Adventures in St. Augustine FL

January 18, 2008 - St Augustine, Florida

It is Friday morning and guess what? The warm weather we arrived to yesterday in St Augustine is long gone. The wind is blowing hard from the north and locals tell us “it’s cold”. For us it’s not too bad compared to our normal January weather in Maryland, and also to the last several days  of travel.

We had a late breakfast while waiting for a service technician to come and give us and estimate on the repair of the gel coat on our dinghy. We have also decided to stay here for a week.  This is an excellent marina for a longer stay and the weather the next few days is supposed to be cold.  The marina has an on-sight restaurant, ships store, and loaner car.  We want to have time to really see St. Augustine.  It turned our that the damage to the dinghy was minimal, some wet sanding and buffing was all that was needed. While we were waiting we were able to get showers and then do a load of laundry, and of course we contacted our family to check on the status of the snow which visited Maryland yesterday. All is well and thanks to some good neighbors the side walks and drive way were cleared early this morning.

We borrowed the loaner car from the marina and left here at about four o’clock. We had a little trouble getting the old girl started and I was a little nervous about taking it out and getting stranded. We drove to the St Augustine visitors center and got a quick overview of what is available in the way of tours. Being late in the day we did not try to get on a trolley tour but decided to come back another day. We walked down the main tourist street and were surprised how commercial it was. The few historic buildings in the area were hidden behind high walls to the point that one could not see anything but a wall.  Each charged a fee to enter.  We understand that 85 % of the economy of St Augustine is based on the tourist industry. We struck out on our own walking the streets and picking out places we want to tour next trip into town. The architecture of many buildings is interesting. If we are going to have to pay we are going to be very selective.

Afterwards, we drove into the suburbs looking to identify shopping areas.  Most new development is south of town along US Route 1.  We found most big box stores along with several grocery stores, and many chain restaurants.  We will need to stop at a grocery store before leaving here next week, and also need to shop for some clothes.  We then drove east into the beaches north of town.  There are many homes and condominiums but almost no commercial development - also no beach side restaurants.  We then returned to our boat just after dark and walked over to the marina restaurant for a light supper, then watched a movie and went to bed early.

January 19, 2008- St Augustine, FL

After a night of many showers the morning sky was still heavy with clouds, promising rain and then more rain. We had light showers during the morning.  We were cozy here in the boat so we read and worked on our computers.  After breakfast Rosa used the sewing machine to attached Velcro straps to the outside window cover she had made last year.  She also modified the size to allow it to be attached to either side to shade us from the harsh Florida sunshine as we travel further south She then made a cover for the window of our cabin door.  We have not yet needed the shades - to date we've welcomed the solar gain on the cold days - we hope that will change as we move south.  

We then did some house cleaning, Rosa inside and Joe outside.  We had a light lunch and read for a while before heading for the showers late in the afternoon. As we headed out, we observed dark clouds moving in very fast. I came out of the shower and found we were having a full blown thunderstorm. The rain was blowing in sideways so we used the computer in the captain's lounge until the thunderstorm passed.  The radar picture showed a line of storms moving across northern Florida with a tornado watch for the St. Augustine area.  The forecast is for cold wind from the north tomorrow with gusts to 35 MPH. I turned on the TV weather channel and got the same forecast. When the storm passed we walked through light rain to the restaurant get a little dinner. I kept the heat on during the night, grateful to be in a marina and not anchored out.

January 20, 2008 – St Augustine

It looks like we might get some sun today. Last nights storm had moved off shore and the clouds were rolling by. The wind is brisk and as predicted out of the north - and cold. Oh, well at least this is warmer than what the folks in Maryland are having right now.  After a Sunday morning treat of bacon and eggs with toast we prepared for a day touring St. Augustine.  With four layers of clothing we headed out in the loaner car and parked at the visitor center to purchase a trolley ride tour of the historic area.  The service is good for three days giving us ample opportunity to see and hear about the town's history.  The drivers were very informative and their descriptions of the buildings helped us decide which we wanted to pay to tour.

At one of the stops we had to wait several minutes while the tram changed drivers.  It was really cold, so we got off the tram to sit in the sunshine. Joe sat down on the first bench he found, right next to the Sheriff. They were best friends real fast. After getting under way again, our new driver had a very nice dialog and we wished we were taking the whole tour with him. We left the tram at our stop, called the marina to discover we did not have to hurry to get the car back. It was after two when we walked to Harry’s Seafood Bar & Grille. We were very cold and somewhat hungry. Rosa enjoyed red beans and rice, and Joe enjoyed jambalaya.  A perfect meal to get the chill off.

We decided to call it a day as far as touring and headed back to the car. We found the local Home Depot as Joe needing some drill bits and sanding tools.  Back at the boat Joe worked on travel plans and I read and then worked on my journal. The wind is really blowing hard tonight. Many times is dies off after sun set but not tonight. We are doing a little rock & roll with no effort on our part. We had a lite supper on board and watched a movie before retiring.

