St. Augustine, Florida

St. Augustine
October 14-15, 2018
Trip Journal #12

Attention grammar police. 

When I mentioned St. Augustine in this part of the country, I was kindly corrected. My Catholic friends will know that I accurately say “a-gus-tin” with the emphasis on the “gus”. However, hereabouts they say “Aug- us-tine” emphasizing the “Aug”. However, we did visit and attend Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Augustine … where they pronounced it my way from the pulpit.

Cathedral Basilica of Saint Augustine 

The walls featured many paintings recording the history of Catholicism in this region. Very beautiful work. 

Choir Loft at back of Cathedral

St. Oscar Romero

This Sunday as we attended Mass, they observed that this very day in Rome, Bishop Oscar Romero is being canonized as a saint. An advocate for peace during El Salvador's civil war - he sacrificed his own safety to be close to the poor and his people. Óscar Romero was killed by soldiers while celebrating Mass in 1980 in San Salvador. Sainthood only 38 years after his death. We mention this because our family has a close connection to Salvador. Hello Jorge 💖

Greece in Florida

This city has much to offer, yet when we pulled into the parking lot for large vehicles, we parked right next to a enormous Greek Festival by Trinity Greek Orthodox Church ... covering three acres with huge tents, entertainment, vendors and of course Greek food.  We seem to be traveling the world … remember our visit to the Polish Festival in Baltimore!


Besides the great food, we were treated to some Zorba dancing!
Fun fact: when waiting in line for some delicious Greek food, we struck up a conversation with a priest. Lots of comparative discussion between the Roman church and the Greek church. The fun part came at our parting when he said ... "Now where is my wife?"

Historic District

The City of St. Augustine is the nation’s oldest city founded in 1565 by Spanish Explorers. Possession of Florida changed hands quite a few times … but never by violence … always by treaty or purchase. An interesting fact: when the United States purchased Florida from Spain in 1819, all free blacks (those not enslaved) and all indigenous peoples (Indians) were expelled and forced either north, west or to the Caribbean Islands. You will recall African Anna Kingsley, wife of Zephaniah Kingsley and manager of his plantations … she and all her children moved to Haiti.

We walked the Historic District of St. Augustine, savoring its food and shopping a little.  Of note is the five & dime shop where we found nice hats, the soap shop owned by a Frenchman, the gelato and chocolate shop that smelled fabulous … and the Backyard of Meehan’s Island Café!  Great food ... I had the schrimp scampi and he had fish and chips ... with outside seating … we recommend 😋

Plaza de la Constitucion

At the end of the historic district is the Plaza de la Constitucion and a fascinating tidbit of Florida’s independent streak. Also in this picture is the Cathedral Basilica shown as it is today across from the plaza. The plaza was laid out in 1573 with specifications that imbue it with harmony and spiritual meaning … the length being equal to 1½ the length.

Fascinating piece of history here about this monument. St. Augustine is stubborn.

Castillo de San Marcos

Spanish Explorer Ponce de Leon first explored this area searching for gold in 1513. He names it La Florida.  Sporadically claimed by Spain, France and England (and of course the indigenous natives) Spain wanted to keep control. Completed in 1695, Spain hoped to fortify their claim on the Floridian region with this fort at the west bank of Matanzas Bay leading to the Atlantic Ocean. The fort was never conquered due to its design and construction of a sedimentary mix of shells mixed with sand and water, called Coquina which absorbed canon balls rather then destruct.

A note for our Roadtrek Family

That large vehicle parking lot we parked at ... it is there because the 3 story parking structure will not accommodate anything taller than 8"2". Interestingly, the structure charges $15.00 flat fee. The large for oversize vehicles only lot is free until 10:00 p.m. You can also purchase an overnight pass for $35.00, but with no hookups; we declined and headed to a Walmart.

Florida Sandhill Cranes

These beautiful birds were more interested in scraps of food in the parking lot than in our efforts to capture them photographically. Sandhill cranes "couple" for life and do not migrate. They are threatened in the state of Florida and belong in freshwater wetland and marches ... which is why we do NOT leave food in the parking lot of Walmart!

Next: Cruising down the Coast

Finally to Florida

North East Florida
October 9-13, 2018
Trip Journal #11

Heading southeast into northeast Florida a day before the hurricane hits there, we enter our last state to visit on this east coast tour.

