Tillmans Bay

Destin Florida January 13 |Fernandina Beach, January 14

There is no denying we are on our way home. I could stay on the road longer but Harry is ready to turn in his driving gloves. Thank goodness we stopped in at Henderson State Park in Destin, Florida (think western Florida panhandle) before we started heading north. My cousin Diane mentioned this as a great place when we were heading west, but we couldn’t get in. This park is awesome. I think it may be the nicest place to stay in Destin. The beach is very built up on both sides of the State Park so it has that Miami Beach feel. But in the State Park stretch of the beach, when you leave your camper you walk down a long sheltered path until you get to a boardwalk that meanders to the Gulf of Mexico. Also, the individual campsites have a lot of vegetation so you feel private. Some may not like the fact that you can hear road noises in the Park, but we don't mind -- and are thrilled to be near restaurants, donut shops, etc.

This is the whitest beach I have ever seen but I haven’t been to the Caribbean. I think it’s okay to post these pictures of a white sandy beach because I believe it is colder here in Destin today than it is in Ashfield. One fly in the ointment - no dogs on the beach! What?

Fernandina Beach, Amelia Island, January 14

We set out from Destin early on Sunday, 9:00 ish, and drove the whole day uneventfully on 10. Beautiful day. We rolled into the Fort Clinch State Park, Fernandina Beach, on Amelia Island at about 4:00 and we got a spot! This was the first time we didn’t have a reservation so we were feeling pretty lucky - this State Park is another great example of what I have said many times - check out the pictures below - you couldn’t stay in a nicer place than this on Amelia Island and it cost 28.00! We are going to go explore Fort Clinch shortly. If you come here, there's a tiny cuban breakfast/lunch place called Hola Cafe that has great media noches, Cuban coffee, empanadas, etc.

But we are alas now in the eastern time zone, and when we hit the road tomorrow, we will be heading North.Read more