St Augustine Florida

We are staying in the vicinity of St. Augustine. A historic little town, first explored in 1513 by Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon in his search for the fountain of youth. In 1565 King Phillipp II sent Pedro Menendez de Aviles to colonize the new territory and he arrived on the Feast Day of St. Augustine and named the landing site after the Saint. It's coastal location made the town both strategic and vulnerable to pirates and the English.
The town is a great walking city with a narrow pedestrian street through old historic buildings. It has a very European feel, sort of a cross between Germany and the Renaissance Festival. Henery Flagler partner with John D. Rockefeller, arrived in St. Augustine in the 1880s and was the driving force behind turning the city into a winter resort for the wealthy northern elite. Among his many achievements he built the Alcazar hotel that now houses Flagler University in the heart of town.
Arriving back at the rig, we noticed that Blue was on the alert letting us know that a dog and owner had passed by the rig, too close for his comfort.
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Discovery, the final launch

This afternoon on the beaches of Anastasia State Park we watched the final launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery. We were able to see the launch even though we were some 70 miles north. Just a few moments and the craft was gone from sight, but a few minutes later, we heard the boom! What a sight to see on the spectacular beaches near St. Augustine. I had thought that the beaches on the Pan Handle would be the best but the beaches in north eastern Florida are amazing as well. As we walked back to our site we spotted a tortoise eating along the trail. As walked closer to take the picture, the tortoise ate it's way slowly toward a large borrow and after one last leaf, made a fast dash and ducked into the ground.

Daytona 500, our first NASCAR race

What a race, with a new track this year there were several records broken today at the 53rd Daytona 500. There were more yellow cautions than any previous race in Daytons history. There were more drivers in the lead for at least one lap than any previous race at Daytona and best of all, the winner Trevor Bayne, is just 20 years old. This was our first NASCAR race and it was a good one. But for me the memory that I take away was not the noise, which was really loud, or walking on the track or the race fans that love their drivers (and beer) but the quiet moment during lap 3 when every person in the speedway stood up and held up three fingers in the air to honor Dale Earnhardt who died in a crash ten years ago on the third lap. The only noise was the sound of the cars rounding the track.

Juniper Springs State Park and Tomoka State Park

The state parks of Florida are a bit more expensive than other states, but worth the money. We left Juniper Springs for Tomoka which sits close to Daytona Beach making this a great location for race week. Not a big park but very nice and time permitting, we can do some additional kayaking near the Intracoastal waterway. We've enjoyed beautiful weather and a fantastic full moon for our evening campfire. I just can't say how nice this winter has been in the south east! Our favorite site in Tomoka is site 33 which has access to the water directly from the site.

Kayaking Ocala National Forest

Our first venture was down the Silver River and was a wonderful time with great scenery, lots of wildlife and even a few monkeys said to have been released during the filming of Tarzan. Yesterdays trip down Juniper springs, not so much. In fact I would not recommend this one unless they have cleared all the downed trees along the creek. There were a few that were more than a little scary to me with gators just a few feet away and a swift current pulling our canoe under while we climbed over fallen trees in mid river. Blue however loves our campsite at Juniper springs and has been spending much of his day walking on his leash with his tail in the air. That is a sure sign of confidence in this cat.

Silver River State Park

On the edge of Ocala National Forest sits the Silver River State Park. This is a really nice park with miles of trails and a beautiful river filled with birds and alligators. We will take advantage of the parks inexpensive canoe rental ($5.00 per hour) rather than our Kayak as the river is over a mile through the woods. A beautiful hike but not with a 60 pound Kayak and gear.