On Sunday, November 28th, 2021, I had a relatively short (2 hours) drive from Fort McAllister State Park to my new campground at Fort Clinch State Park, in Fernandina Beach, Florida. This was the first of what would be eight Florida campgrounds, so I was very interested in the quality of Florida State Parks. *I chose mostly state parks during #BAMbisoloadventure because online they seemed more spacious, whereas most private campgrounds I researched seemed to have RVs “on top of one another.”

Fort Clinch State Park was easy to locate and Fernandina Beach is clearly a tourist location but not so congested with people - at this time of year - as to make it feel crowded. It is about 2.5 miles to the Amelia River Campground, where I stayed, and the Atlantic Campground which is very close to the Atlantic beach. Amelia is heavily wooded with very little sunlight while the Atlantic campground is total sunlight and no shade. Either works for me as long I have shore power and since I was unable to procure a beach campsite, the river campground worked for me.

Site #31 is spacious but not exceptionally deep. My combined length (BAMBAM + BAMbi) is almost exactly 40 feet and I had maybe 5-8 feet extra when I backed in. Not a problem for me but something to double-check if you camp here with a longer rig.

The Amelia River beach is within 100m and is peaceful and quiet. Walking, it might take you about 30 minutes to get to the Atlantic, either walking the beach passing Fort Clinch or using a more direct route through the park. The walking distances at the park clarified the need for a bicycle so I drove into Fernandina Beach and found Fernandina Beach Cycling & Fitness, a small bicycle shop in town. This is where I made the good decision to purchase BAMbike, a Retrospec Ascent 21-speed. It is nothing “fancy” but is appropriate for my leisurely (I am not a hardcore mountain biker) biking pace. BAMbike rides very well on compact beach sand and I got plenty of exercise that week biking the beaches and the surrounding area.

In the spirit of exercise and overcoming my fear of deep water, I went out on a river kayak excursion with Amelia Island Kayak that I found in a brochure from the campground. I went out in a small group of 5 with a guide (Aaron) and we made our way across the St. Marys River to Cumberland Island, in Georgia, where we were able to find one of the wild horses on the island. Aaron was a great guide and very knowledgable of the area’s history which I found interesting. The entire trip took about 3 hours and my body felt it the following day!

Fort Clinch, itself, was not exceedingly interested, at least for me. It is a cool place to visit but without having seen action during the Civil War, its historical value - in that sense - was minimal. I was in and out of the fort in 30 minutes. I would make the visit to check out the way the fort is structured and for the views from atop the battlements.

The fort’s visitors center made it clear that shark teeth can be found on the area beaches, so I took my sifter from the Aurora Fossil Museum and my cat trowel to the beach to do some searching. I found four small teeth that were so small my picture blurred (see video).

The rest of the week took on a regular daily pattern of journaling at Amelia Beach, relaxing on the Atlantic beach, and bicycling down that beach to the city of Fernandina Beach. This combination of physical activity made for good exercise and a feeling of physical accomplishment. *One of the purposes of #BAMbisoloadventure is to improve my physical being in addition to my psychological being, so regular exercise and good diet have been extremely helpful.

At that time of year, I can see why finding a campsite at the Atlantic campground was impossible. The direct sunlight is perfect for the fall season although the lack of privacy is a consideration. My Amelia River Campground offered excellent privacy and was quiet with the exception of a neighbor who seemed to think that watching an outdoor television at 11:30pm was in some way acceptable. I was as nice as I could be but kind of direct, as well, as I was trying to get to sleep. This was my first encounter with a rude neighbor but on the scale of campground Neighbor Rudeness this was low.

Hopefully, I would not have to contend with any issues at my next campground, Anastasia State Park, in St. Augustine, Florida, which is where I will see you next!

Sincerely,

BAM

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