Old Neighborhood

Keeping with the theme of revisiting our roots, we drove around Dinsmore, a suburb of Jacksonville, to find the house Dan lived in for 5 years as a child. We think we found it. A mix of small old homes and farms on Old Kings Road, we drove up and done for a few miles. When we stopped by an old church, a large dump truck pulled in beside us and the driver inquired if we were lost. This nice person was concerned because he said that this area was not safe. This was such a nice gesture of kindness.

Barrier Islands

A series of barrier Islands grace the coastline of the Atlantic Ocean east of Jacksonville Florida. We were here 10 years ago with Mariah and Kaia for a great week exploring these islands, swamps and beaches. This visit brings us into places we did not explore then.

Our bicycles transported us through tree-canopied roads, deserted beaches and salt marshes.  We camped at Little Talbot State Park under a canopy of majestic spanish-moss draped live oaks with an understory of saw palmetto, magnolias bordering coastal grasslands. Beyond the hammocks of land there are sand dunes separating the fresh water ponds from the beach of the Atlantic Ocean.

Because this is the shoulder season between the summer visitors and the snowbirds, we find deserted beaches, clear roads and lonely trails; though we are finding campsites, they are full nevertheless. We call this stealth camping. Moreover, State Parks always provide the best campgrounds wherever we go … inexpensive with hookups and this one is no exception.

Bicycling

We biked for 10 miles under an oak canopy at Fort Clinch State Park on Amelia Island, camped at Little Talbot State Park and biked another 8 miles along the beach the next day. Should you be concerned about exhaustion setting in … know that we now have e-bikes with battery assist for going uphill or when tiring. We estimate we actually use the extra boost about 20% of the time.

Birds

The birds are incredible. Most have migrated south, but a few remain for our enjoyment. The Ibis and the Egret are similar, but I think I have begun to tell them apart. I have captured a few delightful photos.

Snowy Egret just taking to wing

Salt Marsh

The Salt Marsh along the Amelia and St. John’s rivers is not only beautiful but provides a number of ecological benefits. They provide critical nursery grounds for finfish and shellfish; and filter water and absorb pollutants, reducing toxins entering tidal creeks and estuaries. The large amount of plant materials absorbs excess water controlling coastal flooding; they act as a natural barrier against brief storm surges, helping to protect the delicate coastline.

A note on the environment here. The Florida State parks, private preservation organizations and National Environment interests have collaborated to create vast wildlife refuges and natural beaches, lagoons and undeveloped islands. We honor those efforts as we enjoy the natural world around us.

Kingsley Plantation

Being a southern phenomenon, plantations attract us westerners. This one especially called to us … literally, because we were not sure where we were heading as we left the barrier island we had camped. The road sign promised a historic preserve and we ventured down an isolated narrow canopy dirt road following an instinct.

To our surprise, we had arrived at the oldest plantation still standing in the state of Florida. Moreover, this was “Harvest Day” and we arrived about 20 minutes before it opened … the lines of cars were actually following us in and thus our perception of isolation. This plantation is unique in several ways.

Dating back to 1798, Zephaniah Kingsley moved to Spanish Florida with his African wife, whom he had purchased in Cuba. Setting up home on the 1,000-acre island and taking advantage of Spain’s views on race and society, Zephaniah freed her and their children and she became her husband’s business partner and owned her own slaves. Another unusual facet of Kingsley was that he owned five other plantations around this part of Florida: producing cotton, indigo, potatoes, rice, citrus and hickory nuts.

Demonstrations revealed many of the processes in the cultivation and harvesting of cotton and indigo. I didn't realize cotton has beautiful flowers.

The enslaved peoples quarters were made of tabby; a material formed of oyster shells, sand and water and layered to construct the walls.

More Family

Dan has seven siblings providing lots of family to visit. Four months ago, this lovely family drove from Florida to Mesa Verde Colorado for a family reunion … where we met the children and had a great time with  Brian (our favorite hiking guide.) Now it is our turn. We stopped for a visit here with Brian, Dan’s nephew (Marilyn’s son) and his lovely children, TJ and Kimberly who have the most lovely smiles in our family.

 You may have noted: we did not actually go into Jacksonville … too many people and too much traffic.

Next: St. Augustine

Georgia

Georgia
Georgia … October 4-9, 2018
Trip journal #10 

Some parting shots of SC before heading to Georgia.

