Priest explained that it’s extremely rare for humans to contract herpes B, but said it’s possible if they are bitten or scratched by a monkey or in contact with a monkey’s body fluids or tissue.
— Read on www.newsweek.com/florida-monkey-deadly-herpes-virus-could-double-population-2022-1213774
Category: nature photo
We enjoy taking pictures of Nature on our adventures
Crooked River State Park, Saint Marys, Ga
Off to Saint Marys hidden gem AKA Crooked River State park!
I initially heard of Saint Marys from a friend/former boss. It’s just about as close to Florida as you can get on the coast. On our way to a camping trip in Key Largo we noticed a Crooked River State Park sign. We saw it again when for a moment we were considering trading in our Travel Trailer for a Fifth Wheel with Camping World of Jacksonville (That’s a whole different story)
We made up our minds that we would get to this campground at some point. Well, that point was Last Weekend. Having looked around for a campground where we could also Jet ski, and finding them full, I tried Crooked River State Park for grins and giggles. It had many spots open.
Campsite #12 at Crooked River State Park
Our Campsite #12 at Crooked River State Park
Crooked River State park is on the water and does have a boat ramp. But I must tell you, this is not a park where you can just Walk Up to the water.
Behind Campsite #12 Crooked River State Park, Saint Marys, Georgia
Crooked River State Park, Saint Marys, Georgia
Looking at the camping Map, I thought we had absolutely lucked out. (It happens from time to time) I found a campsite, per the map, right on the water. I had visions of tossing the crab basket in the water in the evening, and fishing right behind our camper. Well….it wouldn’t have been IMPOSSIBLE to do these things, but it would have been a bit difficult and actually more of a pain!
You see, the further away from the ocean you are, the higher up the land can sometimes be. Because Crooked River is Tidal, the water will rise and lower with the tides. So you end up with the possibility of steep banks or cliffs.
We did see a young man who did try to fish of the “cliff”, but I have to say, if he caught anything bigger than a finger mullet, he was going to play heck trying to get it up out of the water. It’s not like being on a pier. There are roots and limbs, plenty of things for your line to get snagged on. I guess it boils down to how desperate you are to fish.
The campground has recently gone through an upfit of sorts. We aren’t sure what was already there and what was upfitted. We did see that the electrical was new. They were laying concrete at the base of the electrical boxes while we were there.
The side of the campground we were on was spacious and well thought out. The sites were large with a pebble area for the picnic table and fire pit. Large oak trees and Pine trees speckled the campground which gave a little shade, but not so much that it made the campground dreary. The side we were on was mostly Water and electric only. I did not realized there were Full hookups in this campground. It’s possible they were all booked when I was on Reserve America. But it’s also possible that I didn’t bother due to my not being accustomed to State Parks offering Full hookups. It was no worries as we were only there for Friday evening to Sunday noon and the bathhouse was across the way. Not that we really used it much.
Bathhouse Crooked River State Park
Bathhouse Crooked River State Park, Saint Marys, GA
We took the dogs on the different nature trails that were within easy walking distance to our camper. There were a few others we saw while driving in and out of the park, but with the heat…we weren’t really interested in walking through the woods with the mosquitos having a smorgasbord with us! We came across two different playgrounds for kids. Our kid has outgrown such things (sigh).
There is a Nature center right past the Campground office. We attempted to go at 11am on the Saturday. But they were closed.
Crooked River State Park has a Bait Store…North Star Bait and Tackle
Crooked River State Park has a Bait Store…North Star Bait and Tackle
We bought some Frozen Shrimp at the Bait shop right by the boat ramp. They had a decent selection of necessities. We went down to the floating dock and tried our luck. The tide was coming in and the pull was strong. I was successful in catching a croaker and the smallest channel cat I have ever seen. A father and his small son arrived to fish with us. The boy regaling us with stories about fish. Then another man came down and it was getting a bit crowded. While everyone was perfectly nice….it’s a small area to fish and it was very very hot. We called it.
I took advantage of the moment and Shaved both dogs down, while Mark set up a hammock for the kid. We goofed around and Mark finished seasoning the new “Blackstone” grill that has become a staple of campers.
The evening rolls around and one of the camp hosts came by to let me know that the sunset on the water was worth paying attention to. I got a few nice pictures but due to the clouds, it wasn’t what it might have been otherwise. We had our campfire and called it a night.
This campground is really very nice. Its the kind of campground that you can relax in. It’s not the type of campground that hosts a ton of families with screaming wild kids. Some people like that, and some people don’t. We are rather in the middle.
