When we left Palatka, we didn't go very far. Moved up river (south) round 10 miles to Welaka, where there is another free dock. The only issue is the T dock on the outside is where we fit, the slips are short for pontoons or smaller boats. The outside T dock was guarded by a series of "dolphins" which are basically a tripod of pilings cabled together at the top to protect the docks. We were able to tie up ok but the jump to the dock from the boat was pushing 2 feet. You don't want to trip. Stayed there 2 nights so I could work yesterday, with a fair, not great verizon signal for internet. Got a couple of good long hikes in yesterday and this morning, and a little P90X action. The first night there, I met Albin, a nice guy who thought it was cool we were living on the boat, but said he could never do it, he is scared of water. He was offered a job on one of the big cruising casino boats but had to turn it down. They go out the inlet and off shore 4-6 miles to comply with federal gambling laws and he lost sight of land, he said he lost it. Neat guy though. Another fellow and his family were piching throw nets off the dock for whatever they could catch and got  nice pie plate crappie. That confirms we are in fresh water. Today we motored closer to Sanford, our destination and crossed Lake George, a ten mile stretch of a round bowl of a lake, all of 10 feet deep. The channel was well marked and no issues. Then made camp about 4 miles up river from the inlet in a channel off the main river. These folks really got hammered in the hurricane. Talked to a lady this morning, she was 76 and doing her own yard work, still cleaning up. She said the hurricane put all the trees in one direction but the tornado that came with it twisted them every which way, which explained some of the jumbled mess f trees that weere down. then came the flood afterward. In our walk this morning we saw piles of ruined home furnishings and carpet labeled for FEMA pick up and chippers weere going all day. Reminded me of last July and the blow down. Tomorrow will proceed another 40 miles up river to Sanford where we will begin to shut things down for a flight to Denver.

Free dock in Welaka with our dock buddy

Watched this guy eat minnows from his perch, he'd just lean over and pluck them out of the river.

Neat old car we saw on a morning walk.

Along with oranges on the tree

The boat at the free dock

A flock of several different species of gulls and terns followed us across Lake George. They didn't like pepperoni I threw at them

The flooding continues. Many homes are just barely out of the river

Passed a gingerbread house

We have just finished a wonderful weekend. Eric and Shawn drove up from St. Petersburg and met us yesterday late morning. At forst the wind was blowing out of the northeast so hard it would have been a challenge to get off the dock, but then it laid down a bit and after they got their gear on board and Eric's new kayak, we were able to take off. Went about an hour up river to a tributary that looked interesting and dropped the anchor for the evening. A beautiful spot out of the wind. I got a paddle in with Eric's new kayak then a happy hour with some of the beer Eric and Shawn brought. Then the fun started. Earlier in the day, Cindy and I had planned dinner, biked to the store, got some things we needed, then stopped at the local seafood place and got a half bushel of crabs and some shrimp. We had never cooked crabs before, but with internet sources and some local help, we took a stab at it.
 

Getting a paddle in

They were still wriggling when we put them in the pot

We cooked them all and ate almost all of them, but the cabin still smells a little crabby. After the crabfest, watched the Wild beat Philidelphia 1-0, they are looking better the last couple of games.

Cooked crabs in a bin

Eating good

Eric and Shawn in the dinghy after taking the dogs to shore

 

This morning the day started flat, and I got another great paddle in , then we went for a putt up the river making a loop, looking for critters. We were rewarded with a look at a bunch of turtles, then a 12 foot allegator on a log. What a prehistoric creature.

A look at old inland Florida

Later in the day we took the kids back to the dock and dropped them off after a really great visit. They were our first visitors on the boat. I think they had a good time.

Our first overnight visitors

  

Sidney photobombing in the access door

After dropping them off we got underway again for a couple of hours to get a little further up the river. We were blocked by this railroad bridge for 20 minutes or so, until the Amtrak train passed.

The bridgemaster opened for us aftr the train passed

Made camp at this really remote spot back between 3-4 islands, nobody around.