This is the largest tree east of the Mississippi, the Angel Oak south of Charleston. Estimated to be 400 years old (1618 thereabouts) it is a Live Oak.  The Live Oak is a native species that only grow along the eastern coast. These trees can withstand hurricane winds, earthquakes, floods and predators. This one is 65 feet tall with a circumference of 25.5 feet and shades an area of 17,000 feet. The longest limb is 89 feet. It is impossible to get a full picture, so here are a couple more.

And a last picture of a swamp in Charleston

Savannah

Founded by British General James Oglethorpe in 1733, he laid out a beautiful town before most people arrived preserving 24 squares with homes and churches surrounding them … 22 remain.  Called a living museum, Historic Savannah is listed in National Historic Landmarks. When General Sherman came through here in Civil War 1864 scorching everything in his way, Lincoln asked him to spare beautiful Savannah. We took a tram tour around before hitting the pavement to explore.


One place we wanted to get into was Mrs. Wilkes Boarding House for lunch (in this picture). We did not … disappointingly … but here is a picture Dan by the line ... that went around the block. No signs, no advertising, no menu, the line forms at 10:00 a.m. for the 11:00 a.m. opening and it closes at 2:00 p.m. Seating is family style with 12 to a table and features fried chicken, cornbread, okra, and much more.  It is listed in the 1000 places to see before ….”

Cathedral of St. John the Baptist

The cathedral of St. John built in the late 1700s was destroyed by fire in 1898 and quickly rebuilt to the same specifications. Inside was gorgeous of course. Cannot get enough of cathedrals. 😊

Telfair House

One of the mansions built on one of those squares is the Telfair House build in 1819. Since 1875, it is now the Telfair Art Museum with a collection of over 2000 pieces … we spent a lovely afternoon here. 

The Black Prince

This picture of the Black Prince, by Julian Story, is enormous. Estimating at 15 feet tall and 20 feet wide, it caught our attention at once. Before I read the sign, I imagined a chess game wherein the Black Knight stands over the defeated White King.  Here is the real story.

Heading West

Near Atlanta in the center of the state, Stone Mountain called to us. We had been to Atlanta 15 years ago and missed the mountain then. Jen and Keith … do you remember that trip? So we headed west.

Little Bird

At a gas station near the pumps, I noticed this little bird. No obvious injuries, but he did not move. I took this picture right next to him.  I scooped him up with a large towel, took him out to a field with some bushes, and left him with a prayer that he would be OK.

Stone Mountain

Stone Mountain is the biggest hunk of free-standing granite in the world. Standing 825 feet tall with a circumference of five miles.  The state of Georgia took control of Stone Mountain in 1954 and pretty much turned it into an amusement park planned for children.

There is also a campground in Stone Mountain where we stayed. Very Nice.

Civil War Heroes Sculpture

Carved over 50 years with WWII intervening, this Confederate Memorial sculpture is the largest relief sculpture taking over 3 acres of the face of the mountain. It exhibits Jefferson Davis, Robert E Lee and General Stonewall Jackson on their horses. There are also 13 pavilions that honor the 13 states that were part of the Confederacy.

Without the big admission fee to the park, you cannot see the sculpture. Therefore, in we went and we did find ways to see the mountain and even got up to the top. The admission includes the Sky-lift cable car to the top of the mountain where you can see the sculpture up close on the ride up.

Random Stone Mountain Pictures

There was a dinosaur park inside the Stone Mountain Park.

Sculpture as seen in the Museum

Top of Stone Mountain ... smooth granite rock.

Hurricanes

Traveling during hurricane season, we keep track of the weather, as well as Evelyn and Debbie checking in to see if we were aware of approaching Hurricane Michael heading for the Florida panhandle. Georgia is right north of the Florida Panhandle, so we left our campground a day early and headed due east toward Gainesville, Florida which is in the center of central Florida. We hunkered down at a Cracker Barrel that night. The manager of the restaurant said there was an unusual crowd in there and the hotels were all filled. Glad we bring our hotel with us.

Michael hit the panhandle as a category 4 hurricane the next morning, October 10. We were on the edge of it and there was lots of rain and wind. In the morning, six large construction trucks pulled in … lining up waiting to head west to begin repairs of the damage. We also spotted many more of them parked along the highways.  This is the second hurricane we dodged this trip. Florence in North Carolina and Michael in Florida.

Next … Heading to Jacksonville Florida