Yes, I have seen the light of the local lighthouse...today's quest. It is a bit warmer today, but one could hardly tell as the wind continues to blow sharply from the north. Both Ellen and I got out on our bikes today, she to do some birding, me to find Amelia Island lighthouse...and get in a little riding practice since my ride down the coast starts tomorrow unless it rains.
Much like the National Park Passport, there is a Lighthouse Society Passport. Many of the lighthouses in the US have a stamp available. We started doing this for a couple of friends from the west coast who are collecting the stamps, but can't get to the east coast. It turns out that getting lighthouse stamps is much harder that getting National Park stamps. The NPS units are usually open every day and the stamps are right there in most visitor centers and ranger stations. The lighthouses vary greatly. Most stamps are controlled by lighthouse societies and most lights are only open occasionally. Sometimes the stamp is at the light, sometimes it is kept somewhere else and sometimes you have to send someone a pictures and a self-addressed stamped envelope to get a stamp.
That is the way it is on Amelia Island. The light is only open for visitors on the 1st & 3rd Wednesdays of each month. Today was not one of those. So, I figured that I'd at least get a picture. The light is actually just across Egan Creek from the park and there is a viewpoint that is opposite the light. That was my first destination.
Once I rode there and took a photo, it seemed that I should be able to get closer, so I rode out of the park and in the direction of the lighthouse. I found my way to it, only to be greeted with a No Trespassing sign. It seems to be on an active Coast Guard site. But I walked along the edge of the site and got a pretty good view.
It is too bad that I couldn't visit it as it has its original Fresnel lens which was visible from where I was standing. Maybe next time. Right next to the No Trespassing sign, there was a sign indicating that I could, in fact, get the stamp. A copy is kept at the Amelia Island Museum of History, which is open on Saturdays. But—I didn't have the passport with me, so it was back to camp, for a 10 mile morning ride.
After lunch, we unloaded and set up Ellen's bike. I offered her the chance to ride to town with me, but she demurred (something about my riding style....) and went off in search of birds.
I headed back out of the park in search of the stamp. (Did I mention that it is about three miles from the campground just to the gate?) It was off to downtown Fernandina Beach and then to the museum. They were open (It is just as well I didn't go in the morning since they didn't open until 1pm) and I got the passport stamped.
From there I took a tour of the waterfront. They have a small container terminal in Fernandina Beach, They seem to ship paper and grain. At least that is what was in the open warehouses that I passed. There is also a small shrimper fleet along the waterfront. At least one shrimper seems to have missed the channel—
From the waterfront it was off to Amelia Island Coffee for an afternoon Cafe Latte. It is always a stop here when we come to Fort Clinch even though their espresso blend is a bit too darkly roasted for my taste, more Starbucks than Lavazza.
My travels were a bit more successful than Ellen's. The wind seems to be keeping the birds in hiding. A few warblers, a sparrow, some ground doves and pelicans were about all that were seen...and they were seen at the campsite.
Tomorrow we head south to Huguenot Memorial Park at Ft. George near the mouth of the St. Johns River. It is less than 30 miles away. I'll be cycling and hope to beat the rain (50% chance in the morning). At least it will be warmer. Ellen will be driving Speedy for the first time this trip.
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