It was a pretty good idea, but. . .

                                                         

©2016 Lydia Hinshaw

Sunrise at Fort Clinch State Park

 FERNANDINA BEACH, FL -- Prince Charming and I took the bold step of traveling here early Friday morning to see if we could score a campsite at Fort Clinch State Park.

 Once upon a time, it was easy to go camping on the spur of the moment in Florida's state parks.  Then the Internet came along, the parks started taking reservations 11 months in advance and the motor-home set was willing to stay up until midnight, poised to claim a campsite at to sign up at the first possible minute.

 A few sites are held open for first-come, first serve each day, and this was what we were hoping to get.  We left here at 6:30 and arrived about 9 a.m., which was in time to grab the only available spot for one night.

 So we spent the day wandering around downtown Fernandina, had lunch at a favorite spot and, when we got tired, claimed our campsite, just a dune away from the ocean.

 We got to enjoy it for perhaps an hour before a 20 mph east wind whipped up and started trying to move that dune west into the campground.

 Our picnic table was of no use for dinner.  We managed to avoid a sand-laced meal by fixing sandwiches inside the Magic Bus.  Our neighbors, all in bigger vehicles than ours, also retreated indoors.  The Prince, who likes to make friends in campgrounds, walked two laps around the place but couldn't find anyone to talk to.
 We wound up going to bed at 7 p.m.

 All night, the wind bounced the bus around.  In my upper berth, I needed to keep the windows open both for fresh air and to ease the pressure of the wind against the canvas.  The grit built up on my pillow and my sleeping bag, and between my teeth. Nevertheless, I slept quite well.

 Morning brought no improvement in the conditions.  I had imagined enjoying my coffee on the beach, but there was no way to light our small camp stove to heat water.

 It was simpler just to break camp and go find a restaurant for breakfast.  And we were not disappointed when we learned that there were no campsites available Saturday night.

 We had a good time, and acquired one more camping story suitable for exaggeration later.