Adventure to Amelia Island
Prologue: Plans & Preparations
My girlfriend, Catt, always asks me to write about her. So, this is a story for her. I dedicate this one to you, Catt. I love you.
This story is about our adventure to Amelia Island, Florida in August of 2023. It was a vacation long in the making. We both needed a vacation in our lives. Office life is a dull bore in the summertime. Plus, it had been a while since our last proper vacation.
All year long, Catt had bugged me about going on a vacation. I would always agree that we needed a vacation and assure her that we would plan a trip whenever I got around to it. But I was hesitant to do so. I worried about all the what ifs. What if I could not take the days off work? What if it was too expensive? What if flying is too much of a hassle?
At last, Catt’s pleas for a vacation became too much to ignore any longer. I knew that I had to do this to be a good boyfriend. But beyond being a good boyfriend, I knew that this trip was important for both of us. We needed a respite from our mundane routines.
I must give credit to Catt for planning the entire vacation. She asked ChatGPT to plan a vacation to nowhere in particular, and it conjured up a vacation schedule for us. The result was an itinerary for visiting Amelia Island — a location picked at random by AI. It was like throwing a dart at a map while blindfolded.
So, during our lunch breaks one day, we booked our flight, as well as a seaside cottage in Amelia Island. It was a total spur of the moment decision, which added to our excitement.
Furthermore, scheduling the logistics turned out to be easier (and cheaper) than anticipated. We will land at Jacksonville International Airport on August 18 and return home on August 22. This vacation will be our end-of-summer bash!
The philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche wrote: “It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages.” This is true of all relationships. And that is why my relationship with Catt has worked out so well. I can say without a doubt that she is my best friend.
Sometimes I think she’s the only thing keeping me sane. She calms the storms that brew inside my head. She is my Rock of Gibraltar.
I would go on a vacation to hell with her if that’s what she wanted.
Leading up to this trip, we both had several goals aimed at maximizing our experience. For starters, I wanted to get my beach body in shape before our departure. I stuck with a rigorous exercise regimen of regular strength and cardio training. Besides exercise, I also played lacrosse weekly and rode my bicycle weekly.
Another goal of ours was to spend plenty of time in the sun beforehand so that we both would have adequate tans.
“I have an idea — let’s spend every Sunday tanning at the pool,” said Catt.
“Yeah, I agree. I need to get rid of my farmer’s tan lines,” I said.
Not all our goals focused on the preparation stages of vacation. For instance, we had plans to make memories and get the most out of our vacation. We pledged to take plenty of photos together while in Florida.
“We need to take more pictures of each other. That can be our goal for Amelia Island,” she said.
“Yes, let’s get lots of good pictures. I haven’t posted anything to Instagram in forever,” I said.
“Yes! I’ll bring my tripod to Florida with us,” she said.
Additionally, I planned to write about the whole experience from start to finish. By documenting the trip with photos and writing, we could save the memories forever.
With the trip booked and set to go, we could now relax and begin counting down the days until our departure.
About Amelia Island
Here is a description of Amelia Island, according to its official website:
“Located in northeastern Florida, Amelia Island offers an unspoiled setting for relaxing and rewarding getaways. Amelia Island is 13 miles long and two miles wide, with preserved park lands at its northern and southern tips, making up nearly 10 percent of the entire island!”
The website goes on to say:
“Treasured for her long stretches of quiet beach, natural beauty, unique history and charming seaport character, Amelia Island is consistently ranked among the best of the best with both the island and its partners winning countless awards.”
Our lodging for the weekend was a seaside cottage, described here:
“Sea Cottages of Amelia offers a unique stay in a natural setting under a majestic tree canopy… Our suites, just minutes from the beach, offer all the comforts of home… Located just one block from the Atlantic Ocean and the sandy 13 miles long beach on Amelia Island, Florida and only 3 miles from historic downtown Fernandina Beach with one-of-a-kind dining and shopping.”
These flowery descriptions illustrate the idyllic serenity of Amelia Island. It sounds like the ideal venue for a relaxing, romantic getaway. I can’t wait to go there!
Friday
We were both giddy with excitement. The night before felt like childhood Christmas Eve.
We arrived Friday night and checked into our Sea Cottage.
For dinner that night, we went to a nearby restaurant called Sliders Sea Grill. We had seafood and drinks there. There was live music — a band was playing Tom Petty covers.
We soon learned that Amelia Island is known as the “birthplace of the modern shrimping industry.”
Saturday
On Saturday morning I woke up early to make coffee. I drank coffee, journaled, and sketched pictures of Catt while she slept.