January 21, 2008 - St Augustine, Florida

This morning we woke to sunshine and more wind. Last night was the most wind I have experienced this far on our trip south. We were literally rocked to sleep. I was glad we were sheltered in this marina. We had our breakfast and showered, and then set out about eleven o’clock to be picked up at the marina by the trolley service.  Our van driver was a senior citizen and she wore a black and white striped prison outfit. Her character spends lots of time in the local jail when she is not driving customers to or from the trolleys. 

We rode the trolley into St. Augustine with the smart and funny tour guide we had at the end of the day on Sunday.  We ended up repeating several legs of the tour to hear David's version.  We enjoyed his dialog as he took us to the Flagler College building.  We walked across the street for lunch at a local hotel before entering the college, the former Ponce De Leon hotel, for a tour at two o’clock.

Henry Flagler built this grand hotel in the late eighteen hundreds for the wealthy from the north to come and spend the winter. This hotel had running, hot water and electricity. Edison built the generator and planned the electrical system for the hotel. Our guide told us this was direct current. No expense was spared in the construction of this hotel. Flagler had made a fortune with Rockefeller.  Together they started Standard Oil Company. Flagler became interested in Florida and initially focused at building railroads, then hotels as destinations for his railroad customers.  He eventually built the eastern Florida railroad all the way to Key West. 

The Ponce De Leon was his first hotel, built with no expense spared to provide a winter heaven for the ultra rich.  The mosaic tile in the entrance of the hotel is awesome. The dome ceiling had hand painted murals and there is gold leaf everywhere. The dinning room, used as the student cafeteria today, has tiffany windows which are valued in the millions today.  Bullet proof glass is installed on the street side of these windows to protect them.  I cannot imagine being a college student eating in such a grand setting.  We finished the tour in the salon which was originally the ladies sitting room. No men were allowed. Tiffany chandeliers made with Austrian crystals lighted the rooms. Original art work filled the walls and the Victorian furniture and window hanging reeked of elegance.

We left the college and walked along the waterfront toward a fort and our trolley stop. We were driven back to the marina by Pam our driver from this morning. She advised us to get an early start tomorrow for our museum tour we are planning.

We came back to the boat for a reality check. We went on the internet to check our e-mail and sent a few messages.

January 22, 2008 – St Augustine

We got an earlier start today on our tour of St Augustine. We were again picked up at the marina by Pam.  She took us directly to St. Augustine city hall which also houses the Lightner Museum. She remembered us from yesterday and gave us an introduction to the museum. It was like having our own personal bus service. She dropped us off at the front door and said she would see us later for the trip back to the marina.

The Lightner Museum began as the Alcazar Hotel also built by Flagler. The Alcazar was for tourists who were not so well off and were not staying the whole season in St Augustine. This hotel was very nice but not as grand as the Ponce De Leon. This hotel housed an indoor swimming pool which originally could be viewed from the second story balcony and also from the third floor ballroom.  Today only the ballroom is open to the pool.  There was a Turkish bath and gymnasium with exercise equipment on the second floor, and the tennis courts were outside. These recreational activities were also available to guests of the Ponce De Leon across the street.

The hotel was closed in 1930 during the depression and sat unused for sixteen years when a Mr. Lightner came along and purchased it for one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars. Mr. Lightner was a wealthy collector of fine items.  He refurbished the building to re-create it's original splendor and then moved the wonderful items he had collected over the years to create the Lightner Museum. He eventually gave the building and its contents to the city, with the provision that the museum would always be available to the public.  Today areas of the building have been converted from hotel rooms to offices for city personnel, but the museum continues to occupy the public space of the original hotel. 

We shared a sandwich for lunch and headed out to explore the Old Fort. The Castillo de San Marcos was built in by the Spanish in the 1565. The fort is built from coquina, a natural mixture of sea shells, mud and water. It was discovered by the Spanish and quarried for building the fort. For a short time after the coquina is dug it's pliable so it was easily shaped into building blocks necessary for the fort. Once dried it becomes as hard as concrete. It is said to absorb the cannon balls of the enemy.

January 23, 2008- St Augustine

This is a day for preparing to get underway again. We borrowed the marina’s loaner car and headed out to purchase provisions. In about two hours time we hit a clothing store, grocery store, marine supply and Sears and were back at the boat by noon.

We had a light lunch of last nights take home from dinner and got into planning the next days trip south. Rosa took the opportunity to was a load of clothing. It was pretty much a relaxing day.

We borrowed the car again late in the day for dinner. We had spotted an Outback Steak House during our morning trip and had been thinking about it all day. We took a ride across the bridge to the barrier island just to see what is there other than the light house. We came back over the bridge and enjoyed a nice beef dinner concluding our visit to St. Augustine.

Next - St. Augustine to Daytona Beach, FL