Coasting Home

Visiting an Old Friend

We left Miami and headed up the East coast of Florida. Our itinerary was pretty loose. The only things we really had planned were visits to friends and family. My friend Dee was the first stop along the way. She lives a bit north of Miami. Dee was one of the first real friends that I made when living in San Diego. We were roommates and partners in crime.
She knows where a lot of my skeletons are buried, and vice versa. Old friends are like that. Seeing her again was great.
Having people in your life from way back when is like having little pieces of yourself scattered through time and space. Each person holds a different bit of who you were and who you have become.

Oldest Continuously Inhabited US City

Once we left Dee’s we headed north towards St. Augustine. It is reported to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the United States. St. Augustine is said to be where Ponce de Leon searched for the fountain of youth. The architecture is beautiful. It is Spanish colonial.

We spent the day touring the city. I would have like to stay at Anastasia State Park while we were in the area. They were booked. We will definitely have to plan ahead to stay there on our next trip. In the meanwhile, we stayed at an RV resort right across from the beach.

One More Oceanfront Night

It was only 9 minutes away from the fountain of youth. If only!!

Change is Good

The plan was to head north from here to Savannah. The weather was not cooperating though. there had been intense storms north of us and it was heading for Savannah. We had to modify our plans. When we got to Jacksonville, we headed west toward Tallahassee. It was our intention to stay below the storm. We found a place to spend the night about half way between Jacksonville and Tallahassee. It was in the National Forest; a campsite called Ocean Pond. It was a perfect location. The sites were large and fairly private. It was a peaceful place right on the water. It did rain on us that night. That’s the only weather we hit the entire trip. It was actually rather pleasant.

It was such a lovely place that we decided to stay another night. We met a couple that were local to the area. They had each been coming there since they were kids. They gave us great information about other places in the area to explore. Silver Springs near Ocala sounds amazing. We didn’t have the time this trip, but it sounds like we could take a few weeks in that part of Florida alone. It will definitely merit another trip.

The next stop is Mobile, Alabama. See you there.