Update 54: Before Key West

Update 54:  Before Key West    Jan. 6-10

The RV neighbor we met in Asheville, NC at Thanksgiving suggested that we stop at Homestead before making the run down to Key West. He also suggested we stay at Bluewater Key RV Resort about 14 miles before Key West.  So as we headed for the Keys, we split the distance between St. Augustine and Homestead our next destination came up as Fort Pierce.

We stayed at a small but lovely RV resort with paved, wide sites and lots of amenities. In the morning we pulled the RV out of the park and left it at Wal-Mart. We took the car downtown. The modern buildings sat between the railroad tracks and the harbor.

 The downtown looked recently renovated and well designed.

Our destination, the Manatee Center and marina also sat between the railroad tracks and the harbor just north of town. The marina included many sparkling white and silver pleasure boats.

The Manatee Center asked for a one dollar donation.  $1 tells visitors that the center wasn't much. Its two rooms did offer a film and information on the gentle manatee. Several kid-oriented hands-on activities were available at center displays. The gift shop inventory was excellent. I enjoyed looking at all the lovely things.

Manatees are seal shaped animals with a broad rounded tail. They are gray in color, but look brown in the dark brown water. Adult lengths vary between 9-10 feet.  They weight about 800-1200 pounds usually, but can weigh more than 3000 pounds. The information says they have evolved over 60 million years with their closest relative being the elephant. They live in fresh, brackish or salt water habitats. In Florida they can be found in shallow rivers, springs coastal waters and estuaries.

After the film we stepped outside to the viewing deck that overlooked the Indian River Lagoon. We peered into the murky brown water. The sun created glare spots on the surface, but just below the surface shadows moved slowly.  Then a nose would break the surface for an instant before slowing sinking down into the depths. Manatees breathe air about every 2-4 minutes.  However, they can stay submerged 15-20 minutes when at rest. They rouse slowly from the resting phase and so when they hear a boat motor they can't move quickly enough to get out of the way.  Thus most of these awesome creatures carry large scars where they painfully meet with a boat's propeller.

When not resting they feed 6-8 hours a day tearing off plants with its flexible upper lip.With patience we waited and watched the water carefully. I was delighted that some of my photos showed these creatures that blend so well with their environment. We think we saw at least eight different manatees including one mom and baby. Elated with our successful manatee sightings, we left the center and returned to hook up the RV and head south.

 From North Palm Beach to Homestead, a distance of about 80 miles, the traffic on I-95 consisted of multiple lane, bumper-to-bumper traffic. In some ways it made Los Angeles look like a piece of cake, except the on/off ramp California craziness wasn't here. We had considered going into Miami, but even the tour books speak to heavy traffic on all roads. So in the end, we decided against spending time in yet another big city. Visiting the Everglades proved to be a much better use of our time. (see the next blog).

We arrived in Homestead near 5:00 pm. The directions to the park were confusing. I had chosen a 4 star park called the Boardwalk for a 3 night stay and an additional night on our return from Key West. Unfortunately I did not read the email confirmation carefully. Therefore I did not have the entrance code for the gate and there were no posted directions. Fortunately, a lady wanting in opened the gate for us. Unfortunately, a check-in parking space was not provided, so we had to block the road. We were escorted to the back corner and asked to back in diagonally squeezing between the adjacent sites square to the corner. The site resembled a vacant lot with torn, dirty debris strewn against the wall. The old converted bus to our right hadn't moved in years and was littered with piles of "stuff" all around it. People, probably very nice people, from the bus and the small 5th wheel to our left, were out smoking and drinking when we arrived. They literally followed the rig as I backed it in. The lady was expounding  how beautiful the coach is!  Her manner made me nervous. Then we couldn't get satellite, so we tried cable. When Derrille called for help, the office had closed.  The night help said cable was contracted for and took a month to put in. We asked to move and did so.

Our next site was next to the housing part of the park. Basketballs bounced until after 11pm. Cars hurried in and out with boom boxes thumping. Some people honked their horns. The street behind us was busy, but not continually to create white noise. But the big issue remained: I didn't feel safe here. After more than 6 months on the road, this was a first. We went out that evening and found a better RV park a mile or two away in Florida City. The office had also charged us for an extra day and our return day. They returned the fee for the extra day, but maintained their no refund policy for the rest. We didn't care. To feel safe we pulled out the next morning and went to the other park.  Goldcoasters RV asked for the same price, with 1000 times better facilities.

Just 15 minutes from Goldcoasters the eastern entrance to the Everglades goes through the Coe Visitor Center. We were on our way. On Saturdays in Homestead and Florida City Instant Flea Markets are created in designated locations. Just outside the park walls is one of the locations. People park their vehicles along the row, and open up the trunks. Some set up tables, others just use the ground. We even saw a big ski boat for sale.

Just past the park's walls the land opened up into miles of farm land. The day we drove by trucks sprayed watery plumes of fertilizer over the crops. We didn't expect to find fields with crops in this part of Florida.

Past the fields the route to the Park turned left. A large sign above the open front market reads: "Robert is Here".  Apparently many people know where Robert is!  A constant stream of customers made the cash registers ring. 

