We've always thought that Bike Week in Daytona was the first full week in March and we've always steered clear of that area at that time of year. In Salt Springs the roar of bikes had begun and we learned that bike week this year was the SECOND full week in March. H was able to get 2 nights in Anastasia State Park in St Augustine in spite of all the bikers. The weather turned cold and the winds picked up and blew steadily. As in the past - one of the first items on H's agenda was to drive his truck out on the wide, tire rutted sand beach. Thanks to bike week and spring breakers - we were caught in the time of day when the park staff charge to drive on their beach! It HAD to be done - the Jeep Liberty got to, the 94 Ford Truck got to, so this truck got to prove he was worthy, too! The day was cold and windy The sky was void of sun and hung heavily with charcoal clouds. Hardy folks were huddled under blankets and some were behind bright colored beach umbrellas or hidden behind their parked vehicles. Younger folks (teens!) were braver and were attempting to work on their spring break tans anyway but their goose bumps were getting in the way! We did see a group of riders on horseback having fun, splashing in the shallow waves at the waters edge.
The first settlement in Florida calls us to come see her history, every time we approach the Old Town area of St Augustine. The cold weather was keeping the bike accident tragedies down but that meant a big bunch of warm weather bikers had come to town and the main street was domino stacked with a selection of Harleys and Goldwings of various colors and amounts of chrome. The bikers were easy to spot with all that Harley gear they were wrapped in!
We are island hopping. A1A starts down south of Miami and ends at the Florida - Georgia border. All along our journey north on this winter's adventure, we hopped on and off of A1A and her barrier island bridges, thru fancy neighborhoods lined with huge mansions that probably belonged to more than one movie star and then along the sheltering grass covered dunes that protected the islands residents. Anastasia Island was one such island and so is the island that protects Jacksonville and is home to the Mayport Naval Station and the small town of Mayport. Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park must be the area's best kept secret! A huge, beautiful park with clean Atlantic beaches that stretch what seemed like forever from the mouth of the St Johns River and Mayport Naval Station to points south. The strong winds from St Augustine have followed us north because the waves were still raging and crashing against the thick encrusted pylons of the fishing pier just south of the park itself. The naval station is host to several large gray ocean vessels and has to be the training facility for ALL helicopter pilots since the roar heard overhead was continuous all day long. We took a ride down to "historic" Mayport and found a good view of their landing field and red brick lighthouse. Too bad there was a shiny barbed wire fence that stood in the way.
Check our past blog to read about the great Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens! We both remembered some of the animal displays and some seemed totally new to us. High wooden boardwalks crossed high above the animal enclosures giving everyone a great vantage point to admire each variety of four legged creatures. Our last visit was on a trip heading south in December and the other park visitors were at a minimum. Not so this time - 9 big yellow buses full of school children and the necessary amount of Mom's to keep close watch on their excited young charges! All were eager to see the elephants, bears, colorful birds, camouflaged reptiles, intelligent looking gorillas, a funny playful black otter who was busy chasing his tail around and around and the handful of tall, long legged giraffes!
New on this trip to the zoo was the adorable 3 week old baby giraffe who was curled up on the ground with it's legs tucked under trying to stay warm in the afternoon sun. It's Mama was not going to let it rest for long, as she persistently nudged until it struggled to stand up on its wobbly toothpick legs. After our zoo visit we managed to find downtown Jacksonville with it's modern looking shiny buildings and crossed over the wide St Johns River again. Our last stop before heading back to the "condo" was a recommended restaurant for - YEP! MORE seafood! Singleton's Seafood Restaurant looks rather shabby from the outside and the inside is lined with picnic tables, complete with rolls of paper towels. Out back were moored the large shrimping boats that would bring in their fresh catches each day. One room in the rickety building is filled with beautifully built wooden model boats of all sizes and types! And the food ??? I thoroughly enjoyed the perfectly fried "Trigger" fish and chips!
A1A leads to the ferry dock at the north end of the island and we were to drive aboard the large flat ferry platform the next morning and continue our slow journey home. From the dock on the north side of the wide fast flowing St Johns River we will travel up the length of yet another one of Florida's barrier islands.
