Amelia Island: Pirate Paradise in North Florida

Fort Clinch State Park

I walked my dog here but was told not to go on the beach with her. While walking, Alex called. Among other things, he told me that he had a fleeting moment of sympathy for Trotsky as the underdog. And it alarmed him. But, let’s get back to the fort.

You can bike here. There are 6 miles of bike and hiking trails around Fort Clinch. Or you can go for a walk. In the summer, you can walk and walk through this steamy jungle of cabbage palms and live oaks, with Spanish moss drizzling down and dancing ever so slightly in the faint breeze. And as I’m walking, I gradually become aware that I’m walking along a path right beside a huge marsh. Then it occurs to me that saltwater crocs might be in the marsh and that Stella is a small dog.

Y’alls

May I digress? This didn’t happen in Fort Clinch, but on a walk through town one evening, Stella stopped to pee, and of course, I stopped with her. I’m standing there and this rough-looking guy walks up to me and says, “If y’all are fixin’ to steal this here box o’ stuff, y’all will regret it, ’cause I’ll track y’alls down.” Then Stella stepped out from behind a tree, and the man realized his mistake and apologized. It was then that I noticed a box a few feet away from me.

But I have a question. Is it necessary to add an ‘s’ to y’all since y’all is already plural? It’s short for you all. Why would you add an ‘s’? And yet I hear it all the time. It sounds funny to me. Funny as in ha ha funny.

Another Gator Warning on Amelia Island

We rented some bikes and took them to Fort Clinch. There are other trails on the island, but you can park your vehicle here under the watchful eye of the park ranger, and they know that you’re here. So if you don’t return, they might come and look for you and find partially eaten remains…or maybe nothing at all.