Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area at Flagler Beach

Two people at the Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area at Flagler Beach Campground are online. Unfortunately for me, they have passwords. So I am composing, and will download when I get home, Sunday.

On Thursday, I received an email from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. “Setting the Record Straight” or something like that. Apparently the administration of Governor Scott has been criticised  for a lack of attention to Florida’s springs. The email laid out what the DEP has done since Scott took office. Anyway, I clicked a few links, got to the State Parks Facebook page. There was a photo of a right whale off Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area at Flagler Beach (hereinafter, Gamble Rogers) I knew the park has oceanfront camping. No way would one be available. I am glad I checked, anyway. One was, and here I am. I will get to the campground in chronological order, for now, to the start of the day.

I arrived at Bulow Plantation Ruins Historic State Park at 7:40

What? Most State Parks open at 8. I have been here before, must have had a late start

I turned around, thinking of Plan B. Which turned out to be Paul. Park volunteer and mind reader.

I was thinking, should I ask this guy on the golf cart if he can let me in? when he asked, “Do you want to launch here?” Yes I did. He opened the gate.

I dropped off the kayak, and left.

Doing a car bike shuttle

Left the car at North Peninsula State Park,  Smith Creek landing, just east of the Highbridge road drawbridge over the Halifax River.

Hopped on the bike for a six mile ride back to Bulow Plantation Ruins.

 

Well, once the bridge was lowered. A fellow biker advised me to walk across the bridge. It had rained, and the metal span was slippery. Falling on the rough metal segments would ruin my day

 

This is a beautiful ride. I saw, but failed to photo, a bald eagle.

 

Part of the “Ormond Loop”

 

Bulow State Park is separate from the Bulow Ruins. No water access. That I know of

 

The last two photos are Boardman Pond.  I would revisit it, later.

Back to Bulow Historic site at 9:08

On Bulow Creek at 9:16

Headed downstream to the Halifax River

 

 

Always good to get a photo of a belted kingfisher. Especially when it is the first on the water bird photo.

 

The greats, egret and blue heron, were in the Cisco Ditch. An old canal.

 

Walter Boardman Road. I drove, and pedaled over the water, earlier.

When I took the above photo, I only noticed the neared Scenic Highway sign. Shows how curvy the road is.

 

 Usually, I would not like to be paddling near a road. But 99 percent of the people on the road, drivers, bikers, motor cyclists, joggers, are there for the same reason I was. Natural beauty. The one percent was a bread truck.  I bet this is his favorite route.

 

 

 

 More birds on the part of the paddle near the road than there had been earlier when roads were out of sight and sound.

Drawbridge rises again

 The ramp at Highbridge Road. I used it the other time I did a car bike shuttle here, before I discovered Smith Creek Landing. Past the drawbridge, on the right side

No power boats on the short, shallow, creek.  On Bylow Creek, I saw one other boat.  A jon boat.  Nothing with a console can get past the two low bridges

 

 Landed at 11:25. Sat down and had a drum stick

Chicken, not ice cream. Maybe that attracted the hawk

Loaded the kayak, and drove off. Not far, stopped for a walk.

 

 I thought the Fairchild Oak, a huge 400 year old tree, was at the end of this trail. It is, but it is a long walk. The short access from the road is a few miles away

Saw a lot of these little white butterflies all morning. On land and water.

I went back to the car, and crossed the road.

Boardman Pond Pond Overlook.  This was built because too many people were stopping on the road. With no shoulder.  I took a couple pictures from the road, on my bike, earlier.

 

 

These are from the Overlook

 

 In the car, back to Bulow Plantation.

 

This plaque describes the slave quarters.  All that is left are the coquina foundation stones.

As I have written before, I do not understand why modern real estate developments use "Plantation" in their name.  And several near this historic site do.  I guess Concentration Camp Hammock, and Gulag Woods missed the cut.

 

New, audio kiosk.

Old, ruins.

 

 

This is a new trail.

Youngster

Old springhouse

Back to the sugarmill

 

A flatboat could carry more cargo than a kayak.

Artifacts and a historical timeline

 

 

 

 

I left Bulow Ruins about 2 PM. After putting the road bike, on the rack here, on the car. I had to make a slight detour.  I thought the cooler closed to easily.  Because I forgot the hamburger.   So, a quarter mile detour to a Publix on Old Dixie Highway.

 

A drawbridge trifecta.  From bike, kayak, and car.

A1A, Atlantic Ocean

Above pic is at Gamble Rogers.  The ranger station is on the Halifax River/Intracoastal Waterway side of A1A.  I stopped, got my campsite info, than took a few photos.

Across A1A to the campground.  A bit of a delay to wait for a guy to back his Airstream into his site,  then unhook it from his truck, and park that.

My site.  A gentleman name Bert, thought it was his.  We figured out his was the next one over.  I set up the tent. Hard to get the stakes in the hard sand on the front side, easier in the grass at the back.

Time for a beach walk

Winnebago towers over my little gold tent.

 

 

The park has a half mile of ocean front

 

I have never camped with electricity before. The orange cord is usually used for my weed wacker. I figured I could run a light and the lap top.  But, I brought a three prong adapter, the outlet was a double hole.

Bike ride

Gamble Rogers was singer and story teller.  He was camping at the Flagler Beach Recreation Area in 1991 when he tried to save a swimmer.  He drowned.

 

Biked over to the Intracoastal side, got off at a hiking trail

 

 

It would not be a Florida State Park trail without this sign.

Warmed up the supervivid setting on the camera with a lichen pic.

Sunset on the Intracoastal.

Gamble Rogers

Whale watching.  One day, I may see one.

Back to my site.  Fired up the ground grill, cooked a couple burgers.  With potato salad.  Took two night walks, one on the beach, one on the Intracoastal side.  Nice to get away from the confines of the campground. Sites are close together, and not a lot of vegetation on the top of the dune.  34 sites People were respectful, not noisy at all. Besides the surf.