Pre trip, tripping, fixing, sortings....

---

Well here I am, my first travel blog, getting ready for a trip that wasn't meant to happen..
Let me explain, I came to the states from NZ to take up an offer from my father to do some study which he offered to pay for etc etc.
I have never had much to do with him but thought great!! here I come.
Sadly after I got here he has done nothing he promised to, no study, no place to stay after having to leave his place as he was getting a bit "postal" so luckilly have a friend I am "holing up" with for a bit.
I have a car I got from my father, and I spent a couple weeks working on it to get it going as it hadn't been used for a couple of years, so I am heading back to NZ to kick of where I left off.
But not before having an adventure here, can't come all this way and not do it.
Hopefully the car will get me where I want, a 1988 XJ6 Jag with a mere 201000miles (about 323000km) on it, in a mild state of neglect and a reasonably dodgy paint job (for which I am not even remotely responsible for) and the AC dosn't work!!!
I am for the moment based in Jacksonville Florida.
I have already done a couple of day trips so far, the first one was to St Augustine, apparently the oldest city in the states.
Is a great place and due to its Spanish origins has a very colonial spanish feelI traveled down to it from Jax on the old A1A highway which is the coast road and the old main road, long since replaced by the I95 interstate.
One of the main features of St Augustine is the old fort ($6 entry) which is really worth a visit, I got lucky with my timing there and arrived just in time for the daily firing of the musket rifels.
Was sort of hoping for one of the big cannons but had to make do, besides I guess the people across the waterway from the fort wouldn't be too keen on cannon balls landing in the magnolias.
There is pleanty to look at there and all of the historic area is easily walked around in a couple of hours.
However there is enough to do there to keep you entertained for a whole day or more, a few miles further down the A1A is the Aligator farm, and there are some very nice beaches near that.

---

Photos

Musket rifles
The firing of the musket rifles at the fort in St Augustine.

Street scene St Augustine
George street the main street in the historic part of St Augustine.

Comments

[melissa etheridge]

nice
Great blog Mike. Can't wait to see you here on the west side. Melissa

[Michele]

Go Mike!
Oh no! Stick boy doesn't have A/C in his car!!!Boo Hoo...we in NZ feel so bad for you, as we sit here FREEZING! Ha Ha.

[Julie]

Stickboy you are so funny, keep up the good work.