Home is....

What a great feeling it was when we came down Atlantic Avenue turning into Fort Clinch State Park. Eight months ago we drove through the same gate, yet in the opposite direction. We are very much looking forward to staying for four months at camp site 1, reconnecting with friends, and being part of the Fort Clinch volunteer team.

But before we write about our winter season on Amelia Island, I would like to step back and talk about the last few stops we had made on our way home.

Choctaw Lake was our home for two days. What a wonderful, quiet, family oriented campground with peaceful views from the hike around the lake. It was very close to Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge.

This highly rated refuge will be our home from April through June of 2020. It offers a place for migratory birds and native wildlife. Noxubee attracts hunters, hikers, and fisherman alike. Can't wait to learn more about the different species and plants in the refuge, and to assist in maintenance  projects. One of the great values of our RV life is that we get introduced to places which have such totally different missions.

After staying one more day at a COE park near Silas, AL, we crossed the FL stateline and were welcomed by sun, palm trees, and temperatures which made us to turn the A/C on the first time for months. Topsail Hill Preserve State Park amazed us with Caribean beaches and nice hikes. One more stop to go.

Three Rivers State Park, a very cosy park northwest of Tallahassee, was our harborage for the last two nights on the road. Sunrises were magnificent and the nearby Florida Caverns State Park was worth the day trip. The small town of Marianna was already decked out for Christmas and we even  found the rarity of a shoe maker. The time away from home went by so fast and we are back to the place where we left eight months ago. This will also be the starting point for our next years journey and T.S. Eliot's quote resonates with me: "Home is where one starts from".