King’s Bay, GA and Cumberland Island

Helen and I drove north from Jacksonville, going from one military base to another. Our next stop would be the Eagle Hammock RV Park at King’s Bay Naval Submarine Base. We tried to stay at Eagle Hammock on our return from Florida last year, but two blown tires on Lucy within an hour forced us to cancel the reservation over President’s weekend.  After replacing the tires, there were no sites available.  Eagle Hammock has a solid reputation as a campground, with plenty to do along the Georgia Coast. We eagerly looked forward to the experience and had reservations for seven days.

Cold weather was still upon us on our first morning, but the clouds started to break up.  Helen told me that we should go into nearby St. Mary’s, Georgia, explore a bit, and obtain information on the ferry ride to Cumberland Island National Seashore…I’m good at following directions.

Although small, St. Marys, founded in 1767, has Early American charm. The town has endured past warfare, yet many of the original structures remain intact and well-preserved.  I placed two examples here.  One picture shows a church building, now used as a residence, and an antebellum home, built in the 1830s.

After a stroll around town, Helen collected information from the National Park Service office about ferry times and fees.  We chose to make the trip another day when the weather improved and decided to go for a hike through Crooked River State Park, a short drive away. When we arrived, I was surprised to see how many visitors were there on a weekday.  The Campground was nearly full of snowbirds, as well as families with children. I assumed that this is a by-product of the COVID pandemic.

We walked about two miles along some beautiful paths and the marsh. We only observed one person on the water, a fisherman.  He didn’t appear to enjoy himself very much in the strong wind, but he seemed well-equipped for anything.

We spent the next day doing laundry. Navy campgrounds and inns are the best because they offer washers and dryers for free.  Our clothes hamper overflowed with the remnants of Florida fun, and we needed to remedy that. While waiting for the laundry to finish, we shopped at the well-stocked commissary for dinner items.

Our son recommended that we try a meal at Steffen’s Restaurant near the Submarine Base.  My waistline was getting away from me on this trip, but a good biscuit breakfast with homemade gravy was too tempting, and we moved out early the day after laundry day.  I made a promise that I would walk every bite off during a hike around Fort Clinch State Park later that afternoon. Steffens did not disappoint. I LOVE places like this.

Fort Clinch State Park is in Fernandina Beach, Florida, and about 30 miles south of King’s Bay. The plan was to hike along the beach looking for shark’s teeth and maybe do some more exploring in the town of Amelia Island. Pretty weather finally found us. 

Fort Clinch, constructed in 1847 at the mouth of the St. Mary’s River to protect the deep-water port of Fernandina, eventually became one of the first State Parks in Florida. The road into the park is covered in palms and live oaks, creating a very scenic entry.  We parked our vehicle, paid our park fees, and walked to the beach.   After about an hour of walking the beach, we found no shark’s teeth but did find a great place to relax and spend some time outdoors. The beach behind the fort had very few visitors.

Next up on our itinerary was a visit to Cumberland Island National Seashore, a National Park that I’m not sure I knew about before we planned this trip. We’ve visited Cape Cod National Seashore and consider it a treasure.  If Cumberland Island is half as scenic, I’ll be ecstatic.

Before boarding the Cumberland Queen, a Park Ranger gave us a briefing of the do’s and don’ts of visiting the Island, reminding us several times of the scheduled departure for the return trip. If we missed the ferry, it would cost three hundred dollars for a charter vessel to bring us back to St. Mary’s.  For once, Helen promised to be on time.

The Cumberland Queen left the port at St. Mary’s for a forty-five-minute voyage up the Cumberland River under sunny skies.  The cool temperature tempted us to ride inside the ferry, but I wanted to take in the scenery, so we rode atop the vessel. A dolphin swam along beside us for much of the trip.

A pair of the famous wild horses of Cumberland Island greeted us when we arrived. Helen and I ate the lunch we packed earlier in the morning before starting a four-mile hike to the Atlantic side of the Island, the dunes, and the Dungeness Estate ruins. The pathway to the beach bordered by towering Live Oaks draped in Spanish Moss made for a great start to our hike.

After a mile or so, the pathway opened up to one of the most expansive beaches I’ve ever seen. Except for the gulls and a gaggle of Sandpipers, we had the entire area to ourselves. We walked to the south and could see King’s Bay Submarine Base in the distance.  I often stopped to take pictures, including one of two gulls taking flight.  I named them the Wright Brothers.

Soon, the trail turned from the beach toward the dunes, then on to the Dungeness Estate, built in 1884 by Thomas and Lucy Carnegie, owners of Cumberland Island at the time. A fire took a sizeable portion of the home early in the twentieth century. The Estate remains in ruins but maintains a majestic appeal.  Wild horses grazed casually on the lawn (picture at top).

We made it back to the departure point in plenty of time to avoid a more expensive ride home.  We chose to ride inside for the return trip because the winds picked up. Nevertheless, a few hearty souls decided to ride on the deck. Once underway, I joined them long enough to put my camera to work.

I can’t remember when I’ve had a better day. We’re Floatin’ Along!