INTJohn's VERY Belated Winter '20-'21 Truck Livin

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INTJohn

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This thread is to catch up on some things and I'm writing from my notes, pix & memory.

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Kamp Koon the day I left Michigan for the winter, 20 October, 2020 headed for Virginia Beach and I arrived there on the 21st after spending the night just inside Pennsylvania. Like the previous year when I arrived it at Va Bch, it was rainy & windy but unlike '19 it wasn't cold, not warm mind you but at least not cold. Spent a couple days there tho wanted to stay longer but the weather just wasn't giving it to me so headed toward my daughters to visit abit in North Carolina.

Had to spend some time in the Outer Banks as well as the Wright Brother's National Park place, too; hung out enjoyed the beach scene a couple days and continued toward daughter's. Arrived there and spent 5 days tho I didn't really see much of her.

From June '20 to June '21, my daughter was the physician in charge of the Covid Unit at the Medical Research Center where she worx and when I arrived she was pulling a 36 hour shift - yep, 3 12 hour shifts with a 2 hour break in between and she was sleeping; basically living at the hospital. 2 of her Residents had contracted Covid themselves so she was extremely shorthanded and the Unit itself was overwhelmed with patients. So didn't see much of her.

Left her place and headed toward Fernandina Beach NE of Jacksonville, Fla. Spent several days in that area and then headed the 60ish miles south to St. Augustine Beach where hung out for a few more days and then went further south on to Palm Coast. Spent time here waiting for Hurricane Eta to figure out which direction it would travel so I could gtf on with the rest of my life. I was trying to get my butt down to The Keys but Eta was currently in the process of inundating said Keys. Eta then moved North into the Gulf where it sat stationary like forever - not moving lingering in the Gulf like a bad fart on a calm day........ in the meantime I moved back north to the Jacksonville area waiting for Eta to make a definitive move.
Break time! Lots more to come;
INTJohn
 
Bounced back n forth between St. Augustine Beach & Fernandina Beach trying to outguess Hurricane Eta, spent a couple days at Anastasia State Park walking the miles of scenic beach, went to Palm Coast spending a day at Washington Gardens State park - beautiful woods & gardens west of Hi Way A1A as well as "The Rocks" on the Atlantic Ocean. That evening slept in the Palm Coast Cracker Barrel lot; awoke the next morning and blew by Daytona (not my world) heading south and ended up at Canaveral National Seashore / Titusville area. Spent 3 days here and it was simply Awesome! on a variety of levels and this place is worthy of its own post of which I'll devote at least a couple.

Sometime around Nov 14th I left the Titusville area spending a day at Spessard Holland Beach Park just south of Melbourne Beach. Awaking the next AM drove an hour south to Sebastian Inlet St Park area for two days; then moved farther south to the Vero Beach / Fort Pierce area........

Whew! next up is pitcher time as I'll post a bunch of pix.
Who lives better than I do!? Yeah! I Do!
INTJohn
 
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Above; even waking up in a Cracker Barrel parking lot can be a scenic experience.
Below, the road into Fort Clinch State Park extreme Northeast Florida
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Atlantic Ocean parking at Fernandina Beach.........
INTJohn
 
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Above a sea turtle skeleton I discovered while exploring the beach front dunes at Fort Clinch. Skull is upper center of pik Unlike last year I did not touch haha as I found out last year that messing with Sea turtle bones/ skeletons is a big no-no. Below is a random pic I took of the beach wrack line & waves.
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Above: The pier at St. Augustine Beach
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In the front row at St. Augustine Beach. How awesome is that?, he asks. Fuking Awesome! Thats how awesome! Absolutely loved spending a few days at this beach. Lots of young people, surfing, beach volleyball, etc and sooo many interesting intelligent conversations with them.
 
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Doe & yearling inadvertently share their lives with me.

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Above: Anastasia Beach
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Varn Beach near Palm Coast
More to come…….
INTJohn
 
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Above my view for a day at the ocean
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Above & below: how bout those 2 rainbow bookends?
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View atop the truck while at Vero Beach.
Lots more……..INTJohn
 
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Above : wilderness view at Washington Gardens. While here I also topped off all of my water jugs & 20 gallon tank.
Below: Canaveral Seashore National Park
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One of several trails most of which lead you to a small boat/kayak launch.
Below: Sign says it all. If Skinny SunBathing is your thing well go to Beach Lot 13.
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Above: While at one of the remote parking vistas, Ali Gator visited me.
Below: Same vista.......Now thats a Rainbow!
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More on Canaveral Seashore to follow........
INTJonny boi luzsha
 
Canaveral Seashore National Park, Part 2:
Seashells!!
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Above: The seashell booty I found that I kept. Found lots more but gave it all away. Quarters for size perspective.
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Above: isn’t that a kikass Scotch Bonnet?

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Above a gorgeous orange colored Keiner’s Knobbed Whelk. Only the 2nd 1 I’ve ever found.
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Above: check out this beautiful Giant Atlantic Murex. I’ve found broken ones before but this is my first just perfect one and then 3 hours and about 2 miles down the beach later I found a second! What finds! Al in all had an absolute career shelling day at the Seashore!
Jonny Boi luzsha baybee
 
Canaveral Seashore National Park - Part 3: Rocket Man
It just happened that one of the days I spent here coincided with an Elon Musk related space launch at the Kennedy Space Center. I was completely unaware of the "big event" until I noticed the rocket sitting on a launch pad several miles distant from where I was parked. After googling I found out all about it.

The southern end of the park affords an almost front row seat to any Space Center launch and thruout the afternoon the place began to be overrun by every "geex r us" Space Cadet Star Trekk wannabe in Murahka complete with huge cameras having a 2 foot length with 6' objective lenses..........