The Office/Store/Gift Shop at Crooked River State Park
Office/Gift shop Crooked River State Park, Saint Marys, Ga
The Office/Store/Gift Shop at Crooked River State Park
Office/Gift Shop Crooked River State Park, Saint Marys, Ga
There are two bathhouses. The bathhouse closest to use did have a coin operated washer and dryer. The office/gift shop has the basics like batches of firewood, bug spray, and ice cream as well as the typical gifts and knickknacks. The office also offers WiFi but only at the Office. It does not offer throughout the campground. The bait shop had the basics you would need if you forgot something.
Laundry at bathhouse Crooked River State Park
Crooked River State Park, Saint Marys, Ga
The list of amenities within Crooked River State Park are:
Bait & Tackle
Boat Launch
Cable Hook-Up
Coin Laundry
Comfort Station
Dump Station
Electric Hook-Ups
Fire Ring
Fishing
Gift/Souvenir Shop
Grill
Hiking
Hot Showers
Information Center
Miniature Golf
Nature Center
Picnic Tables
Pit Toilet – Pioneer
Playgrounds
Rent Bicycles
Restrooms
Water Hook-Ups
Facilities:
Things To Do & See
Biking
Birdwatching
Boating
Private boats permitted
Fishing
Geocaching
Guided Kayak Trips
Hiking
Miniature Golf (fee)
Paddling
Park Paddlers Club
Guided Boat Tours
Weddings with park approval required
Bike Rental
Boat Rental
Nearby attractions:
Down the road a bit is meant to be a ferry to Cumberland Island National Seashore known for the wild horses and beaches.
Footnote…
It’s occurred to me that I need some sort of Rating System for these campgrounds we go to…I will have to work on that
Best Unlimited Data Plans: Stop Paying Too Much | WhistleOut
We’ve reviewed 32 carriers and have found the best plans offering unlimited data. If you want to stream things like HBO or Netflix without interruption, look into Unlimited Data for your next cell phone plan. It’s not your phone—it’s your plan. Make a switch now.
— Read on www.whistleout.com/CellPhones/Guides/The-Best-Unlimited-Data-Plans-Around
This is an insightful article for avid campers! In the RV Facebook groups, this is always a topic that comes up and receives many many responses. We are struggling with this ourselves. With a tween in tow, access to internet and YouTube is a MUST!
I know I know, “I thought you went camping to connect with nature…unplug”. Been there, done that. Now I want to be able to Facebook Live parts of my trip, upload videos, and look…this is a blog 😁
Our impromptu weekend camping trip to Hunting Island State Park
We live in vacationland (aka Beaufort County, SC) We are within 1 hour (or less travel time) to Hunting Island, Beaufort, Hilton Head Island, and Savannah Ga. It takes us under 3 hours to get to Charleston, SC or Jacksonville, Fl. We are blessed.
This allows us many last minute outings or camping trips. The “Cancelation list” is our friend! Since more and more people are foregoing hotels for campers (all classes) it starts to become very important to plan months in advance for camping trips. We aren’t the planning type. We never know what will be going on in one week, much less, 6 months or a year.
Well, we were able to secure a pretty great site at Hunting Island over the past weekend. It wasn’t quite in the back…(an area we have coined “Mosquito Ally”) but it was beside a bathhouse on a knoll.
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Hunting Island State Park campground does not have Full Hookup. So our rule is, during the day…if we have to go, we go to the bathhouse. At night we use our own Camper bathroom. It’s just simple math.
With our campsite being on a knoll, we didn’t have to worry about any standing water or flooding. This has been a very wet summer! Many pictures out in the Interwebs of flooded Camp sites. Its miserable when you have to walk through water to get from your truck to your camper. Or from your camper to the bathhouse. And having dogs is another headache!
My iPhone is recording video of Pocket while on it’s stand. You can hear Pocket whining with excitement. She knows a campsite is ours, but not which one! She’s impatient!
After we got somewhat set up, we hurried the kid and the dogs to the beach. It was a beautiful early evening. Somewhat cloudy, but the temperature was only in the 80’s which is pretty low this time of the year. It’s not uncommon to have 99F with a heat index of over 115F. So we were very happy!
Pocket and Yeti (Our poodle mixes) were able to stretch their legs and get their feet wet. We as a family have always enjoyed walking the beaches no matter what time of year it is! Right now, the water feels like bath water, and that is just fine with Pocket! Yeti with his stubby legs is a bit more cautious in the surf!
After a good long walk, it’s dinner time! While most campers think it’s a sin to cook inside when camping…It’s more comfortable for me to whip something easy up in the little kitchen. Hunting Island (and really anywhere in the Low Country, right now) is thick with mosquitos. We do not yet have a screened in gazebo styled tent to eat in. And if we did, our campsite wouldn’t allow for it after we parked our second vehicle with Jet skis on trailer. So I cook, we eat, and back to the beach we go. It’s dark by this time and windy. Once we are on the beach, the wind alone takes care of any pesky biting bugs. I get some neat pictures of the full moon, and the Kid and dogs chase Ghost Crabs. Fun was had by all!