Got up yesterday morning and I got a good bike ride in while Cindy went for a run. There isn't much for hills, but it is all farm country away from the river. Cows and plowed fields. Yesterday we moved up the river another 25 miles or so, cloudy cool and blustery, but no issues. There is a free dock at Palatka, I call the number on Active Captain, and the lady on the phone was great. We can stay at the free dock for 48 hours. Eric and Shawn are coming later this morning and can meet us here, then we will go out and anchor at a spot 2-3 miles away just to get away. Cindy and I hiked through Palatka yesterday afternoon, found a couple of thrift stores but no real treasures. Palatka is in north central Florida but you would never realize you are in Florida. It does have seafood, though and will pick up a half bushel of crabs for dinner tonight I think. I watched a guy throwing a cast net from the dock we are parked at last night. He was looking for shrimp, but didn't catch any, but he did catch a slab crappie in his net that he threw in his bucket. I am not sure what the rules are. He said when the shrimp are running, he'll fill a 5 gllon pail in an hour. That would be a lot of shrimp.

Palatka, Florida

Tied up but alone at the free dock, no other boats here.

Sun up this morning

Tomorrow is Veteran's Day. Thanks guys for all your sacrifice. Yesterday morning we left Doctor's Lake and initially the plan was to back track a mile or so to a boat landing on the other side of the river and hike up to a seafood market, but when we arrived at the landing, it was pretty much destroyed by Irma. A crew was working on it, but there was no place to land the dinghy, so we'll find seafood somewhere else. Going up river another 18 miles brought us past Green Cove Springs, and under a bridge to Palmo Cove where we anchored early afternoon. It was a flat day, with clouds, but temp about 80, lots nicer than the -9 at home this morning. Took a trip up Trout Creek looking for alligators, but found only a turtle. We did find lilypads though, indicating we are indeed in fresh water, not salt. This morning, will go ashore at a boat ramp across the cove for a bike ride and a run, then heading for Palatka, Florida, 25 miles up river where we will meet Eric this weekend for a couple of days.

Pretty flat water all day

Cindy at the helm most of the afternoon

The good guys doing drills

Last night's sunset

Cumbersound was good to us again, with a nice night. We left early Monday morning for a run on the outside to Jacksonville. Between Cmberland Sound and Jacksonville, on the ICW, there is a ton of shallow water and it is just easier to go around it than deal with the pucker factor. It was a 5 mile fight against an incoming tide to get out the St. Mary's River inlet, but once outside, conditions were pretty pleasant and we made good time.

Stern view en route

The St. John's River inlet was our destination and the tide there was a bit nicer. We ascended the river with the tide and turned into Sister's Creek where there is a free dock and water. I wanted to camp there for work on Tuesday, so while I was tied up on the computer, Cindy could get off the boat, go for a run and get some chores done. There really isn't much there. It is a landing for fishing boats but reeally no stores or shopping. I got a good bike ride in. Those little folding bikes work well. We met some nice people on other boats that came in to the free dock and we stayed 2 nights with me working on Tuesday. Yesterday we departed early and began our trip up the St. Johns's River. The goal is to get to Sanford, Florida a week or so from now to leave the boat for the holidays. Going through Jacksonville was pretty interesting. A barge being towed by a big tug, followed us and then passed us. It was loaded with containers and railroad cars. He passed us as a similar rig was coming downstream. Needless to say, we gave them the right of way and got way out of the channel. We draw a little over 4 feet, and they draw 30 feet, so if we got to an area with 8-10 feet, I new we would be safe.

Here is the tug towing the barge

The tug passed us but then we caught him as he docked the barge

Another big container ship

We then went through downtown Jacksonville with an nice skyline and up the less cosmopolitan St. John's a couple of hours to a big bay, Doctor's Lake where we made camp around noon. We anchored near a public boat ramp. This whole "lake" is only 5-10 feet deep, but flat bottom mud. There were fish jumping everywhere, coming out of the water 3-4 feet, none of them very big. Cindy thinks they are mullet, a bait fish. Took the dinghy down and took the bikess to the boat landing for a ride to the store. We are low on groceries, beer and tequila and there is a Walmart, Target, Publix and a liquor store within a couple of miles. Filled the Duluth pack again, came back to the boat and watched the Wild lose again.

Coming up the St. John's we passed the Jacksonville Air Force Base and watched this guy do touch and goes right over us.