Around 3 pm while I'm in the middle of my afternoon ole man siesta I'm awakened by a visit from a park ranger who is driving around reminding everyone they need to be out of the park by 6 pm ( launch time was around 5:15). I assume you're here for the launch , he says. " No, i respond. Came to enjoy the ocean seashore, quiet & solitude. Was unaware of the launch actually but I can assure you, I'll be gone by 4:30 if not before." Well thanx, he says and departed for where the big crowd had gathered.......... I departed by 4 and found a quiet place in the big city park by the bridge in Titusville.
AHhhhh Peace............INTJohn
 
Around the 21 Nov. I left the Vero Beach / Fort Pierce area decided to drive WNW across Florida to Honeymoon Island area on the Gulf of Mexico north of Clearwater; the Dunedin/ Palm Harbor area. IMG_0908.JPG
Above: view of the Gulf of Mexico while at Honeymoon Island State Park

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Found the above pictured cone type shells and that nice shark's eye shell & gave a bunch of shells away.

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And enjoyed an absolutely spectacular sunset. Thats Caladesi Island to the left and Honeymoon Island on the right sandwiching that post card sunset. Isn't it great to be alive!
INTJohn
 
Was at Honeymoon Island area for only a couple days and decided to head north into the Florida panhandle (Nov 23) as the weather there was forecast to be very nice - sunny & mid 70's for the next 5 days or so. Yeah, I thought better move to the panhandle while i can enjoy it cause once that main winter front moves thru forget North Florida till March.......... So away I went headed toward St. George's Island, near Eastpoint just West of Florida's Big Bend (yeah Texas ain't the only place has a Big Bend). This part of Fla is known as Florida's Forgotten Coast as its not inundated with cities or tourists. Very scenic and quiet, laid back and I love St. George's Island State Park. One of my fav places in all of Fla.

While the weather was nice, my week in the panhandle was disappointing to some extent as several of the beaches i was looking forward to hangin at were closed due to damage from one hurricane or another. Big Lagoon, Opal Beach at The Gulf islands National Seashore for example and every other beach park I went to, tho open were in some stage of current repair; again due to the 2020 hurricane season's damage. Will post some pix tho of my short week in The Panhandle.
INTJohn
 
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Above: St George’s Island; A ten foot long steel bouy that was torn loose and beached by Hurricane Sally and below is a 15” reef ray - zoom in center pik. See it?
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Above: My beautiful Gulf of Mexico beach spot off hi way A30.
Below: everyone like a sunrise and a sunset but how bout a gorgeous evening Full Moon rise? Yeah, that’s awesome!
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More on the way.
Jonny boi luzsha baybee
 
29 Nov I returned to Honeymoon Island as the weather turned cold & rainy in the panhandle so that location is prolly done till March. Spent several days, once again, here at Honeymoon North of Clearwater and then spent several days at Lover's Key State Park South of Fort Meyers Beach. Lovers Key is one of my fav beaches anywhere and I always find soooo many great shells, too. Also, spend a day at Delnor-Wiggins St Park west of Bonita Springs and then a day at Collier-Seminole St. Park.

I then headed East on scenic hiway 41 thru Big Cypress Swamp & The Everglades. Spent a night at the Florida City Cracker Barrel waking in the morning to finally make the drive into the beautiful Florida Keys. I arrived at Key Largo first week of December and began bouncing around the Florida Keys.

Beautiful Weather, Beautiful Water, Beautiful Island Shorelines............Why Leave??????
Beach Bum Jonny Boi Luzsha baybee alway have alway will :cool:
 
BE1CBD55-D41B-4310-9982-666D8F13B7D8.jpegAbove: a live banded tulip that I found at Lovers Key. Below are a nice Cone & Horse Conch found there as well.
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Above & below are a beautiful Lace Murex found at Lovers Key as well. This is one of the best Lace Murexs I’ve ever found.
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More to come……..
INTJohn
 
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Above are some of the 12 Horse Conch shells I collected and these I found at Lover’s Key as well. The Horse Conch is the Florida State Shell so it’s alway fun to find one. Horse Conchs are the 2nd largest gastropod mollusk in the world growing to as much as 2 feet long. The largest one in this pik is a mere 5”.
Not yet done for ‘20-‘21……..
INTJohn
 
Ok; I've checked the dates on my pix and have determined that I arrived at Key Largo on Dec 8 and I left the Keys on Dec 27 so I spent about 3 weex bouncing around the Keys which also agrees with my memory as I recall I had spent about 3 weed there b 4 I left prior to New Years Eve. The Keys can get kra kra enuff in places without actually giving peeps there a reason to party like New Years eve...... so Jonny boi left.

Upon arrival to Key Largo I always make a pit stop at John Pennekamp St. Park and top off everything that will hold water. I then begin my chill pill stay in the Keys. Most of my time is spent between Islamorada & Big Pine Keys and I NEVER go to Key West - been there , done that. Key West is just a big tourist trap but if you've never been there then its definitely one of those places that should be on everyones bucket list, ya know?; like Mardi Gras, Yellowstone, etc. Just saying...
Also, there is no beach on Key West at all - in fact there really is no beach perse' anywhere in The Keys. Its all made out of limestone rock; there is no nice soft sandy tropical beaches, really anywhere in the Keys. Exceptions are Sombrero Beach at Marathon and Bahia Honda.

Most of my time is spent either at Long Key St Park, Curry-Hammock St Park or Bahia Honda. There's a few other spots I frequent, blah, blah and my night time parkin sleep spots? Haha I don't share that with anyone.
Nice try but you aint very sly.........
Jonny boi chillin
 
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