The following is Scott Fais' weekly blog detailing discoveries made while traveling through Florida and along the road of life.
Traditionally, I travel Florida’s highways and byways solo. It’s me, the 2008 Ford Escape I have nicknamed “The Tankful Trooper,” and the open road. This week, that changed. I was pleased to have a co-captain on our adventure to Fernandina Beach, located on Amelia Island, just north of Jacksonville.
Lisa D. Huynh is spending two years traveling our great nation while learning everything she can about the cable television industry. As a participant in the Advance/Newhouse Leadership Development Program, Lisa has seen it all (or so she thought until our journey): from answering calls in Bright House Networks’ call center to even scaling a telephone pole in order to connect new service, Lisa says she’s been trained and certified to install new services into your home!
Seldom do I hand over the reins of the Road Log to others. But something tells me, the graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and Martin J. Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University can handle blogging here. Below are her thoughts and observations on our 12-hour round trip north, to just shy of the Georgia boarder.
Here is Lisa D. Huynh in her own words, as my sidekick:
Having spent the majority of my Bright House Networks career in the division office, I was delighted to hear that I would be Scott Fais’ traveling companion on the great I-95 during my rotation at News 13.
Before leaving the parking garage in the Tankful Trooper, I was relieved when Scott handed me the GPS navigation system. Although I may be skilled at climbing telephone poles and listening to customer calls, I can’t boast too much of my navigation skills or my expertise of performing co-captain duties more than taking still photography shots in general.
The three-hour one-way drive was not too scenic having traveled many highways along the east coast, but upon arriving at the destination, I found that my camera battery could have been charged more.
Entering Fernandina Beach on Centre Street, I told myself that I would treat my experience on the island as if I was a true Floridian tourist even though I was still on the clock. Standing next to the parked car decaled with News 13 logos, I could see exactly where the quaint street started and ended on the horizon at the Harbor Marina, far from commercialization.
Family-owned businesses and boutique shops lined the street such as Fantastic Fudge, a landmark of downtown Fernandina Beach. The shop has been operating for 21 years, and it is not surprising to have the line wrap around the corner I was told. However, the wait is not too bad as the aroma of freshly-made chocolate is released outside through a duct system located inside the shop.
“There are a lot worse things you could smell all day,” said Scott, as he overlooks Steve Colwell, the shop’s owner who was stirring 20 pounds of fudge in the cauldron.
In his 28 years of being in the fudge business, Steve has never let a visitor try their luck at creating his prized product. Steve was brave enough to hand the paddle over to Scott though, and guests in the shop were not disappointed at Scott’s attempt to be a confectioner.
Grandparents and children giggled alike as fudge landed on the floor and Scott’s clothing as often as the target table. Steve said he likes being a part of someone’s vacation, and Scott’s 5-minute attempt of making fudge was certainly memorable and entertaining.
Several storefronts past Fantastic Fudge awaits Ship’s Lantern, Amelia Island’s oldest gift shop. Ship’s Lantern started 40 years ago as an art gallery, and today has amassed around 1,000 items in its collection.
“Every nook and cranny has something,” said Carol Elefterion, owner. Carol pointed out local handcrafts such as beautifully-painted roof tiles and brass doorknockers to rare oddities like fossilized animal ‘poop’ to Scott and I.
Carol regularly attends tradeshows to search for unique items that deserve a spot in her shop, but “I’m not opposed to digging in the trash,” she said. Luckily, I found that I did not have to reach for the bottle of Purell to enjoy my shopping spree at her shop.
Amelia Island offers more than great shopping although that was a decent amount of my 4-hour visit on the island. The Amelia Island Convention & Visitors Bureau has racks of information brochures to make your stay well-rounded and educational even. Amelia Island, after all, is the only island to have eight flags fly over it.
The island’s history is rich, and that is clearly illustrated through the architecture of the town’s buildings and homes. The legend that I will forever associate with Amelia Island is that of Last Flight Out, an aviation-themed store on Centre Street.
Last Flight Out is based on the history of Air Sunshine that operated out of Miami in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Air Sunshine serviced the Caribbean area, and on many of the islands, was the only flight out back to the States.
Conversely, my expedition in the Tankful Trooper brought me to a paradise that I wish I could have stayed longer at, especially with the good company I encountered along the way.
Until Next Week, Safe Travels!
-SCOTT & LISA
Scott Fais enjoys traveling along the Florida Coast. Know of a great spot on the sand? Drop him a line atsfais@cfnews13.com. And send photos! He enjoys seeing the places you visited.