Day 342 - Ortega River to Sixmile Creek, FL
Day 342 - Monday, April 3rd: Yes, we know nobody knows where Ortega River or Sixmile Creek are, but one is near Jacksonville and the other is, well, sort of near St. Augustine only on the St. Johns River. Anyway, read on.
Friends Gerry and Linda picked us up at the marina this morning and took us to breakfast at a marvelous diner they had happened upon Saturday. It was named, unceremoniously, "Metro Diner," and had been in business through three owners, each of whom seemed to improve it. It was a strong favorite with the locals; this is the scene we arrived to see:
Our excellent waitress took this group picture for us:
Years ago, an "itinerant artist," Bim Willow, carved the likeness of the diner's owner in a branch stub of a tree next to the building. Later, they expanded the building, but made this Plexiglas bubble in the wall to avoid cutting back the tree:
It was a very impressive carving, and a very impressive piece of clever building.
Years later, the same artist carved this fellow in the same tree, using a branch stub:
The breakfast was marvelous. Not your usual Waffle House sort of place!
Next, Gerry and Linda drove us back to the River City Marina to see if UPS had brought Ruth's new camera yet. We waited for UPS next door at the affiliated River City Brewing Company Restaurant while Gerry and Linda went to check out of their hotel. The restaurant wasn't open yet, but they let us wait inside. In the entry was a big glass case housing this prize Caribbean Lobster. The colors, and the size, were impressive. He is about 2-1/2 feet long:
Imagine seeing this view while scuba diving:
Well, UPS didn't show up while we were there, so Gerry and Linda drove us back down to Ortega Yacht Club. On the way, we "spotted" this building with a leopard painted on the windows; it's a unique-looking edifice:
We bid goodbye to our new friends and got underway. Our plan was to go slowly back to the River City Marina in the boat, waiting for a phone call that the UPS package had arrived. The call finally came, and the dock master passed the box to us as we nosed into the fuel dock. At last! The "Second Day Air" shipment had only taken seven days!
So as we headed south (upstream) on the St. Johns River, Ruth studied the new camera's manual. Needless to say, the options were intimidating. This is one page in the huge manual:
For the next couple of hours, Ruth got pictures of the daily cruising routine:
Our destination for the day was a free dock in Sixmile Creek some fifteen miles upstream. We arrived to an almost empty dock. You can stay for free if you eat a meal at the host restaurant, the Outback Crab Shack:
As we drew closer, we recognized Proctor Anne with friends Gary and Sara aboard:
The creek bank behind the dock was full of vegetation that looked like a nice home for frogs and alligators; we discovered later that this was right:
After tying up and getting settled, Gary and Sara joined us in the shade on the dock for happy hour (it was very hot):
Soon, we were visited by one of the local alligators. We learned that a few of these fellows have learned that the visiting people will feed them, so they hang around for a handout. Not a good practice!
This had been an overall great day, starting with a good meal and ending with a good meal - both with good friends. We slept to the cacophonic sounds of alligators, frogs and wildfowl.
Position tonight: N29 57.639 W081 32.677
To return to our Main Page simply 
close this window.
