Where We've Been

It's been awhile (three weeks or so) since my last post right before we left home in Nashua, NH. (Thanks, everyone for the birthday well wishes). 

In the interim, we've visited six states (NJ, VA, SC, FL, AL, GA) with a couple more to come before we're back home. Unfortunately, there has been little sightseeing in most places. A couple of states were overnight stays; in others it rained nearly all the time (1-3) days we visited.

Fernandina Beach, FL

Anyone who has traveled knows that bad weather can dampen extended sightseeing. We try to explore as much as possible on road trips and often this requires outdoors time, definitely not enjoyable during downpours. Thankfully, there hasn't been any snow or ice but temps in FL, AL and GA were cooler than anticipated. The morning we left NH, the temperature was in the single digits. Daytime FL temps in the 40s and 50s were like springtime to us, but less so for residents.

The incentive for this road trip (aside from my birthday and Hearts Day) was Grenville's ham radio convention in Orlando, FL, which he called disappointing in that several major product vendors were no-shows. This event had been cancelled in 2021, apparently event attendance is not back to pre-pandemic levels of the 2020 convention he attended there.

We had anticipated the possibility of meeting fellow bloggers in FL and TN on this trip. However, after exchanging emails and phone conversations, we mutually agreed that this was not the best time because of you-know-what. We always enjoy meeting people, but would rather everyone be safe and feel comfortable. And, just maybe, we will have the chance to meet up on a future trip. 

Social distancing was recommended in most of our accommodations, which have all been Hampton Inns with the exception of the Orlando convention hotel. The least said about that one the better as it was like an oversized motel that featured outside facing rooms on six levels. Mask wearing was not required in, aside from when using trolleys in Alexandria, VA and Orlando, FL, where masks were required regardless of vaccination status. One hotel required guests to don plastic gloves at the in-house breakfast and had an employee positioned there to ensure compliance. While similar gloves were provided at a couple of other locations, their use was optional and I noticed that most guests opted not to wear them, myself included.

Weather and lack of sightseeing aside, the best thing about the trip was visiting family and friends who we saw three years ago when Grenville attended a convention in Dayton, OH.

Grenville has cousins in FL and AL and a Navy buddy in FL. I have a cousin and former co-worker in GA. We also visited my brother and his wife in NJ where we co-celebrated their January wedding anniversary and my February birthday. 

Architecture in downtown Fernandina Beach, FL

After two days of rain, we spent a sunny afternoon in downtown Fernandina Beach which is the northernmost city on Florida's Atlantic coast and located on Amelia Island, known as the Isle of 8 Flags because it has had the flags of that many nations flown over it: France, Spain, Great Britain, Spain (again), the Republic of East Florida, the Republic of the Floridas, Mexico, the Confederate States of America, and the United States.

While the French, English, and Spanish all maintained a presence on Amelia Island at various times during the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, the Spanish established Fernandina named in honor of King Ferdinand VII of Spain.

Grenville posed with a couple of "new" but silent friends. The weather was warm and sunny on the last of our 3-day stay. The pirate on the left was standing guard outside the Palace Saloon, Florida's oldest bar; the one on the right was outside a gift store.

Fernandina Beach, FL, sunset

The day ended with a beach walk, and as shown by our outerwear, it was a chilly late afternoon. After leaving FL, our adventures continued, some highlights will be in future posts. 

This week we're headed home with a overnight stops for dining and sleeping only. There's a forecast of ❄️ snow by the end of the week and we plan to be home before then.

FYI — blog reading/commenting has been delayed during our travels; hopefully I will get to read your recent posts once we're back home in Nashua.

Eats & Treats in FL

While on a (mostly) southern states road trip traveling from New Hampshire to Florida, we're sampling foods along the way. It's part of the road trip fun for us. Here's some recent dining experiences in several FL seafood restaurants. 

Nick’s Seafood Restaurant in Freeport, FL is a very casual, family restaurant. This family-owned and operated eatery has been at the same location since the mid-1950s and is being run by the third generation of the family. 

