It's a Lock!

Several campgrounds are vying for our Number One Campground Choice for 2017 so perhaps it's too early to mention the winning one that's a lock.

But then on the other hand, our latest campground is a lock, the St. Lucie Lock Recreation Area, a Corp of Engineers' facility built next to the St. Lucie Lock.

The lock is one of a series that enable boaters to sail the shortcut passage of the Intercoastal Waterway, the one that bisects the Florida peninsula from Stuart, FL on the Atlantic side to Fort Myers on the Gulf of Mexico.

Tim and I found this campground in 2016 when we were working at a nearby Habitat for Humanity construction site in Indiantown, FL.  That first visit coincided with the passage of a very special outrigger, the Hōkūleʻa, through the lock.  (Read here to learn more of that chance encounter.)

We knew then that we wanted to come back to Stuart and camp at this special place.

However, it wasn't easy to make a reservation on recreation.gov.  Oh, logging into the website was not the problem; it was the waiting up until midnight six months prior to the dates we wanted in order to click Submit ahead of all the other aspirants who desired one of the nine campsites located at this sought-after campground that was hard.

Thanks to Tim's lightning-quick stroke, we landed on Site 5 for these past two weeks.

Two campgrounds that will not make our short list, despite their high popularity and our fixed reservations are Fort Pickens State Park near Pensacola, FL and Fort Clinch State Park on Amelia Island, northeast of Jacksonville.  Unfortunately, two days before our scheduled Nov. 12th arrival at Fort Pickens State Park, we were notified that because of the impact of Hurricane Nate, the road leading onto the island was inundated with sand, making passage to the currently closed park impossible.  Then last week the ranger at Fort Clinch State Park called with news of a water main break that necessitated a limited closing of that park.  How disappointing!

We had to scramble to find other places to camp, not easy prizes to obtain in Florida during snowbird season.  How lucky we were to lock down campsites at a commercial campground in Pensacola and at the Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park in north central Florida!  Our mid-November stay at the Pensacola campground received an average score from us.

The jury is still out on Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park where we'll camp this next week.  It, too, could be a lock, if it wows us as much as St. Lucie Lock has done.

Postscript:  We arrived at Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park yesterday and we're looking forward to exploring its hiking and biking trails.  Could this be another contender for our 2017's Favorite Campground?  But first we had to call a tow truck to winch the Dawntreader out of the sandy campsite Tim turned into as he tried to back our bus in the campsite across the way.  This was our first experience of getting into a position that we could not get out of using our own resources, but our dismay lasted only a few hours until the tow truck came to our rescue.

Fortunately, all's well that ends well!  Tim paid the driver and we set up camp in a nicely graveled, firm soil foundation campsite.

Flagler’s Whitehall

Whitehall in Palm Beach, FL

In 1892 Henry Flagler, the Standard Oil capitalist whose attentions had turned to building a railroad the length of Florida's east coach and luxury hotels to house the tourists that would follow, visited the narrow, palm-laden barrier island of Palm Beach.

Henry Morrison Flagler
(Photo courtesy of Flagler Museum)

Returning to his St. Augustine home, he announced to his subordinates, "I have found a veritable Paradise!" and directed them to buy property to erect the "largest hotel in the world" and to push the tracks of his Florida East Coast Railroad ever further south.

Vintage Postcard of the Royal Poinciana Hotel

Two years later the Royal Poinciana Hotel, a six-story Georgian-style edifice with over 3 miles of hallways, opened its doors--to 17 guests.  But once the word got out, thousands of sun-seekers flocked south to enjoy its opulent accommodations of more than 1080 rooms; that is until the Stock Market Crash of 1929 swallowed up America's prosperity.  The hotel closed its doors in 1934 and was torn down a year later, a victim of the Great Depression.

Grand Hall Entry

However, Whitehall remains.

The Drawing Room

Tim and I visited this winter retreat with its 75-plus rooms that Flagler at age 72 built as a wedding gift for his 34-year-old third wife, Mary Lily Kenan Flagler.

Mary Lily Kenan Flagler and Henry M. Flagler
(Photo courtesy of Flagler Museum)

The palatial home was scheduled for demolition in 1959.

The Ballroom

However, Flager's granddaughter, Jean Flagler Matthews, rescued it and turned it into the Flagler Museum.

The Billiard Room

Most of its furnishings are original to the building.

The Music Room

Famous paintings purchased by Henry and Mary Lily adorn its walls.

The Music Room

The pipe organ still holds pride of place in the music room.

Linke Clock

A priceless Louis XV-style clock made by Francois Linke and shown at the 1900 Paris Exposition graces the grand hall entry.  It is truly an amazing residence.

The Pavillon

On the grounds of the museum is the Pavillon erected in 2005.

Railcar No. 91 of the Florida East Coast Railway

It was built to showcase Flagler's private railcar, No. 91.

The Interior of Railcar No. 91

Once again the railcar reveals the wealth of its owner.  Now, that's the way to travel in style!