Our Very First Time.....cyndeee and nows limmer's t

“well it was just the two of us on this trip and we had lots of fun. we camped at crooked river state park sunday night(i had a 5 hour drive from st pete). on monday morning headed out on the 9am ferry to cumberland. after orientation we loaded the gear into a cart, i pulled it to camp and nowslimmer followed along. stayed at site #1 so i could be close to the bathroom. i went back to sea camp dock and rented a bike, i got a deal , the guy gave it to me for 40.00 for monday thru friday.
i headed to dungeness for a tour through the ruins.

tuesday they had volunteer training and i was able to sit in on that. we learned about shells, plant life and wildlife. it was interesting to see that side of the park system and how they develop their progams. i rode my bike down to the beach to do some shelling. the beach is very different from the gulf coast and also alot of different shells.

we had met ken from jacksonville and he invited us over for baked apples after dinner. they were very good , thanks ken.

wednesday after breakfast we packed a lunch and rode the bikes down to dungeness to explore, look for horses and check out the salt marsh boardwalk. did more shelling in the afternoon. we never made it to the north because the wilderness section was closed for hunting. i guess i'll do that next time.

i have a aunt that is very ill with leukemia and i decided to leave a day early because i was going to have to sit with my dad on saturday while my mom went to visit with her. it started raining wednesday evening and rained all night long. glad i took my rain suit. so we packed up and headed out on the 10am ferry.

i can't believe that i had never taken the time to visit cumberland island before. i am certainly going to return before it gets hot. i enjoyed the wildlife especially the horses, the company and the beauty of this national park.

btw, never put denatured alcohol in the same color bottle as your water!

last edited: 1/29/07 8:15:27 AM”

“i think the picture will link to webshots...”

“I've been to the north part twice, but never where you guys were.
That's on my list.”

“Sounds like a good trip! Do you watch for sea glass too Cyndee? I've been collecting it since I was a kid (great lakes glass up here). Last summer I scored a sweet amber piece with a man's hand holding a sword. I wonder who tossed the bottle in the water with every piece I pick up.”

“So you have cut your Cumby teeth - welcome to The Sea side.

Go now, tell the others.”

“cyndee...thanks for the TR. It sounds like you had fun. I enjoyed reading and looking at the pics.”

“Y'all bump this thread back up in 2-3 hours. ;-)
I can't view WebShots from work.”

“\
http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/1538826458065575879wholPK

no sea glass this trip. i did ask about it though. the ranger said they don't very much of it. this piece i found locally. my most treasured piece of sea glass came from the buffalo national river. it's a real nice aqua color and it was laying right on the bank.
last edited: 1/29/07 3:33:49 PM”

“cyndeee - Thanks for doing the trip report and posting all those pictures. You did a great job. It was a pleasure joining you on this trip.

Somehow I have a feeling that on the next trip you'll somehow manage to camp close to those hot showers that we now know about.”

“HOT showers?????”

“hey nowslimmer weren't you going to post a trip report? must i do everything!

yeah, we heard from ken the pi that stafford had hot showers. they had to put them in for college students(mainly the females, according to ken) doing research on the island. i guess the didn't like going 2 weeks without a shower or a cold shower. i may try to get up there this month, depends on how my aunt is doing.”

““With a disabled placard or license plate you can receive a lifetime "Golden Access" pass to any National Park for free. Got mine last month. I will admit that when I can eventually walk without aid again and not need my HP placard I will pay for a pass, but until then... :-)”
Hikin Mike”

“Cyndeee”

“Stafford has had hot showers for a looong time - Stafford Estate, that is. Now Stafford Beach Campground?

Nah. You must be referring to Plum Orchard. That's where the not-so-hired help usually stay. The NPS and state DNR have a co-op setup near the grounds. Wharf, amphibious landing facility, running water, electricity - the whole nine...

But Stafford?”

“Cyndee is telling you correctly. However, we did not have an opportunity to check it out!

Also, there is hot water at the washbowls in the public bathrooms at Sea Camp Ranger Station(the main entrance building).”

“Wow, I can't believe they got hot water to Stafford - that's alot of work to accomplish, kinda.