Yeti the Schnoodle staring at the moon Hunting Island State Park
Yeti the Schnoodle staring at the moon Hunting Island State Park
Moonlit night Hunting Island State Park Beaufort South Carolina
Moonlit night Hunting Island State Park Beaufort South Carolina
Hunting Island State Park tree line pic from beach
Hunting Island State Park has 5 miles of sandy beach, 1 salt water lagoon, 1 historic publicly accessible Lighthouse, 100 50amp Campsites (this is down from about 200 campsites due to Hurricane Mathew ’16 and Irma ’17) 1 Nature Center with animals, fish, reptiles and artifacts… and regularly scheduled programs for you to enjoy, 1 pier which is currently closed to fishing and crabbing but half of it is accessible to the public for viewing, and many options for day use! And in case you didn’t know, there is a boat landing across the road from the Pier. Russ Point Boat Landing.
We took our PWCs out for the first time at Russ Point. We had plans of being able to take them beach side. The issue was the sandbars. Not wanting to ruin our WaveRunners and also not wanting to get STUCK…we just played around the bridge a bit and watched the Dolphins hunt. We will go back with our PWCs but want to coordinate with a boat who utilizes a depth finder. “Safety First!”
I do actually have GoPro footage, but half of it is pointed at the handlebars with the Sound in the background. Not great. I may have some Dolphin footage on there, I believe I do, however I’m still trying to figure out how to upload the footage. Its looking like I’m going to rediscover YouTube as I cant figure out any other way to get my GoPro footage out there.
Coming back to camp after splashing around on the PWCs, we were able to see one of the Hunting Island State Park Campground deer! Wildlife are protected on Hunting Island. Deer and Raccoons learn that Campers are nothing to fear. Deer are polite about it. The Raccoons are Thugs! Because we didn’t do any cooking outside, and no food storage outside, we didn’t have any Bandit Raccoons plotting their heist!
You can hear me saying “I don’t care” to Dear Husband letting me know that there is traffic behind us. Let me just say we were stopped all of Ten Seconds to look at a deer. We weren’t holding up traffic. And you can’t safely drive over 2 MPH due to the turns in the road, the proximity of the campers or tow vehicles, and the inevitable kids darting out in the road oblivious to vehicles.
Back to the Beach with the kid and Dogs…
Hunting Island tree boneyard, South Carolina
Hunting Island tree boneyard, South Carolina
Hunting island South Carolina evening Surf
Hunting Island tree boneyard, South Carolina
What we didn’t do while camping, is hit the trails. Because of all the rain and then add the mosquitos and ticks, it just wasn’t worth it. That is something we like to do when it’s a bit colder. For us at least cold enough for a sweater. ***Side Note:Many people are under the impression there is a “tick season”. In South Carolina, at least in the Low Country, if the Sun comes up…it’s Tick Season. Always take measures for your family and furbabies.
14-SCP-554 Hunting Island Map Lo Res
Hunting Island State Park website- Southcarolinaparks.com/hunting-island/trails has listed:
Lagoon Access Recreation Trail
Length: 1.4 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Description: This trail starts at the “J” parking and winds along the lagoon. It leads you through the maritime forest while providing scenic views of the lagoon and various wildlife habitats.
Maritime Forest Trail
Length: 2.0 miles
Type: Hiking Trail
Difficulty: Easy
Description: This trail takes you deep into the interior maritime forest. You will see the dense vegetation that provides protected habitat for many animals including deer, raccoon, owls, hawks and squirrels.
Palmetto Pines Pass
Length: 0.2 miles
Type: Hiking Trail
Difficulty: Easy
Description: This trail connects the Lagoon Access Trail and the Maritime Forest.
Marsh Boardwalk Crossover
Length: 0.3 miles
Type: Hiking Trail
Difficulty: Easy
Description: This connector trail intersects the Lagoon Access Recreation Trail, Maritime Forest Trail and the Diamondback Rattlesnake Trail to provide a path leading to the Marsh Boardwalk Trail.
Marsh Boardwalk Trail
Length: 0.25 miles
Type: Hiking Trail
Difficulty: Easy
Description: Designated a National Recreation Trail. This wooden boardwalk mixed with a crushed hardened surface is great for observing life in the salt marsh. The dock on the end provides an area for viewing magnificent sunsets.
