Although the government shutdown has ended, the Visitor Center at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge was still closed on my recent visit to this quiet gem, one of almost a dozen national parks and monuments in Florida.
A park volunteer at the closed gate told me that the Visitor Center (fws.gov/merrittisland) would be closed into November for repairs. I missed strolling its inviting boardwalk, where I enjoyed a point-blank staring match with beautiful painted buntings on a rainy-day road trip earlier this year.
Fortunately, the other areas in the park are all open.
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The birds will be back in force as the weather becomes colder in the winter months. That’s the perfect time for a slow drive along the gravel path of the 7-mile Black Point Wildlife Drive, where even an amateur bird-spotter (moi) has no trouble observing great egrets, roseate spoonbills, ducks, wood storks and even the occasional gator or bald eagle.
On my recent visit, I spent more time along one of the boardwalks over the dunes at Canaveral National Seashore. Deserted on a weekday afternoon, I savored the stillness, alternating my gaze from the blue water on the horizon to the view of the enormous Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center in the distance.
I took the north exit road, returning to civilization in southern Volusia County, where I headed north of U.S. Highway 1 through Edgewater to tiny Oak Hill.
I didn’t come equipped with a fishing rod, which ought to be considered an essential accessory for a destination that was once known for its annual seafood festival. Fortunately, I did arrive with an appetite for seafood as I pulled into the parking lot of Goodrich’s Seafood and Oyster House (goodrichseafoodandoysterhouse.com).
Sitting along River Road on the Mosquito Lagoon, Goodrich’s is a laid-back spot for breakfast or lunch by the water on the wooden deck out back. Breakfast is a specialty, but I arrived for sunset, when a bowl of New England clam chowder went well with the falling temperature.
I looked around for retired Miami Dolphins star Larry Csonka, who winters in Oak Hill and owns the restaurant land.
I had season tickets with my dad for the Dolphins’ perfect season in 1972 and someday I hope to reminisce with Zonk about it over a beer.