Yeah, I know about the VC waterheater. The electric hand dryers, too (VC and bathhouse). Feel good on a wet, chilly head'o hair, they do! Plus, the hand dryer can get the bathroom warmed-up with a quickness (but not the oh-so-airish bathhouse).


Whoa! This is probably another encroachment toward the modernization of the north end (though Stafford is hardly north). I understand there's a VC in the works up near the Settlement. That would double (if not more) the length of the ferry trip. I wonder if they plan on a new approach, say from Jekyll or Crooked River? Those bastages!

There goes the north end... :(

I'm going to defendersofwildcumberland.org and getting to the bottom of this right now!”

“From the NPS website:

Stafford Campground

Stafford camp sites are $2.00 per person per night. (Fees are scheduled to increase to $4.00 per person per night beginning January 1, 2007.). Stafford campground is 3.5 miles from the ferry dock. Rest rooms and showers are available at the site.”

“Wow. There must be a sort of Seacampesque facility there now...


Many more changes yet to come, I'd imagine...”

“hey gojo, what is VC?

nowslimmer guess what i'm making tonight... baked apples with walnuts...
last edited: 2/05/07 6:17:46 PM”

“Visitors Center”

“Cyndeee and I enjoyed a wonderful trip to Cumberland Island National Seashore. We discovered that it "is one of more than 380 parks in the National Park Service." There is a limitation of 7 consecutive nights on the Island. It can be difficult to enjoy everything the Island has to offer in this short period, so most people are likely to return. The Island can be reached by a ferryboat from St. Marys, GA. St. Marys can be found by taking the first exit from I-95 as one drives into Georgia from Florida.

A few miles north of St. Marys is Crooked River State Park. I met Cyndeee there at dusk, a little later than she expected. The Park was beautiful and has water access for boats, perhaps a beach, and at least one trail. I did not find time to explore the Park. It may be worth a separate trip. After I pitched my tent, Cyndeee and I drove into town and located all the important places. We went into a restaurant across from the FerryBoat Dock. It was an enjoyable place. I enjoy some good soup, while Cyndeee had some ice cream. We conversed for a while and then returned to the campsite. Cyndeee had previously collected some scraps and wood, so we enjoyed a small campfire for a while.

She awoke me early, we ate a little, broke camp and raced into town. We headed for the building. Cyndeee outdistance me and was all registered for the trip, while I was searching for an elevator and finally made to the second floor where she was waiting. She told me that my Golden Age Card would save me some money, but was surprised at how much. She had paid $20, $4 for admission and $4 per night for four nights. My bill was $8, free admission and $2 per night. For the ferryboat, she had already paid. It was $12 round trip for each of us.

We unloaded our packs near the curb and parked the cars down the street in a special lot. I used my new Martial Arts Staff as a hiking stick for the walk back to the Dock. A nice gentleman and Cyndeee helped me load my gear on the boat and we were off for the 45-minute cruise to the Island. I managed to get my pack on my back and slowly walked the few steps to the Visitor Center. There we enjoyed an interesting talk and received some of their literature. They had a lot of items on display that we might encounter on the Island, mostly on the beach. I remembered the Ghost Crab. On another day I was able to supple its’ name as the answer to a question in a game that we played with some volunteers, who were engaged in on-site training.

From the Visitor Center we used a two-wheeled cart to transport our gear to the campsite. Actually, a female Ranger carried my pack to the cart and Cyndeee lugged the cart to the campsite. After setting up camp and having some lunch, Cyndeee returned to the Visitor Center to rent a bicycle. She continued and rode down to Dungeness for a little sightseeing. When she returned I was at the Visitor Center, where I rented a bicycle. Mine seemed more difficult to ride. It was mostly due to my excessive weight. Every time there was an opportunity, the rear wheel would sink down an inch or two into the sand and the bike would come to a quick halt. Cyndeee could not only hike circles around me, she could bike in circles around me. We returned to the campsite, but Cyndeee was off again, over to the nearby beach. After a while I followed, but did not venture far on the beach. The two sets of sand dunes were absolutely intriguing. The man we had met at the St. Mary Dock, Ken, came over to our campsite with a bag of purchased firewood for us. He had been checking campsites and found two such bags and decided to share one with us. We ate and then enjoyed a campfire before we retired to our tents. Cyndeee had collected a lot of firewood, too.

