Amelia Island, Florida

Amelia Island, Florida

Tuesday- May 3, 2011- Bonita Springs, Florida

We were up by 5:30 A.m. on this our last day in Bonita Springs. We tidied up the condo, packed our last gear and set off for Amelia Island on the far Northeast coast of Florida, just beyond Jacksonville.

Rte. # 75 North took us up the central spine of the Florida Peninsula. Sarasota, St. Petersburg, Tampa, Ocala, Gainesville, the cities flashed by us in an unbroken plain of slash pines, orange groves, scrub brush and cattle farms. The heat of the day was palpable. It had reached into the 90 degree Fahrenheit ranges for most of the last month here in Florida. That is hot even for Florida. The Love bugs were already mated and gleefully splattering on the windshield and bumpers of all traffic on the expressways. It is an unpleasant May ritual in Florida.

At the top of the peninsula, we traversed Rte. #10 East for the last 70 miles across Florida to Jacksonville. The Rte. # 295 North. bypass carried us around the urban congestion of J’acksonville. We found and exited onto Rte. #A1A for the short ride into Frandina Beach and Amelia Island. It had taken us just under seven hours to make the run up from Bonita Springs.

Amelia Island and Frandina Beach have a colorful history. The island is part of the chain of coastal barrier island that stretches from the North Carolina border to Northern Florida. The French, Spanish, English, Confederate States of America and now the United States flags had once flown over her. Principally known now for its beaches, the island is still a major shrimpers fishing port, and has two paper mills.

As we crossed the large bridge onto the island, we looked onto the familiar visage of the Carolina and Georgia low country. Tidal marshes, flowing reeds and the smell of brine mark it as a wonderful habitat for shrimp and other creatures of the sea.

We found the “Amelia Hotel on the beach” with the help of our trusty GPS. It is a solid looking, three story brick structure on Fletcher Road, just across from “Sliders” a locally renowned seafood bar and restaurant that sits on the wide Frandina Beach. For #139 a night we had a third floor room, with a small balcony that looks out on the Atlantic and the broad beach.

Though tired from the drive, we unpacked and walked across Fletcher to the entrance of the beach. The sand here is very fine and hard to walk in. Several four wheel drive vehicles had made it out onto the top level of the beach above the high tide mark.

We walked for three miles, enjoying the waves crashing on the shore, the gulls flying effortlessly above us and the wonderful smell of brine in our noses. The tide was going out that time of the day and the wide expanse of the beach was well over seventy five yards from sea to high tide mark.. Children were playing at sea’s edge, making castles with sand pails. Others were scampering in the surf under the vigilant eyes of the hover mommies.

A flight of Pelicans cruised low above the waves ever on the look out for schools of fish. Their drop down dive into the water, to catch one, is always worth viewing. The large birds are ungainly on land but ever so graceful in the air.

The houses along the bluff were gaining in both stature and price as we approached the Southern end of the island. The Amelia Island Plantation, with its Omni conference center, and the Ritz Carlton golf and hotel complex are both at this end of the island. They are pricey digs by anyone’s standards.

It was 86 degrees out, sunny with a light breeze. You could enjoy this kind of weather forever. We were tiring with the drive and the day, so we walked back to the hotel and then settled into “Slider’s” across the street. Workmen were putting a new roof, siding and a sea side balcony onto the place. It will become a major gathering spot in the near future.

We sat at a table on the grass, looking out onto the frothing Atlantic. Janis, our pregnant waitress, brought us some iced tea while we perused the menu. It was classic comfort, fry everything cuisine. We opted for some decent crab cake sandwiches, golden french fries and cole slaw. Everything was of decent quality, if butt widening calorically.

The afternoon was waning as were we. We settled into our room and enjoyed a glass of good cabernet on the balcony. The long swells of the Atlantic rollers were as mesmerizing as ever. Joggers, walkers and a few surfers enjoyed the beach while we watched the day end. The local, national news claimed our attention for a time. Then, we read our books and turned in for the night, happy to be seaside.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011- Amelia Island, Florida
We arose early at 6:00 A.M. We opened the balcony doors and listened to the many birds chirping and carrying on in their pre dawn routines. We made some coffee and sat on the balcony, to watch the sun rise over the Atlantic at 6:39 A.M. There is always something magical in this simple, every day ritual. The first pre-dawn glow sets the stage. Then, the golden orb rises every so slowly from its watery depths. No wonder the primitives had established complicated rituals around the sunrise. We watched the small golden orb rise up the skyline until the beach area took on a its bright tan appearance. Early joggers, with their dogs, were already peopling the beach.