Nature Center Scenic Trail
Length: 0.7 miles
Type: Hiking Trail
Difficulty: Easy
Description: This trail provides access from the Nature Center to the Diamond Back Rattlesnake, Maritime Forest and Lagoon Recreation Access trails. It also provides access from the cabin area to the trail system. Make sure to walk the bridge over the lagoon to see its beauty from a different perspective.
Magnolia Forest Trail
Length: 1.2 miles
Type: Hiking Trail
Difficulty: Easy
Description: With natural terrain and some hilly surfaces, the trail will take you from the campground to the entrance gate of the daily beach access areas, lighthouse, visitor center and lagoon access. From the entrance gate, you will walk the roads of the park in order to reach the areas within, so be prepared for vehicle traffic. You are sure to see plenty of beautiful magnolia trees along the way.
Lighthouse Magnolia Forest Connector
Length: 0.6 miles
Type: Hiking Trail
Difficulty: Easy
Description: This trail starts from the Magnolia Forest Trail and ends at the Lighthouse parking area, providing campers with a route to the lighthouse without the worries of high tide or vehicle traffic. Featuring ancient rows of dunes as well as flatlands, populated by most of the island’s native plant and animal species, it is sure to provide enjoyment for hikers and bikers alike.
Lighthouse Nature Trail
Length: 0.4 miles
Type: Hiking Trail
Difficulty: Easy
Description: This natural surface trail takes one along the edge of the forest to the ocean front. Hunting Island’s maritime forest of Live Oaks, Spanish moss and Palmetto trees can be easily seen along this trail.
One thing I will add…Hunting Island State Park still looks pretty rough. It has had a couple of very hard years. While we did lose many great camping sites on the ocean side, they have now offered day use picnic rental spots in the campground. This was not an option before. In the past you would need to roll the dice if you wanted to bring a picnic, and set up a day camp at Hunting Island. These day use rental spots are close to the water, close too the restrooms, have a grill and a picnic table. While we will miss the beach side campsites, this is a good use of that area considering it is no longer safe for overnight camping.
My Home My Springs | Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Florida’s springs hold a special place in our hearts and are the backdrop for countless precious memories, woven forever into the fabric of what it means to be Floridian. Springs take us back to a time before the hustle and bustle of everyday life, before schedules, before deadlines. They hold the key to some of our most treasured experiences, past, present and future.
— Read on floridadep.gov/comm/comm/campaign/my-home-my-springs
Since we have been camping in our travel trailer we have fallen in love with the Florida Springs. While we haven’t had a chance to make it to more than a few, it’s on the agenda! We love Florida Springs!
My favorite place on Earth
My favorite place on Earth
My favorite place on Earth
— Read on wanderingdawgs.com/2018/03/27/my-favorite-place-on-earth/
Beautiful Coastal Georgia and all it has to offer!
13 Places in Florida For An Ultimate Summer Water Adventure – TripsToDiscover.com
If you enjoy water adventures, you’re in luck in Florida. Whether you want to be on the water or in it, the Sunshine State packs a lot of diverse activities on their vast amount of pristine water spots. Check out some the best places in Florida to enjoy some of your favorite water activities this summer.
— Read on www.tripstodiscover.com/places-in-florida-for-water-activities/
***Tubing, Ichetucknee Springs State Park
Ichetucknee Springs State Park in Fort White is one of the best tubing spots Florida has to offer. With 212 million gallons of crystal clear and refreshing 72-degree waters, it is the perfect spot to enjoy an afternoon of tubing in the summertime. Lasting up to 3 hours, you will float through six miles of wetlands and shaded lush hammocks through this National Natural Landmark.***
Florida Springs where you can swim, snorkel and dive | Florida Rambler
Get your feet wet in 19 of Florida’s Springs.
— Read on www.floridarambler.com/florida-parks-forests-wildlife-refuges/get-your-feet-wet-cool-springs/
We haven’t gotten a chance to go to all of these, yet. But we shall! We shall, indeed!
Manatee Release At Blue Springs Park
Manatee Release At Blue Springs Park
https://theintentionaltravelercom.wordpress.com/2018/03/08/manatee-release-at-blue-springs-park/
— Read on theintentionaltravelercom.wordpress.com/2018/03/08/manatee-release-at-blue-springs-park/
“While on a short drive around Central Florida this week, we stopped at Blue Springs Park in Orange City for a hike. Without expecting it, we got there as several animal rescue groups were preparing to release a manatee back into the wild.”
Exploring Silver Glen Springs
Exploring Silver Glen Springs
https://everydayavacation.com/2017/12/23/exploring-silver-glen-springs/
— Read on everydayavacation.com/2017/12/23/exploring-silver-glen-springs/
On the list! You may wonder “Is it really that clear” and I can assure you it is!
Bright Life Shenanigans 
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