Colorful, fresh, inviting fruits and vegetable fill the display tables. I'd never seen avocados the size of small grapefruit! Papayas from his orchard could be purchased whole or precut with a "V" so customers could see inside. In a barrel of ice water, Fria Coconut waited for purchase. A display of monkeys made from coconut shells sat on the shelf above the barrel. Robert's has a great variety of beautiful fresh produce.

Some comes from the gardens next to the store.

Robert's also had a drink stand. Shakes and juices with interesting sounding names created from tropical flavors were available.

As I circumvented the store I found a bakery shelf with homemade goodies and a corner full of tropical sea shells.  The other side of the store had shelves of hot sauce, salsa, BBQ, marinades, etc. Cookies and candy displays were tucked in between other merchandise.

A sign advertised that you could exit the back and see a collection of birds including an emu. We took in the sights and sounds of "Robert's" with wide eyes of wonder.

On the day we drove north to the Shark River entrance to the park we discovered downtown Homestead. Many signs in Spanish show the Cuban and Latino influence here.

From the edge of the city up Highway 997  toward US Highway 41 Homestead offers 16 miles of garden nurseries. One business right after another line both sides of the road.

Some garden shops specialize in palms, some in flowering plants and some have huge inventories of fancy pots, terra cotta pottery or decorative cement.

Beyond the nurseries, the land once again became farm fields with chili peppers, corn, strawberries, papaya, etc.

I'm not sure that these are nursery palms. I think their fruit is harvested.

Our stay here was interesting, but the Everglades made everything worth coming this way.

Next: The Everglades

Update 53: St. Augustine, FL

Update 53: St. Augustine, FL     Jan. 4-6, 2011

Welcome to Florida! We pulled into the Florida Visitor Center and found three or four rigs of people traveling together.8-10 men were milling about and talking in raised voices. They all appeared to have been drinking. We moved nervously pass them. When we returned to the rig, the State Police were visible, and the noisy bunch had left. I hoped the drivers were sober. Further down the road we stopped at a rest stop to stretch our legs. This sign didn't give us a warm and friendly feeling regarding Florida.

Between the Visitor Information Center and Jacksonville we got a treat.  Armadillos dotted the shoulder of I-95 grazing right next to the highway.

South of Jacksonville we exited to Highway 1 SE toward St. Augustine.  I had selected an RV Park on Vilano Island that advertised the beach at the front door and the bay at the back door:  Accurate in a way, but not true.  As we drove over the bridge to this barrier island we could see the Atlantic. The office was just across the road from the beach. The sites however, were tucked down in the palms with only a view of each other. Of course it really didn't matter since St. Augustine attractions was only 4 miles away and that's where we spent our time.

We set up the rig and then hurried downtown just in time to catch the last Trolley Tour of the day. Gail our driver and guide skillfully maneuvered the narrow streets of St. Augustine.  This late in the overcast day with a brisk breeze blowing off the water made the open air trolley ride cold, especially for me who left my hoody in the car. One of the few times a hot body temperature was helpful.

Ponce de Leon landed in St. Augustine April 3, 1513 looking for the Fountain of Youth. Today the Ponce de Leon attraction is an archeology site with some other minor things. It didn't look like something we wanted to visit.

Pedro Menendez de Aviles took possession of St. Augustine for Spain in September 1565. St. Augustine is the oldest continually occupied European settlement in our country. FYI: The oldest continually non-European settlement is Acoma Pueblo in New Mexico. We visited that a few years ago. The new city parking garage stands as an example of  the city's efforts to preserve their Spanish origins.  All new and remodeled buildings in the "Old City" must fit in with the historic architecture.

Gail hoped we all had our gum ready for chewing to protect our ears at St. Augustine staggering elevation of 72 inches above sea level!

In 1768, 1300 Mediterranean people were brought to New Smyna as contract laborers  (more like slaves)for a large Indigo plantation. Most of the people came from Minorca an island by Spain. Others came from Greece, Italy and Sicily. The venture failed and those able to walk the 70 miles north in the hot summer of 1777 were granted sanctuary in St. Augustine.  Today the Minorcan special foods and traditions are a colorful part of St. Augustine's heritage.  The tour took us by the Scarlett O'Hara restaurant which originally was a Minorcan house.

We drove by the oldest house built in the United States. The house was built on this original site in the early 1600's with some features added in the 1700's.

Ripley's Believe It or Not Museums have been in several of the locations we have visited. However, the original museum opened here in St. Augustine in 1950. The Moorish styled Castle Warden originally was built 1887.

At one time a cigar factory employed most of the town. The factory employed more women than men. The women were referred to as "strippers", since their job included stripping the tobacco leaves from the stems.

The Trolley Tour took us along the harbor.  The newly renovated Bridge of Lions connects the mainland with Anastasia Island. The bridge originally built in 1927  using a Mediterranean style is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1880 Henry Flagler brought his railroad to St. Augustine forming a link with New York. He hoped to create a winter resort.  He provided plush hotels and leisure activities.  His Ponce de Leon Hotel featured 500 rooms. 75 Tiffany glass windows let the sun shine in the dining room. 8 Tiffany chandeliers grace the Grand Parlor. However, only one bathroom, since each room had a water pitcher and bowl. The Ponce de Leon was the first building in the country built with poured cement.