The neighborhood around us was awakening. People went off to work and others like us got ready for the day. The hotel provided breakfast in the lobby, so we enjoyed eggs, biscuits, yogurt and decent coffee, while watching the morning news on the large flat screen television. Workmen were already pounding away at Sliders across the way. We were glad that we are early risers.

We followed Fletcher Rd along the ocean to Rte. #A1A. There are several B& B’s along here that look interesting. The rest of the dwellings appear to be seaside and vacation bungalows for the better heeled of Jacksonville.

Rte. A1A took us into the historic district of the Town of Frandina. Founded in 1811, this seaport is located on the Amelia River as it empties into the Atlantic. It as seen much commerce and history. A seven block stretch took us down to the Marina. Tour boats and pleasure boats nestle in the attractive Marina and a pricey restaurant sits in their midst promising great views of the ocean. We walked around the marina watching the early risers prepare their boats. The shrimpers had already been out hours ago.

A ferry, that promised an all day trip to Cumberland Island, site of JFK’s private wedding, looked interesting. A set of rail tracks runs along the waterfront here connecting two active paper mills. Logging trucks roll in and out of the factories at all hours of the day.

An attractive waterfront museum, dedicated to rail road history, sits in a small park across from the marina. We took the obligatory pictures and then wandered up the main drag, window shopping. Gift stores, boutiques and a few small restaurants peopled the attractive boulevard. Several historic churches and one impressive ante-bellum mansion are of interest. The mansion had retained the same family as owners since the American Civil war. Flowers were hung everywhere. The area is lush with vegetation. Town fathers had reset the brick street and paved the sidewalks. It is tree-lined and attractive. Several cross streets have small shops and restaurants for the tourists who flock here during the Summer months. Everything was closed this early, so we walked back to the car and set out to see the rest of the island.

We took the Ocean Rd, (Fletcher) and drove back along the sea, past our hotel and towards the Ritz carlton golf course and hotel. We drove in for a look see. It is of course impressive. Just down the road a bit sits the Amelia Island Plantation. It features an Omni Hotel resort-center with a collection of boutique shops that attract the business conventioneers in droves. We drove through the complex, admiring the leafy and forested setting.

On our way back to the Historic district we stopped at the Frandina Beach Public Golf Course and made a 1:15 P.M. tee time. The Three nine-hole courses looked narrow, filled with hazards and challenging.

From the G.C. we drove back to the historic area, parked in the marina and set out along the main boulevard. We stopped for coffee at a small coffee shop. It was good coffee but as weak as most Southerners like it. (ugh)

We looked into “O’Kane’s Irish Pub” and the nearby Celtic Charm shop, browsing. The Christmas Boutique offered everything related to that famed holiday. Several small restaurants looked promising for later. It was Mary’s 60th birthday and we were planning dinner out.

The sun was rising and our tee time nearing, so we drove back along the ocean to our hotel. I wrote up some notes and we changed into our golf clothes. We drove the short distance to the Frandina Beach G.C. and signed in. The rates were inexpensive at $33 each for 18 holes. The starter introduced us to James Wilson of Nashville, Tennessee. A retiree, James as he liked to be called was a snow bird who owned a condo on Amelia Island. He was to prove enjoyable company during our round.

The golf fairways are lined with towering pines and very narrow. The grass, such as there was was of it, is more sand than grass. We struggled along, laughing at the difficult conditions as we hit the small round ball as best we could. The best thing we could say is that we finished early, said good bye to James and drove back to the hotel in time to enjoy a glass of cabernet on the balcony.

Later that afternoon, we followed Fletcher Rd. along the Ocean and back to the Historic District. Pairs of tourists were walking the main drag and browsing the shops. We had selected Gennaro’s, a small Italian Restaurant near the Marina, for dinner. It was a good choice. We were early so service was excellent. A glass of very good Chianti, with some wonderful garlic bread, led into a caesar salad and then an impressive Linguini with chopped salmon for me and Shrimp Fra Diavolo for Mary. Then, very tasty Canollies finished off a memorable repast. The tab was an inexpensive $65. We would return there if we find the opportunity.

After dinner, we walked up and down the boulevard browsing the shop windows and enjoying the early evening. It had been a nice day.

We drove back to the hotel and opened up a bottle of Francis Ford Coppola’s “Claret,” which we enjoyed on the balcony as we watched the day come to an end. It was a pleasant ritual that we have performed many times in the past

and always enjoyed.
The beach slipped into shadows as the sun set. The action picked up at Slider’s across the way. We settled in to read out books and retire. It had been an all too brief stay on a lovely vacation isle on Florida’s Northeast Coast. We hope to return again.

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Joseph Xavier Martin