We left Jacksonville and headed north to Amelia Island. After struggling to figure out where to stay the night before, I decided to sit down with my laptop and see if I couldn't locate us a "home" in advance of our arrival. Combined with the Memorial Day weekend crowds, I was a bit concerned about ending up "homeless." While locating a hotel/motel I came across a website for
Ecomotion Tours and knew I had found our adventure for the day.
Ecomotion Tours is located within the
Fort George Island Cultural State Park and offered off-road segway tours and instruction. What an adventure! With regards to wildlife, we spotted a gopher tortoise and weekend revelers. It was amazing to see so many people and boats in one location. Quite honestly, it was what I always imagined Memorial Day weekend would/should look like.
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| Mom- sporting her helmet |
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| Me- seriously, could I look anymore special? |
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| HORRIBLE angle...guh! |
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| Time to do the cone course! |
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| Owner, instructor, leader- Greg |
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| Look- after just 5 minutes, she is a natural |
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| Amazing view! |
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| Helmet head- posed pictures |
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| More helmet head posing |
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| Look at all those boats! The water was 75 degrees! |
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| Awwww |
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| self-portrait (a la helmet head!) |
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| Judy |
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| Look, we both really did it! |
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| Look Mom- no hands! |
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| Me |
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| Gopher Tortoise |
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| With the governor off- look out! |
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Observations from our trip. The amount of industry on the waterways of Florida is unreal. I seems as if no forethought was put into it. Maybe it's just that the industry has been where it is for so long that people and their recreation have just learned to co-exist with it. Very surreal to me.
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| Both of these places were right on the waterway |
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| Not a great picture, but you get the idea |
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| This is the view from Fort George Island State Park |
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Last but not least- FOOD!
I think my need to research everything is starting to drive my mom nuts. However, after our fabulous dinner, I think she is beginning to see the light!!
Dinner was at
Barbara Jean's, where we ate the most amazing breads (corn, pumpkin and a roll).
Sadly, I didn't take a single picture of the food because I was too busy taking in the view. Oh wait, we should step back a few minutes first. This is where I locked the keys in the car. Yes sir, I just said that I locked the keys in the car. Thankfully mom has AAA and thankfully we were just arriving to have dinner. So, by the time we were done, Jimmy had arrived, worked his magic and we were on our way again. Where did I leave the key you ask? On the front seat, right where I could see it. As soon as that door closed, I knew there was a problem. Boo!
So here is the view from Barbara Jean's:
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| Beautiful porch with hanging ferns and the natural landscape beyond |
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| Beautiful |
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| View, from another angle |
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| Amazing |
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| Seashells as part of the siding...interesting |
Next up: stalking the houses of Historic Fernandina Beach, Florida.....