 The hotel is now the main hall of Flagler College with one of the fanciest student dining hall in the country.

Henry Flagler is considered a benefactor for St. Augustine. He built three hotels, put in sewers, built housing for his employees, schools and a hospital. He also built the Alcazar and the Cordova Hotels. The Alcazar, designed after a royal palace in Seville, included a pool almost a block in length with a ten foot deep end.  Johnny Weismuller used the pool to practice his dives.  Today the Alcazar houses City Hall and the Lightner Museum.

Henry also built this church because St. Augustine didn't have a Protestant church when it became an American town in 1821. A united Protestant was favored.  Lots of denominations sent missionaries. The few Presbyterians decided to build their own church. The Flagler Memorial Presbyterian Church was the first formally constituted Presbyterian congregation in 1824 and continued until 1890.

The Cordova Hotel built in 1887 has had several uses over the years. Today new owners have returned the building to a plush hotel called Casa Monica.







St. Augustine houses a large school for the Deaf and Blind.  The school even has a lovely stadium that sits next to the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. Ray Charles is an alum of the school. As a young boy he could be heard jamming with other musicians on a balcony of a house in the Cuban neighborhood.

The Cathedral-Basilica of St. Augustine holds parish records from 1594.  The present church was built in 1797 and rebuilt in 1887 after a fire.

Derrille and I explored St. George lane a pedestrian only street. From the city gates southward visitors find more than 50 houses and craft shops that have been restored or reconstructed. The oldest wooden school can be visited on some days. During the Seminole Wars the school served as a guard house because of its closeness to the gates.

We walked about five blocks down St. George Street window shopping and reading the reader boards and historical markers along the way. The park to Queen Isabella was tucked into one corner of the street.

The old mill now a restaurant certainly looked authentic.

Aviles Lane houses more galleries and boutiques. The Spanish Military Hospital Museum is there too. We didn't explore that lane because of time.

The trolley also drove down Magnolia Drive. The road is lined not with Magnolia's, but with Live Oaks that arch over the road, just like in Savannah, except I think Savannah's were much prettier.

The tour also stopped to see "The Senator", a beautiful 600 year old Live Oak. Very Impressive!

The Mission of Nombre de Dios includes a church and a 208 foot stainless steel cross. The cross marks where Pedro Menendiz de Aviles founded St. Augustine. 

The Shrine of Our Lady of La Leched and a museum can be found on the church grounds.

From the trolley and the harbor drive, the Castillo de San Marcos looked like the ruins of an old fort. Looks can be deceiving.

The grassy mound that rises toward the fort is called a galcis. It ends about the mote. Any foe trying to attack on that side would meet eye to eye with a canon. The size of the fort surprised me. We crossed a drawbridge to enter.

The walls of the fort stand 30 feet high and 17 feet at the base. The fort is made of coquina blocks. The blocks are quarried from nearby Anatasia Island. Construction began in 1672. It took 23 years to complete. Coquine, like palmetto logs at Ft. Moultrie (Charleston) absorbs cannonball attacks. So after a battle, the soldiers went out at night and repaired the damage. In the morning, the enemy was perplexed that the fort had no marks on the walls.

The fort was never taken by an enemy force. Ownership by the Spanish, British, and United States only changed via treaty and often from battles fought elsewhere. The fort successfully withstood 15 battles and 2 sieges. A moat around the fort held livestock.

 The high arched ceiling of the fort's rooms help support the gun deck above.

Jake our costumed park ranger got very excited about the fort history. The town's location made it both strategic and vulnerable. Pirates sacked the town during both the 16th and 17th century. The English attacked in both 1586 and 1668. Realizing St. Augustine had become of military importance, Spain began to build the fort in 1672 and completed in 1695.  Then in 1702 the English held a two month siege on the fort. Both the English and Spanish sent for reinforcement. The English messenger however, returned home and didn't ask that reinforcements be sent. We have heard similar stories in battles all along our trip. The remaining English forces had to give up the siege. When the Spanish reinforcement arrived they weren't needed.

The second siege occurred in 1740. British General Oglethorpe decided the only way to capture the fort was to surround it. He split his forces and sent half by land and the other half by sea. However he had no support. Provisions grew low. They had canons but no mounts by which to move them. The diamond shaped fort corners created an interlocking field of fire. Several guns cover the same area. The canons of bronze and cast iron had firing ranges of 1 1/2 to 3 miles.  Oglethorpe's troops deserted and the siege ended after 28 days.

The view from the gun deck was impressive, even on a cloudy cold day. From here we could see the ruins of the way that went around the city at one time.

Looking south from the gun deck the lighthouse on Anastasia Island pieced the cloudy sky.  Toward the north the bridge to Vilano Island rises over the waterway. Between the two barrier islands lies the entrance to the Atlantic Ocean.

We thoroughly enjoyed our very short visit to St. Augustine.

Next:  On the way to the Keys