Thanksgiving 2006 was spent at Little Talbot Island State Park (127.6 miles), one of my favorite parks.  By the time I made reservations, the only site available for 5 nights was for tent camping.  I had no trouble parking the Westy GTRV under the low hanging limbs of the large trees.  By positioning the van in the space, the top fit nicely between the branches.

I took the 3-speed bicycle, but not the electric bike (waiting for new batteries) or the Pakboats Puffin kayak.  The kayak would have been an excellent choice, since Myrtle Creek by the campground was very inviting during high tide, during which time biking on the ocean beach would have been difficult.  I was worried about the sharp oyster beds.

The paved bike path is several miles long, with a shelter and air pump at the far end.  Plenty of native flora and some fauna.  Easy biking with very low hills, but sometimes strong winds.

At low tide the beach could be biked for miles.  There are several boardwalks accessible to the water.

This is the first time I tried the 4.1 mile Island Hiking Trail.  The entrance sign says to sign in at the ranger station before doing the trail, but I just wanted to bike it a bit.  The sandy trail and dunes required a lot of walking with the bike the first 2.4 miles.  I met a group of several older couples returning on the trail.  They said the tide was too high for them to negotiate the hike on the beach back to the first boardwalk - 1.7 miles.  By the time I reached the ocean, the tide was low enough to use the beach trail.

Biking down the beach to Fort George River inlet is fun during low tide.  When the wind is up, the parasails are all over the river from Huguenot Memorial Park on Fort George Island.  The beach often has interesting shells and wildlife.  The State Park has more than five miles of white sand beaches, dunes, and sea oats.

The sunsets on Myrtle Creek in the campground were beautiful.  The Kingsley Plantation on Fort George River was in the distance across the creek.  This looked a nice paddling destination, but a fisherman in a kayak was returning at low tide and the oyster beds made a bit of maneuvering necessary.  He did have a nice catch of fish.

There was also a one-mile nature trail next to the campground through a coastal hammock of live oaks, palms, cedars, and pines among the dunes.  At high tide, parts of the trail are under water.

On the way back home, I stopped at Fort Clinch State Park on Amelia Island.  A new visitors' center was under construction.

Each day I biked about 8 to 14 miles and walked 10,000 to 26,000 steps.  Total miles driven - 283.5

Little Talbot Island 2006 / GoodeG Home Page / Trip Index