distinct natural communities: sand pine scrub, coastal flatwoods, and slope forest.”  The only others we came across on this trail were two birders searching high and low for the birds chirping deep in the woods; they were disappointed at the lack of sightings.

A short side trail through the coastal flatwoods leads to the estuary of Rocky Bayou.
So far, we have hiked from 10 feet (3M) above sea level to 1 Foot (30 cm) above sea level!
Wow … was that strenuous or what ;-)))

From the signage: “After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941,
Lt Col James Doolittle spent March 1942 at Eglin Field preparing his B-25 squadron
for the first retaliatory bombing of Japan. This historic 500 pound (227 kg) concrete
bomb from WWII is similar to those dropped by the B-25 bombers for training purposes.”

Sponge-like deer lichen (aka deer moss) is plentiful on the trail.
Lichens have no root system and absorb compounds from the atmosphere
for their nutrients.  Thus, their extensive presence is an indication of
good air quality.  They are also a good sand stabilizer and aid in the formation
of new soil.  The patches in the park have taken 75-100 years to develop.

Each lichen is a combination of a fungus and alga working symbiotically.  The alga
contains chlorophyll and can use the sun’s energy to make sugar, which becomes food
for the fungus.  The fungus absorbs water and nutrients from the soil and air for the alga.
[all deer lichen information from the trail guide]

Next we tackled the Sandpine Trail, which we had entirely to ourselves.  At one point, the trail splits off and one path runs by the stream, while the other one continues through the sandpine forest.  We attempted to walk the stream path, but it quickly became overgrown, so we returned to the main path to finish our walk.

Left: Bullrush gone to seed.
Right: teaberry

Can’t decide if this is a yellow-bellied slider or a Suwannee Cooter.
[park signage mentions the latter, but not the former.]

Hot and sticky after our walk, we welcomed the rush of cold air that came out of the car’s AC as we next made our way to Eglin AFB to fill the larder.  But first we went by Camp Robbins again.  I mentioned in a previous post that based on the description we had of cement pads that we didn’t think we had found the right place.  Turns out we had, and the pads in question were the small ones under the picnic tables.  It’s a rustic campground with FHU sites that didn’t look all that level to us; wi-fi coming this summer.  The real problem is that Eglin is a huge base, so this campground is quite a distance from everything.  We would probably stay here only a night or two just to do our grocery shopping and such on our way to a more conveniently located campground.

After completing our grocery shopping at the commissary, we made one more stop on base … this one at the FamCamp at Postal Point where Boggy Bayou meets Choctawhatchee Bay.  This campground is little more than haphazardly situated W/E sites in an open field; there is cable, but no wi-fi.  All the sites have expansive water-views, and the marina nearby makes it attractive for boaters and fishermen.  For us, it would make a good chill-out place.

(Sorry, no photos of either campground.)

Back home … quiet afternoon and evening to wrap up the day.

Friday, 17 May …

Hot and humid once again … good for a day at the beach.  After running some errands, we headed over to check out the Eglin Beach Park.  The FamCamp Manager had already alerted us that there was a special army event scheduled there, but we were hoping she had exaggerated the expected attendance of thousands of people.  She had not!  With the parking lot already filled to the gills, cars were parked for miles on either side of US 98.

So, we continued on to the Destin Army Rec Center to check it out for a future stay.

I’m going to have to admit that we were disappointed.  The sites were really closely spaced.  Probably not all that different from a lot of private campgrounds, but we’ve been staying in state parks and military campgrounds with some lovely sites, so this one came as a bit of a shock.  Add to that the fact that the campsites are located behind the cabins, and it didn’t take us long to decide we wouldn’t be taking advantage of the hospitality of this Rec Center.

I did manage a quick snapshot of the mural in the office before we left, so all wasn’t lost ;-)

And so we moved on to the fun part of our day and headed over to Henderson Beach State Park.  We had seen on the Destin beach cam that the gulf was choppy today, but we weren’t expecting the red flag flying at the park’s entrance.  Unwilling to shell out $6 to just sit on the beach, we drove on to one of the public beach access points.  The plan was to just take our chairs to sit and enjoy a late lunch on the beach.  But seeing the yellow flag flying on this segment of the beach, we parked at the Barracuda access path and took all of our paraphernalia with us instead.

Turns out that the public beach in this section is a narrow segment squeezed in between two private resort beaches, which had no-trespassing signs and warnings that the police would be called if someone should dare to occupy the chairs set up for their guests.  No problem; there was enough space in the public section for us to get a front row spot with a view of the rough surf.