Mike Scott from the Beach Store & More stopped by with his pickup truck to deliver the pair of bikes we rented for the weekend. These bikes would be our primary mode of transportation on the island. Mike was super nice and gave me a map of the island.
We rode our bikes to the other side of the island to Fernandina Beach, the small town on the island. We planned to ride jet skis but had to take a test for a temporary boating license first.
We rented the higher end model of jet ski — the instructor (a nice guy named Seth) called it the “Cadillac of jet skis.” I drove the jet ski while Catt rode on the back. On the jet ski, we reached a top speed of 56 MPH. Seth, the instructor, led us on a route along a river which lets out into the Atlantic Ocean. During our jet ski excursion, we encountered two separate pods of dolphins. One dolphin even swam up to our jet ski close enough that we could have touched it.
After jet skiing, we asked Seth for a restaurant recommendation and he directed us to The Salty Pelican, a nearby seafood joint. We ate lunch there and then rode our bikes back to our Sea Cottage.
We took a brief siesta at our Sea Cottage and then rode our bikes to the beach. At the beach, I hunted for seashells to show Catt. On two occasions, I reached my hand into the seafloor and scooped up hermit crabs.
After a few hours at the beach, we returned to our Sea Cottage and got dressed for dinner. We were both sunburnt on our shoulders, legs, and faces.
We took an Uber back to Fernandina Beach, where we ate dinner at the Amelia Island Brewing Company. Afterward, we explored downtown Fernandina Beach and took pictures of the town. We went to the Palace Saloon, the oldest operating bar in Florida. We had drinks and enjoyed live music performed by a one-man-band. The one-man-band consisted of a guy wearing a Stetson hat who played electric guitar, synthesizer, and drum machine all at once.
We returned to our Sea Cottage that night and took edibles and fell asleep in each other’s arms.
Sunday
Sunday morning, I woke up early again to journal and drink coffee.
When Catt woke up, we went for a bike ride to Starbucks, but it started to rain, so we took shelter in a breakfast diner. We ate breakfast there while we waited out the rain.
After the rain subsided, we rode our bikes to Fort Clinch State Park. Because Catt is so sweet and charming, we were able to get free admission into the park. We rode to the Egan’s Creek Overlook, which is an observation point in the park. From the Overlook, you can see the Amelia Island Lighthouse, the oldest lighthouse in Florida. We also saw hermit crabs and anole lizards which was cool.
By then, it was getting hot, so we decided to ride back to our Sea Cottage. On the ride back, we passed a small patch of protected habitat. There were “Tortoise X-ing” signs nearby. This patch of habitat was protected to preserve the population of gopher tortoises (Florida’s state tortoise). While we were coming back, I saw one of the tortoises walking and we stopped to observe it. Gopher tortoises spend 80% of their time in underground burrows, so were quite lucky to see one. Not to mention the fact that they’re endangered.
After a brief siesta at our Sea Cottage, we rode our bikes to the Beach Store & More, where we saw Mike Scott again. We rented two chairs and an umbrella for the beach and posted up at a secluded spot.
At the beach, we laid out in the sun and read Stephen King books together. Catt was reading On Writing and I was reading The Dead Zone.
There was lots of cool wildlife at the beach. Of course, there were seagulls, pelicans, and sandpipers. We also saw an osprey flying over the ocean and tiny sand crabs burrowing on the beach. But the coolest thing was a small area roped off with caution tape. When we approached it for a closer examination, there was a sign explaining that this was a sea turtle nest.
We spent all afternoon at the beach and then returned to our Sea Cottage to get ready for dinner. For dinner that night, we planned to stay close and go to Sliders Sea Grill again. Once again, there was a band playing live music — they played “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey and “De Do Do Do De Da Da Da” by the Police (among others).
After dinner, Catt and I went for a romantic walk on the beach. We took pictures of each other and watched the sun set over the ocean.
Monday
On Monday, we both woke up before dawn to watch the sunrise on the beach. We said goodbye to the ocean one last time before leaving.
We left the bikes locked up at our Sea Cottage — Mike Scott would come by later to pick them up.
Then we took an Uber to Jacksonville Airport and flew back home.
Afterthoughts
It was nothing short of a magical weekend. It was like the rest of the world disappeared.
I had so much fun with Catt. I don’t ever want to be without her. She’s the greatest of all time. She makes me feel so confident and manly.
The post-vacation depression is real. I miss Amelia Island, but Catt and I plan to carry that energy with us back in Ohio.
I love you Catt.
