Relax, and Regroup

May 7th
We drove through Jacksonville

Lighthouse 'sign' at a parking garage

And crossed the St. John's River

Crossing the St. John's River

We ended up at the Mayport NAS a little before 2.

After we got gas on the base (42 mpg), we found the Lodge checked in.

Navy Lodge

Breakfast area in the main building

There are small steps some places (like a threshold into the room), but the room is nice. It has A/C

Bed and closet

Mirror selfie

Tv

Kitchenette

Dining table

bathroom

We look out on the ocean and there is a pool right next door to us.

Window to the beach

I was looking at the base information - I didn't think they had a commissary, but the base info book said it was with the exchange on Mayport road. But I couldn't find it on the map. Bob insisted that we should go because it will be closed tomorrow, so he asked and found it was off base - just like in Key West.

My phone found it and we got there. But when it came time to show my ID, I had left my wallet in the room. But Bob told them I wasn't going to pay for anything and they let me come in without it. We bought some chicken for dinner and some other stuff. Celery, peanut butter, cereal, turkey bacon, cranberry juice, ice cream, grapefruit and cheese. $37.65 ($3.00 tip for the bagger).

I'm going to relax here. But.. While the pool is right next to our room, it isn't open until Memorial day. Bummer.

Monday May 8th

We drove around and I took photos of the two lighthouses. I was processing photos that we took until almost 11, so when we finally left the unit it was 11:30. The St. John's lighthouse is visible from the Navy Lodge, so that was easy.

St John's Lighthouse

But the other one was over on the perimeter road near where the ferry terminal is, (We visited this lighthouse in 2005) and I mistakenly thought we could go all the way around the air strip.

Heliocopter

We ended up out on a peninsula with all the ships.

We did eventually get to the perimeter road.

St John's River Lighthouse

2005 photo of the St. John's River Lighthouse

The story is that the Navy had to fill the area to build the airstrip, and the fill covered the bottom of the lighthouse. The door is underground. If you want to get in, you have to use a ladder and go through the window. You could see the shadow of the roofline of the old oilhouse on the side of the lighthouse

Bottom of the St. John's River lighthouse

They have parged the bottom of the lighthouse so the shadow of the old oil house isn't as visible.

2005 photo of the bottom of the St. John's River Lighthouse

On the way out

Station entrance

I took a photo of the Otter Crossing sign - (there was a wild area around the perimeter fence.}

Caution otter crossing

Mayport NAS golf course

Then it was time for lunch, so we went out gate 5 and went all the way out to Singletons.

Singleton's

There was a sign on the porch that said not to bother the cats and we did see a cat, but I didn't get a photo.

Please Seat Yourself

Cooks at Singletons

Appetizers Specials board

Specials board

Inside of Singletons

No Swimming

They had four kinds of hot sauce on the table- Professor Phardtpounders Colon Cleaner,

Colan Cleaner

Texaspet original Hot Sauce,

Texaspet

Trinidad Habanero Pepper Sauce, and

Trinidad Habanero

Louisiana Hot peppers in vinegar (one drop does it).

Louisiana hot pepper

We both had a cup of clam chowder, which was good but thick enough to stand a spoon in.

Cup clam chowder $4.00

Then Bob had a steamed shrimp basket

Bob's shirmp basket $8.00

and I had catch of the day (mahi) sandwich.

My sandwich - grilled catch of the day $10.20

From the restaurant window

We could watch the ferry coming and going from the window.

Mayport ferry from the restaurant window

I took the crackers (to eat with cheese) and the cole slaw back to the room. Bob went to the mini mart and got some mayo and hamburger rolls (he said there was no point in buying a whole loaf of bread) so that we could make chicken sandwiches out of the chicken. The station fire truck came in to get gas while he was marketing.

Fire truck getting gas at Mini-Mart

So that's what we had for dinner - chicken sandwiches, cole slaw, grapefruit, cheese and crackers and ice cream. If we have a room with cooking facilities that is what we usually do. We eat breakfast in the room, and when we are out and about, we have lunch. Usually a lunch will have more food than we can eat, so we bring the leftovers back to the room and have supper there.

Tuesday May 9th
I was looking up the cemeteries on FindAGrave and found one that was really located in Nassau County FL but they had the pin in the middle of Alabama. So I decided that Tuesday the 9th, we should go up and see where the cemetery really was (I couldn't find it on Google maps). There is a big wildfire in Okefenokee Swamp which has been burning for a month, and I was a little worried that the smoke would be a problem, but we got underway about 9:15.

First we went to the NEX (which Bob says is huge) so that we could buy a cooler to put the stuff we bought but didn't finish eating for when we check out of the Mayport Navy Lodge tomorrow.

Then we headed up I-95.

Bridge on I-95

There was some smoke when we got to a place called Yulee, but we found the cemetery with no problem - it was on a different street than the directions said, but it was in Nassau Co. and not in Alabama. It was a small cemetery with only 27 people buried there. We added 4 burials and pictures to 5 of the graves that didn't have photos.

Next - visiting Fernandina Beach