Doctor's Lake this morning, dead flat with little mullet jumping everywhere

Thursday we toured the historic Fort King George in Darien. Our predecessors were pretty tough people. The colonists had to keep resupplying the fort with new recruits because of the turnover, they kept dying from disease, fights with the natives, fights with the Spanish, the 1700's at this fort was pretty tough sledding. This area was a source of timber and lumber. they had 2 types of sawmill. The first was a "pit mill" where two guys cut the lumber from the log vertically, one guy on top and the other guy underneath in the pit, hence the name pitmill. As things progressed, they developed a mill driven by the tidal flow, trapping the water with the tidal inflow, then a controlled release, which turned a wheel that drove a cam for turning the sawblade.

This image is the remains of part of the sawmill. 

This portion of the fort was for defending. Note the multiple holes used for shooting out of.

Looks like they played checkers but not chess

Togetherness at the old fort

We left Darien Friday morning in a bit of fog, retraced our path down the Darien River and negotiated a shallow stretch in the Little Mud River on a rising tide and no issues. the plan was to proceed to Brunswick Landing Marina and stay there Friday and Saturday, fuel up and pump out the septic. We have stayed here a couple of times in the past and the people are great. The facilities are great. Our fuel tanks are now full so we are probably good for the winter. I got a good bike ride in on Saturday morning, Cindy got a run in and the laundry as well. We spent Friday afternoon getting the portside rails back on and Saturday afternoon washing down the boat which it really needed, but couldn't do while varnishing the past week. Went to the farmers market for produce and biked to the Winn Dixie for more groceries. Biking with a #3 Duluth pack full of food and beer is a bit of a challenge. We left Brunswick this morning and moved about 35 miles to Cumberland Sound, right on the Florida- Georgia line, and tomorrow will likely go on the outside to Jacksonville. It's only another 30 miles or so. Interesting tides the past couple of days with "celestial swings" due to the full moon, so high tide is higher and the low tide is lower.

"Burntside" in her slip at dusk in Brunswick

The next stop down the ICW brought us to a new spot, Big Tom Creek. We left Herb Creek after lunch to time the tide at Hell Gate, a pln that worked out well, then made camp a little later in the afternoon than usual. There were a couple of other boats in this creek, but a ton of room, and deep water. Pulled out early the next morning and traveled 4 hours or so to another favorite anchorage at Blackbeards Creek on the southwest side of Sapelo Sound. It is a narrow protected and isolated spot just inside the inlet and has a great beach as part of the adjacent wildlife area. Cindy got another coat of varnish on with one more to go. Took the dinghy down and took a ride to the beach for a hike. The tide was incoming and the rise was so fast, we could watch the inflow on the beach sand. The tides here are 8 feet or so.

By the time we finished the hike,water was lapping at the back of the dinghy

While at Blackbeards Creek, I did some additional maintenance. The day before, the engine seemed to be running 5 degrees warmer than usual. I checked the raw water inlet and the impeller for wear, didn't find any issues, put a little glycerin on the impeller and yesterday had no issues, engine temp looked normal all morning. We didn't travel more than 3-4 hours yesterday and took a side trip off the ICW 8 miles up the Darien River to Darien, Georgia. There is a "free dock" there. We pulled in before noon and tied up in a pretty big current from the tide. I think we will stay here a couple of days. There is free power hook up and water. Took the bikes out for a ride yesterday afternoon and bought a few groceries, went to a real old fashioned hardware store where I found an O ring for a few cents to fix the leaking shower head on the swim platform. Works like new now. The people in this town are great. The man at the store where we checked in for dockage offered to take us to the grocery store, but with the bikes it wasn't needed. He also informed me of the rules: no swimming because of the swift current and swifter allegators! Went to an antique store, (more like a house) and we couldn't get away from the woman that ran it. Last night ate out at Skipper's Fish Camp, great seafood, shrimp, oysters, scallops, Mahi all fresh, but pretty bad slaw and cheese grits. Ate the seafood and left the rest. Today will tour the circa 1700's old Fort King George and maybe try to catch a fish.

A flat morning motoring up Sapelo Sound at sunup

The free dock in Darien

Really old waterfront building where we are tied up.  Constructed with "tabby", a cement made from shells