Blogs from St Augustine, Florida, United States, North America
Fountain of Youth, St. Augustine, FL
Published: December 6th 2011North America » United States » Florida » St Augustine
November 27th 2011
For a change, we decided to hop on an open air tour bus that would tour us around St. Augustine. We’ve decided that all cities boast “oldest”, “smallest”, “tallest” when it comes to buildings, trees, churches! It’s the fine print that you have to read, as in “in the world”, “in the country”. And we have to figure out if they are replicas or originals, which is not always clear. Oh well, they are all beautiful to see, each with their own unique designs and personal history. St. Augustine is known for Spanish Explorer, Juan Ponce de Leon, who in his quest to discover the Fountain of Youth, landed and named Florida in 1513. Although he never discovered the spring waters which would preserve our youth, it does lend a certain romance to the city. We ... read more
March 18th 2011
On the road again and a sudden "POP!" On our trip to St. Augustine from Port St. Lucie Friday morning, the passenger side rear tire blew! Glad for the emergency road service membership. Glad for double tires on the rear of the RV. Glad for our own bathroom, snacks, Magellan GPS (so service guy knows our location), cell phones, credit cards (must pre-pay for the new tire), and computers with air card service (to keep us amused) while we wait. After a 2 plus hour delay we are back on I 95 heading north. We haven’t been to Saint Augustine in several years. It’s great to be back. We are at North Beach RV Park, located on Route A1A North between the Atlantic Ocean and the North River. The sites are separated by lush indigenous shrubs ... read more
Day 5 - Fayetteville - St Augustine
Published: February 5th 2011North America » United States » Florida » St Augustine
February 5th 2011
On the road again for another long day of driving, but an hour longer. The drives are becoming a regular long stint in the van with several breaks for sugar load ups and lunch, but this one was around 4 and a half hours to the oldest city in the USA! When we finally hit St Augustine, we were let loose, and Kylie, Zoe, Scott and I went on a walk along the river front, but after only a few buildings round the block, we found a martini bar, and decided to try it out. Setting up on a table outside, Scott and I soon went in to order. Scott stuck with a good cold beer, whilst the rest of us ordered 3 different martinis to try. Having started watching M*A*S*H from a young age, I've ... read more
Castillo San Marcos
Published: February 24th 2011North America » United States » Florida » St Augustine
January 12th 2011
While walking by the waterside we stumbled across this historic fort which is currently run by the national park service and as Bob needed his America the Beautiful Pass anyway we decided to purchase it here and see the fort. While the only tours given are by volunteers to visiting schools there is a self guided tour that is worthwhile taking. This fort looks imposing and it was, built in a starlike pattern with extremely thick walls that were 12 - 15 ft thick, there is a dry moat around the fort that would have been used for cattle as well as slowing an opposing army down. A heavy portculis is on the drawbridge although chances are the enemy wouldn't even get that close. Thanks to it's star like design it was possible to fire both ... read more
January 7th 2011
Decided not to ride but to see the sights. I was getting all my stuff in my trailer and ran out of room. I mailed 10# of junk home, and should send more home as well. Jill left this morning, but before she got away she introduced me to this cool site to post my journals. (thanks Jill) We had to go to Wal-mart for more stuff. I might be sending more stuff home still. Sam and I went to the fort for a cannon firing and walked the boardwalk. Went out for another great meal. Afterwards we stopped by by a couple art galleries. I hope I can get all my things in the trailer in the am. Keeping a close eye on the weather and planing our ride.... read more
January 6th 2011
Ate at the hostel, they have the coolest pancakes. They have figured a way to make faces in the pancakes...cool! Finished my bike assembly and decided to take it out for a test spin. Before we started I met a fellow traverler named Jill. She had quit her job and decided to travel the US and see the sites. Her bike needed some repairs so we rode to a bike shop to get her bike repaired and to pick-up Sam's bike. After lunch we rode to the ocean to dip our tires in. While there we saw a couple sunbathing, the tempt was 66'. We then went to the lighthouse. This is privately owned and you are allowed to walk to the top and walk out on the walkway. There are 218 steps to the top, ... read more
November 12th 2010
Pirates! Pirates! The Pirates are coming!!!! Sail-Ho!!! (As the sinister black flag of a pirate ship has been spotted...) These are the fearful cries we could imagine were yelped back in the days where pillaging and plundering the goods of others was common practice among sailing thieves of that period. Dressed in colourful cloths, stitched with leathers and lace, adorned by headpieces as individual as the thieves they decorated and armed to the hilt with sharp cutlass swords, impressive flintlock pistols and muskets and knives of all sorts, these “Merchant Marines” gone bad commanded the fear and respect of all those they crossed. A most colourful history indeed... This summer, we spend 5 months in St-Augustine Florida, a historic town erected in the mid 1500’s with a vast history of discovery and piracy. This pearl of ... read more
October 4th 2010
St. Augustine, Florida is a beautiful historic town. I went to St. Augustine a couple of years ago to visit some relatives. Unfortunately, i got sick on the plane ride down, so I spent a lot of the time in the house trying to get better! ugh... BUT, I did get to ride my bike on the beach, go fishing, watch gorgeous sunsets, browse around the historic district, and go to the famous Ron Jon surf shop! It's always better to focus on the good parts of the trip, right?...so that is what I did! Next time i go back i will have to enjoy seeing the Fort and exploring some of the museums in the Historic district.... read more
We are not in Texas anymore
Published: August 29th 2010North America » United States » Florida » St Augustine
August 29th 2010
So we left Newcastle on Friday the 27th at 9:15am , had a lovely flight, and landed at 1:30pm USA time. We headed straight to St. Augustines and stayed slightly out, near by the outlet malls. After our first steaks we gave into the jetlag and went to sleep, in a slightly grotty Ramada, complete with cockroaches and cold showers! Pops and I have forgotten essential items, such as thermal underwear for night times, with mother having the aircon on full blast, we are sick of being cold in Florida! So we woke up at 5:30 am, and had a lovely breakfast, complete with freshly made waffles from the waffle machine; amazing. Then headed to Prime Outlets, where nobody else was around, we were there for doors openig. It was lovely, we are saving ourselves ... read more
St Augustine - The Oldest City in the USA
Published: June 11th 2010North America » United States » Florida » St Augustine
June 7th 2010
We set off from Titusville intending to stay overnight in Jacksonville, Florida. Oh well, the best laid plans and all that! Instead of taking the faster I95 we opted for the much slower coastal road, the A1A. That took us onto thin slivers of land called barrier islands which protect the mainland from storms. One famous town on a barrier is Daytona Beach where we stopped for a while. Sadly the sky was black at the time and the heavens opened so we didn't see it at its best. The beach was still packed though as the rain had only just started. A bit further up the coast we stopped off at Flagler Beach. The weather was much better but we weren't prepared to pay $1.50 each just to walk along the fishing pier. Instead we ... read more