What happened to the pond-calm water we enjoyed on Monday?

Not that the surf stopped us from going for frequent dips in the shallows.  In fact, the water was so warm that even I went for a full-dip.  No photos; Mui was in the water to give me an anchor to hang on to ;-)

No photos of us; but here’s one of the beach — beautiful despite the rough surf.

Quiet evening at home after our fun afternoon on the beach.

Saturday, 18 May …

Hot and humid ruled the day.  Disappointing because I was hoping for outside time to enjoy our site here at Mid-Bay Shores.

After chores during the first half of the day, we took off to check out one more campground located about 15 miles (24 km) from Mid-Bay Shores … one that came highly recommended by a lot of people.  Admittedly, we didn’t explore the trails or the beach at Topsail Hill Preserve, so we might have completely missed the attraction of staying here.  Those who have been … do tell what we missed!  We’re open to changing our minds.

All was not lost, however.  On the drive back home, I spotted a Bruster’s shop just a short distance before the turn-off for the Mid-Bay Connector.  Having read quite a bit about “the real ice cream” served there, we stopped to check it out.  Hmmm … hmmm … good.  Sorry no photos; it was too hot to dally with the camera.

Dinner consisted of grilled fresh grouper, which we picked up from a seafood market in Niceville yesterday.  Let me quickly disabuse anyone of the notion that Mui’s toasting a great stay at Mid-Bay Shores with a glass of milk.  Well, some do call it “lion’s milk,” but it’s more commonly known as rakı.  It is an unsweetened, anise-flavored alcoholic drink that is not dissimilar from the Greek ouzo.  I’ll take a  beer, thank you very much.

Back to today …

Dare I say that it was hot and humid … again?  Well, it was.

Today was pre-departure prep day, so we stayed home.  Since our next campground is water/electric only we took care of all the chores that require water.  Mui took advantage of the cooler morning hours to take down the screen shelter, and pack away the trikes and the tripod satellite dish.  After seeking shelter in the Phaeton during the hottest part of the day, we had a light dinner at our picnic table and went for a final walk on the beach.  Not an exciting day.

We’re not going far tomorrow … just a little over 100 miles (160 km), but the drive will take the Phaeton to a new state — the sixth one this year.  See you when we get there!

On the Water

Wednesday, 15 May
Mid-Bay Shores, Maxwell-Gunter Rec Area — Niceville, Florida
Temps: Lo 56F / Hi 81F (13C / 27C)

Mui had it in his mind to wash the coach today … it turned into a wash and wax job.

While Mui was working on the coach, I went for my morning walk on the beach.  I got a rather late start, so there weren’t many birds around.  But I did come across an American Coot not far from the boat channel at Lake Pippin.  I’ve seen coots before, but always from a distance, so I especially enjoyed the “see-the-red-of-its-eyes” close encounter.

It might swim like a duck, but The American coot is a closer relative of
sandhill cranes than of mallards.

I continued my walk around to White Point to check on the osprey family.  Mom and dad were home, but the chick was nowhere to be seen.  I didn’t wait around for junior to make an appearance as I had an assignment to take care of before the temp rose even higher.

Oakleaf Hydrangea

What did I need to do?  Rent a kayak from the campground office.  Taking advantage of Mui’s mid-morning break from coach-washing, we set out to enjoy the calm waters of Choctawhatchee Bay for a few hours.

The campground has a selection of tandem kayaks for rent for $5/hour.

Ready … set … kayak!

Not bad for a photo taken with back focus!
We really are offshore, but the water is not very deep.  How shallow is it?  See below.

Mui decides to go for a walk; and while at it, plays photographer.

Our kayak outing was lots of fun … even if we didn’t see a whole lot of birds or other critters.  Papa osprey flew over a couple of times, searching for sustenance for junior.  And there were some terns diving as well.  They looked a lot smaller than the ones I’ve seen in other places, so I was hoping they were least terns.  Sure enough, when one of them landed on the beach, I got my proof.

Least tern in breeding plumage
(as indicated by the black cap with a clean-cut white forehead chevron).

We returned home shortly after noon, had lunch, and Mui got started on the driver’s side wash and wax job on the Phaeton.  He kept at it all afternoon; by 6:00p, he was ready for happy hour.  Now that the coach is all slick and shiny, it should cut through any air resistance we encounter on the road like a hot knife through butter;-)