Over the past few days, we did our best to check off some final boat projects in the chilly temps. A local Coast Guard Auxiliary member came over and did our annual safety inspection. Barry bundled up and did some work on the flybridge. I finished my latest book while laying in the sun, albeit in the pilot house. Our last major task was replacing the filters in the watermaker and making a few adjustments to the plumbing. Barry spent an afternoon scrunched in the engine room while I was in charge of handing down the required tools. On Tuesday evening eight of us walked to dinner and later participated in trivia night. I was able to watch Virginia beat Florida State while we put in a Top-5 trivia performance.
Wednesday was our day to explore. We picked up the rental car and headed to the Jacksonville Arboretum and Gardens. A half-dozen trails snaked their way through 13 different ecosystems, including hammocks, forests, marshes, and seeps. The understory featured a colorful and diverse mix of bright green ferns and palms. The vivid reds of the Christmas lichen and Christmas berry popped in the muted light of the heavily overcast day. Saucer-sized fungi grew alongside moss on downed trees. We found the burn zone to be very interesting. The park managers conduct controlled burns to cut down the accumulation of detritus and encourage new growth.
The soothing flow of Jones Creek could be heard along with woodpeckers and other birds chirping. The trail traveled along the banks and crossed over the water. The Robert E. Lee Natural Bridge was available for the more adventurous. We stuck to crossing on the boardwalk. The forested areas included bald cypress at the water's edge and more subspecies of oaks than I ever knew existed. The Live Oak Trail led us back to the parking lot and among several giant 100 year old namesake specimens. We wished we could have stayed a bit longer, but left to grab some lunch before our next stop.
Catty Shack Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary provides a forever home to endangered big cats. The animals either come from zoos that can no longer care for them or from private collections. The lions and tigers are all behind double fencing so getting good photos is difficult, but the experience was amazing. Volunteers provide daily tours and help to maintain the grounds. We left just as the rain began to fall and headed to our final stop of the day.
In ideal weather, we would have loved to have walked the four-mile Dune Ridge Trail in Little Talbot State Park. With weather conditions quickly deteriorating, we just did a short walk along the Atlantic Ocean. The beach was hard-packed with many scallop shells buried in the sand. We seemed to be the only fools braving the 60 degree (and falling), 30 knot, rainy day -- we had the beach to ourselves, save one gentleman surf fishing. Erosion is a big issue here. Two boardwalks had been damaged and were closed to visitors. These two driftwood trees remained rooted against the encroaching surf. We headed back to the marina as both a heavy rain and darkness fell. Before returning the rental car on Thursday, we made what we figure to be our last big provisioning run. Time to stock up on heavy items and brands that we're picky about.
Back onboard, we FaceTimed Terri and Jeff from Change of Pace. Not much of a cinematic experience, we settled onto our respective settees and agreed it would be good enough to see half of each person. They are in Stuart, FL, where it is warm. We compared notes on cruising the Exumas and look forward to seeing them again soon in the clear blue Bahamian waters. Today was spent knocking out little things -- removing our window screens, packing the commissary, cleaning out the fridge, filling up water tanks, re-stowing all things moveable, and attending my final yoga class. The yoga has been a great plus and made my stay here so much more enjoyable. In the end though, we have had too many cold and gray days and its time to get moving ... once more.
We plan to leave tomorrow (Saturday) morning around 7:30 and work our way down the Intracoastal Waterway to St. Augustine. Right now the weather is not conducive to an off-shore run, so we'll just knock out as many miles as we can.
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