The campsites were somewhat private, shielded from each other with an abundance of Saw Palmetto, most of it eight feet or less in height. Mixed with it was probably some Cabbage Palm. Overhead, Live Oak branches seemed to spread everywhere. With all the Spanish Moss clinking to the branches, it was a beautiful woods. An armadillo skirted along the edge of our campsite. Also, during our adventure there we saw deer, turkeys, squirrels and other small mammals and many types of birds. We may have seen some raccoons, too.

The next day Cyndeee hooked up with a group of volunteers, who were engaged in on-site training. She had a great time with them and in the afternoon we both joined to listen to a talk (more training) and to play a TV-like game. We would pick things like shell creatures for 300. The instructor would read the corresponding question and we would try to provide the answer. Everyone was enthusiastic and we all enjoyed it.

During one of our days Cyndeee and I rode down to the Icehouse Museum and then to the Dungeness Ruins. From there she headed for the beach, while I headed for the River. Eventually, we hooked up again and headed back to the campsite. My legs kept getting stronger, but I could not keep up with her. Twice Cyndeee collected a lot of interesting things on the beach. I brought back a couple of shark teeth, but Cyndeee claimed they were simply pieces of tile. A lot she knows!

Ken and I met and had a good talk one-day. From the Jacksonville, Florida, area, he is outstanding at jujitsu. Having a subject dear to both of us gave us plenty about which we could talk. He, joined with others, has a plan before the government to train all the airline flight attendants in close-quarters combat. It was rejected previously in favor of arming the pilots, but the government is now interested again. He said all the training would be completed in one year. He, also, indicated that it would make him rich. Last night at class I forgot to ask my instructor if he could guide us into techniques for this sort of defense. I would like to know more before my next airplane trip.

On our third evening Ken invited us over to his site. He had a good fire going and he cooked some apples for us. They tasted great. It was real nice. It rained most of the night and the weather was scheduled to have mostly rain and to turn much colder. So we packed up and departed a day early. Again, Cyndeee moved all my gear again in the cart and both she and Ken helped me on the boat. There is a submarine base on the mainland and we did see an apparent nuclear submarine heading out into the ocean. Back on shore everyone headed for their cars, stuffed their gear inside and headed out. I missed a turn heading out and had to regress after hitting a construction detour. It was a great trip and I hope to go there again.”

“An interesting article appeared this morning starting on the first page of the Wall Street Journel. It was about the Air Marshall Program and its' problems. It mentions the authorization of arming the pilots. Perhaps the problems with the Air Marshall Program is the reason they are reconsidering Ken's proposal to train all the flight attendants.
last edited: 2/09/07 8:54:42 AM”

“nice TR Paul, sounds like a good time. I'm going to miss having Cumby in my backyard.

All the subs at Kings Bay are boomers (nuclear)
Those suckers are huge.”

“Thanks for the trip report Nowslimmer. Someday I'll have to get down there to see that place. It looks and sounds very special.”

“Good report, Paul. Sounds like you had a good time. I apologize for not having anything to rag you about. Please be assured that this is only temporary.”

“http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2772916630065575879YEaBTs
http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2671463070065575879OAloAO
here are two pictures of the sub we saw
last edited: 2/09/07 7:49:28 PM”

“The two sets of sand dunes were absolutely intriguing. "
~NS

Word! I've always thought the very same thing. The flat, often flooded space between the front dunes and the back dunes is called the "intradune area" - or something like that. Most of the water there is trapped rain water. Occasionally the tide will breach portions of the front dunes and salty flood will result. The vegetaion is uniquely salt and fresh water tolerant.

The largest gator I've ever seen in the wild was on the shore of a large intradune pond. I enjoy walking throuh the intradune. The sand is compacted, and horse trails abound. Stealth camping paradise, too.

One of the coolest stretches of NPS trail is where one tunnels through the intradune vegetation between Stafford CG and the beach.”