Years before the restaurant opened, the site was a fish camp run by Nick and his wife, Miss Hattie. They sold bait and beer and rented boats for $1 a day. In 1963, the restaurant opened and sold raw oysters, fried shrimp, hamburgers and cold beer. Back then oysters sold for 55 cents/dozen, fried shrimp dinners were $1.55, hamburgers cost 30 cents and beer was 25 cents.The seafood was caught by local fishermen. Soon customers started coming in, parents and children, then children with their children and so on. Customers are still coming as the place was very crowded on the weeknight we dined there. 

Singleton’s Seafood Shack in Jacksonville, FL, on Fort George Island was featured on the Food Network show Diner, Drives ins and Dives in 2010 and of those three choices, it fits the “dive” restaurant category best. It was opened in 1969 by Capt. Ray and Ann Singleton who fed locals and shrimpers in a small shack that has grown addition after addition and now leads out on to the St Johns River.

Singleton’s is in MayPort Village, a small fishing settlement, and we traveled there on the St. Johns River (car) Ferry (shown above) thanks to Grenville’s FL cousin.

Some folks have referred to Singleton’s as a rustic old fish camp. But as it's name states, it's a great example of a Florida seafood shack where fresh caught fish is sold and served. When you enter, there’s a fish market where you can buy fish to go. You can also dine in the indoor dining room or outside on either a covered area or now. 

There are low ceilings, wooden floors, bare wood tables and wood benches. Don’t expect plates, food is served on Styrofoam with plastic utensils and beverages come in plastic cups. While burgers and BBQ are on the menu, what matters most here is the freshly caught and prepared seafood. (After all, it’s in the name and also sold out front.)

The seafood shack's decor is old nautical with lots of newspaper clippings. The late Capt. Singleton built over 130 wooden boat models. In the back of the restaurant, there's a museum with some. Reportedly, he never sold them, but many were donated to local charity auctions. (There's no charge to look at the models and marvel at their craftsmanship.)

Brett’s Waterway Cafe in Fernandina Beach, FL has a great location on the water and the seafood here was good, although pricier and  served on plates with metal utensils as well (vastly different than Singleton's)

From our inside seating we had a great view overlooking the Fernandina Harbor and marina on the Amelia River. 

After dinner, it was a short walk to the dock for a sunset cruise. Unfortunately, it was  cut short due to threatening clouds which turned into a brief storm.

Grenville's fresh catch...

He didn't really reel this shark in, but posed with a "prop" near the dock.

Update — We're back n NH as our road trip ended last week. It was full of wonderful adventures visiting new places and seeing family and friends. There's a couple more posts before this trip ends online. Thanks for traveling along.

Fort-ified in 3 States

We're back home from our "southern" U.S. road trip travels from NH to FL. There's a couple more posts to complete about sites seen & foods sampled along the way. This post describes historic stops in 3 states — Charleston, SC, Fernandina Beach, FL, and Atlantic Beach, NC.

During last year's extended road trip from NH to OR we visited 5 state capitols and 2 state prisons. On this year's road trip, we only visited a single state capitol in Frankfort, KY; however, we did get to 3 Civil War era fortifications, including a very important one.

Fort Sumter in SC was the most notable and historic site. It's where the first shots of the Civil War were fired. This sea fort located on an island in Charleston Harbor is only accessible by boat which is how we visited on a tour boat trip that left us free to explore the fort and check out the on-site exhibit center.

Exhibit Center photo showing Fort Sumter overall size

Named after Revolutionary War hero, and SC native, General Thomas Sumter, it was built after the War of 1812, as part of the coastal defense to protect U.S. harbors. Construction began in 1829 as 70,000 tons of granite were transported from New England to build up a sand bar in the entrance to Charleston Harbor. The fort was a five-sided brick structure, 170 to 190 feet long, with walls five feet thick, standing 50 feet over the low tide mark. (The black structure in the middle of the above photo is where the Fort Sumter exhibit center is housed. The model below shows the fort as originally built.)

Exhibit Center model of original Fort Sumter

Construction was costly (as expected) and stopped in the 1830s due to lack of funds. It resumed in 1841 and by 1860, the island and outer fortifications were done. The interior and armaments remained unfinished when SC seceded from the Union in December 1860. Fort Sumter was still unfinished in 1861 at the start of the Civil War.

