Tuesday, February 26th
I had all day yesterday to get myself from Jacksonville (in the NE corner of Florida) to Fort Myers (in the SW). It was the first day in more than a month that was entirely up to me. No bus call, no flight, no show, no nothing. Glorious!
With only 320 miles to drive, I decided there was plenty of time for visiting and sight-seeing.
I checked out of the hotel around 9:30 and was on the road after a breakfast of eggs and country ham. My first stop was Saint Augustine. St. Augustine is the oldest continually occupied European-established city in the continental US - founded by the Spanish in 1565. It is also the sight of Juan Ponce de Leon's arrival in 1513. I had no idea, but St. Augustine is a major destination; it's home to lots of tourist activities, some more legit than others.
My intended destination was The Fountain of Youth. This "National Archaeological Park" is quite a tourist trap. It's situated on the water and in the spot "where Ponce de Leon is traditionally thought to have landed." For $7.50 you get a guided tour of the facility: the spring house (home to the natural spring billed as the fountain of youth), the discovery globe and the planetarium as well as some other exhibits of dubious historical distinction. Next to the spring are a bunch of flat rocks that are reputed to have been laid in the shape of a cross by de Leon in celebration of his safe voyage. The globe and the planetarium were downright silly. There was a recreation of an ancient Timucuan Indian village and exhibits about Indian life. And then, of course, there was the water. It was spring water - sort of mineral tasting. None of the hoards of bus tour old folks were instantly transformed, but it also didn't seem to be hurting anyone.
w/ Juan Ponce de Leon
The park's owners claim that de Leon laid down these stones and thought the spring at the cross's head was the legendary Fountain of Youth.
After my quasi-history, I went to the Castillo de San Marcos. The Castillo was built by the Spanish beginning in 1672 as the main defense for the city of St. Augustine. It's constructed of coquina stone which, like limestone, is composed of ancient shells bonded together. The coquina has a the advantage of not exploding when hit by artillery (a good property when you're trying to hold of British and Pirate ships that are armed with cannon). The fort is outfitted with antique cannons, mortars, reenactors and displays. Of course, the castillo was later taken over by the British (and renamed Fort St. Mark) and the US (Fort Marion) before being named a National Monument. In addition to a military base, the fort was used a prison for Native American "War Leaders" in the late 19th century.
A 17th century flag flies over the castillo.
Two drawbridges guard the entrance.
A close-up of the stonework. While the stone does make the fort safer under fire, it doesn't hold up well to the weather. If I were to rub the stone, it would flake off in bits. There were masons at work all over the fort restoring crumbled pieces.
w/ one of the castillo's cannons
From one of the ramparts of the fort I could see a bunch of dolphins swimming by!
Once I had seen the castillo, it was well past lunch time. On my way into town, I passed Buck's BBQ. Buck's is housed in a trailer decorated to look like a log cabin. Now, any of you who may know my personal barbecue history already know that my all time favorite barbecue meal was served from a truck camper decorated as a log cabin. I couldn't pass this by. The barbecue wasn't outstanding, but I got to eat it in the company of an egret alongside a river - and that ain't bad.
Bucks BBQ
I pointed my rental car south from St. Augustine and was truly on my way after lunch. I enjoyed miles and miles of I-95 before turning west on I-4 toward the Gulf. The power of the interstate to make any place look like everywhere else is amazing.
After I passed through the shadow of the Mouse in Orlando, I made another stop. This time it was to visit my in-laws in Haines City. Donn, Rhoda and Barb are in winter residence there and were joined by Dale and Joyce for a few weeks. They were kind enough to host me for dinner! As I've mentioned before, home-cooked meals are so rare on the road that they are always greatly appreciated. We sat and visited for a couple of hours and I got a tour of the park (highlights: the social center, shuffle board courts and the resident ducks) before dinner. They grilled some chicken, boiled fresh sweet corn and whipped up some cole slaw. The highlight of the meal was strawberry shortcake with fresh local strawberries!! It was so great to see friendly faces and share a meal.
On the way to visit the Westfalls, I passed through citrus groves. There were trucks loaded with oranges and tangerines by the side of the road.
The Westfalls visit with a neighbor.
Suppertime! Rhoda, Donn, Dale, Joyce and Barb
Grapefruit on the tree outside Barb's "Dollhouse" - they sent me on my way with some homegrown grapefruit and oranges.
I was back on the road by 9PM and safely in Fort Myers around 11:30. It was a long day, but a really fun one. So much fun to be responsible to no one but myself and to travel in my own time. I'm looking forward to driving myself for the remainder of Florida - probably by the time we're ready to head to Birmingham I'll be ready to have Company Management arrange everything for me again.
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