Day 3: Jacksonville

There was also a lot of Friday night party noise going on last night. The weekend had arrived. Also joining the human revelers were some large partying owls, possibly Barred.  They were hooting and calling to one another for a good while.

My day was a quiet one for a little while. I hung out at the mothership while Paul and Bob and Joyce and Ken biked the park’s trails. Then I got a call from Paul saying he was bringing the group over for a mid-way snack very soon. I quickly set up an impromptu picnic table spread of cheese and crackers, warm bread, tuna salad, egg salad, and some fresh peeled mandarin oranges, with hard apple cider to drink. The group stopped in for a short refreshment break then, almost like Indy race car drivers, they headed for the trails again.

They actually saw one of the alligators that live in the lake.

Later we all met up at a fish place called Safe Harbor Seafood in the Mayport area of Jax, not far from the campground. The place was large with mostly outside seating. You stand in line and order at the checkout counter, you get a number and they bring your food to you. The place was super busy, prices were reasonable, and the food was very fresh and yummy. Beware that you should expect there to be long lines around dinner time, especially on the weekends.

There are lots of seafaring birds to watch while waiting for your food to arrive.

Paul and Bob decided to try some night riding on the trail and the beach this evening. Paul attached a Makita spotlight to the front fork on the bike and he was ready to go. It brought back memories when he was a kid and got to stay out late with his bike –except when you’re grownup now it’s call night riding. Photos coming tomorrow.

I forgot to take a photo of our campsite again today but last night when we were out for a walk, Paul grabbed this shot of the approach to our site.  The roadway was really dark but for the streetlight nearby lighting a slight turn in the roadway.  In the humid haze it created an eerie glow in the darkness.  The phone camera over brightened the area, and it took 3 seconds to capture.  It is very, very dark in this jungle. I found the photo somewhat reminiscent of an old Tolkien illustration.