Attack illustrations in Fort Sumter Exhibit Center

The First Battle of Fort Sumter began on April 12, 1861, when Confederate artillery fired on the Union garrison. The shots of the war lasted all day. Cannon fire broke through the fortress’s five-foot-thick brick walls, causing fires inside the post.

The fort was cut off from its supply line and with its ammunition deleted, Major Robert Anderson surrendered to Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard the next day. No Union troops died during the bombardment; two men died in an artillery explosion before the Union evacuation. Following the victory, Confederate forces occupied Fort Sumter using it to defend Charleston Harbor.

The Second Battle on September 8, 1863 was a failed Union attempt to retake the fort which while extensively damaged after the 1861 attack, remained in Confederate control. Union artillery effectively leveled Fort Sumter over the next 15 months. Despite over 300 casualties from the Union bombardments, Confederate forces retained control of the fort.

When Union General William T. Sherman was set to capture Charleston, Confederates forces evacuated; Union forces reclaimed it on February 22, 1865. 

In 1948, Fort Sumter was decommissioned as a military post and turned over to the National Park Service. It attracts nearly a million visitors annually.

Fort Clinch is in Fort Clinch State Park, Fernandina Beach, FL. This 19th century masonry coastal fortification was built as part of the U.S. Third System Fortifications. This process entailed a series of forts built long the coastline as a defense against foreign invaders after widespread destruction from the War of 1812.

Construction of the fort started in 1847. The pentagonal compound was built using millions of bricks for both its inner and outer walls. It’s named in honor of General Duncan Lamont Clinch who fought in the War of 1812.

The fort holds a unique distinction — no battles were ever fought here. While never used in direct combat, Fort Clinch served as a military post during three U.S. engagements.

It was occupied by soldiers during both the Civil and Spanish American Wars. The Confederate Army captured it briefly early in the Civil War using it as a safe haven for blockade runners during the first year of the war. In March 1862, General Robert E. Lee ordered it abandoned. In early 1862, Union troops re-occupied the fort using it as a base of operations in the area.

In 1869, the fort was on caretaker status until 1898 when the American troops were stationed there for a short time during the Spanish–American War. It was once again abandoned and gradually deteriorated. 

In the 1930s, workers from the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) restored the fort and in 1935, the State of Florida bought 256 acres that included the by-then abandoned fort and surrounding area. Fort Clinch State Park opened in 1938 and the fort was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. 

Fort visitors can tour guard rooms, barracks, hospital, kitchens, a blacksmith’s shop, and a fort prison which Grenville and his cousin experienced. 

Fort Macon is located on Bogue Banks near Atlantic Beach, NC. It’s considered a perfectly restored Civil War-era fort. It was constructed as part of a chain of U.S. coastal defenses after the War of 1812. As part of this chain, Fort Macon's purpose was to guard Beaufort Inlet and Beaufort Harbor, North Carolina's only major deepwater ocean port. 

It's named after Nathaniel Macon, a U.S. Senator from NC, who procured funds to build it. Construction began in 1826 and ended in 1834. The five-sided fort is built of brick and stone. Twenty-six vaulted rooms (casements) are enclosed by 4-1/2-foot thick outer walls. In 1861, at the start of the Civil War, NC confederate forces seized the fort from Union forces and occupied it for a year. In 1862, the fort was attacked and fell back into Union hands. For the duration of the war, it served as a coaling station for navy ships. An ordnance sergeant acting as a caretaker was often the only person stationed there. 

After use as a civil and military prison between 1873-1877, Fort Macon was deactivated. In 1923, it was offered for sale as "surplus military property" to NC for use as a public park (sale price $1). During 1934–35, the Civilian Conservation Corps restored the fort and established recreational facilities. Fort Macon State Park opened in May 1936.

There was a canon firing demonstration when we visited. Fort Macon has several exhibit rooms, but all were closed due to Hurricane Florence water damage. We were told it will take months for the rooms to be repaired, and it's unlikely we will be back.

We enjoyed learning how each fort played a part in the history of the country.