Monday, April 2, we decided to drive to St. Augustine, our country's oldest city, as we'd never been there and weren't sure how much of the history we'd be able to access from the water. We could have waited, as the historical section is right by the municipal marina and there are trolleys available. Oh well, we had a nice day there.
Castillo De San Marcos, the oldest fort in the US, was begun in 1672 and was still under construction during the Civil War:
St. Augustine light:
Flagler College, originally the Ponce De Leon Hotel, a part of Flagler's hotel chain along the east coast of Florida:
The entry:
Edison wired the place himself and Tiffany designed much of the living space. This is the cafeteria used by students today, the dining room when hotel guests came for the season:
This is one of the original Tiffany chairs. Although most have been replaced by reproductions, there are still about 30 around campus. There are 5 in the dining hall and students use them every day:
The Bridge of Lions. We'll be heading under it on the intracoastal in a few days.
Fort Matanzas on the Matanzas River, built to protect the inlet:
Wednesday we drove to Fort Pierce to meet Francine and Wayne for lunch. We last saw them in Fairhope, AL early in November where they stayed a while because My Way needed some repairs. It was wonderful to visit with them and we hope to see them again as we all head north.
The marina at Patrick Air Force Base is called Manatee Cove and we had been told last year, as we drove some of the Great Loop route, that there were always manatee here in the spring. We hadn't seen any before we went home, but spent a couple of hours each evening after our return sitting on the dock watching them:
This is a mom and baby. They were sleeping, so only stuck their noses above the surface about every 15-20 minutes. There is something peaceful about their gentle, slow ways.
Tuggsy back in place, awaiting new adventures:
Good Friday we went to a restaurant in Satellite Beach called Sun on the Beach. The man who repaired our dinghy had recommended it and it's a good thing we didn't try it right away, as we would have had to return often. Mary had Gullah Benedict-fried green tomatoes with poached eggs and Hollandaise sauce with shrimp on top. John's Greek omelet was also delicious and there were many more intriguing menu items.
Though we've enjoyed our time here, we're ready to move on. Monday, April 9, this dolphin appeared to lead us out of the marina. We traveled back up the Banana River and into the Intracoastal on the Indian River.
It was a glorious day on the water and we saw over 50 dolphins. At one point John mentioned that, although we'd watched many manatee, we hadn't seen any on the water as we were boating. Before he finished the statement, one surfaced right in front of us. We saw another a little later. This is the bridge over the Haulover Canal near the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Once under the bridge, the intracoastal enters Mosquito Lagoon. Luckily, we were able to travel fast enough to outrun them.
One of the best things about this trip is the ability to change plans or not even make them. We had thought maybe we'd go to St. Augustine or Daytona Beach today, depending on how much of the ICW was no or minimum wake. At about 3 o'clock, we pulled out the Waterway Guide to decide which Daytona Beach marina to call. Oh, look, New Smyrna Beach sounds interesting. We call and they have room for us. As we approach, John says, "Look who's here" and there is Passport in the slip next to the one we are directed into and John and Mary on the dock to greet us and catch lines. The wind and current require a second approach, but we tie up, go for a short walk, then join Mary and John and Ginny and Craig from Brown-eyed Girl on the dock for a visit.
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