Day 70 - March 9, 2016 Bryn Mawr Ocean Resort - Trolley Ride around St. Augustine

Day 70 - March 9, 2016

We have been to this CG several times but it is usually on our way out not on our way home when it is very cool to cold here. We have been to the lighthouse and fort but have never done a trolley tour. Today we decided to go into town and take the Old Town Trolley Tour. 


St. Augustine is a very pretty city with some great architecture and history.  

At one trolley stop we had a furry friend join us for the ride! He was mildly crushed between his owner and another tourist. LOL

We decided to do the entire tour first  and then get off and explore. 

We took the tour of St. Augustine Distillery where they make craft bourbon, gin and rum. 

The building was once an old ice plant and was saved from destruction by the people of St. Augustine who came together to help finance the conversion from ice plant to distillery. 

Original Tiles

At the end of the tour we were all treated to a sample of  the craft rum, gin and bourbon. Very good - even for non-drinkers.

We later stopped at the Shrine of Our Lady of Le Leche.

There were bikers everywhere and it was getting very noisy. It was difficult  to here the narrator at times due to the loud motorcycles. 

Motorcycles Everywhere!

We had been touring for around four hours and decided it was time to call it a day. There was more to see but everything closes at 4:30 pm so we were running out of time. 

One of the many beautifully restored homes

The building that houses Ripley's Believe it or Not is quite spectaculr!

We headed back to the CG around 4:15 pm and the traffic was unreal. We were almost hit by a truck that wanted to be in our space  on the road and didn't see us. Amazingly he stopped before hitting us and there was no horn honking or words spoken. Ron is cool like that!

We rode back over the Bridge of Lyons to get back to route a1a. 

It was an interesting day and we will be returning on our next visit to check out more of the city. 

Back at the CG we went to the beach for a very nice walk. It was late and there were just a few people on the beach so we let Jewel run free for a few minutes, She loves to run and had the beach to herself. 

Another nice day here in St. Augustine! 

Day 69 - March 8, 2016 - Bryn Mawr Resort - St. Augustine, Florida

March 8, 2016

We left Little Manatee River State Park around 10 am arriving at Bryan Mawr Resort in St. Augustine by 1:30 pm. 

Site 105

We were not able to secure a site on the ocean because the resort was full due to the fact it is "Bike Week" here. Bike Week used to be held in Myrtle Beach but has been banned from there so in now held in Daytona.  There are thousands of bikers in the area and many here at the CG. In fact, we had to pay an additional ten dollars a night for our site because of "Bike Week."

It was a glorious day and the beach was waiting for us.

Jewel loves it here because she is allowed on the beach. 

We sat outside for the early part of the evening and then took another walk on the beach. It was a very relaxing day.

Day 66, 67, & 68 - March 5th, 6th & 7th Long Point Park, Melbourne Beach Florida

Days 66, 67 & 68

We have had a really nice three days here with bright sunshine and temps in the low 70's. However, the nights have been cool and great for sleeping.

We have been enjoying the wild life here and taking a lot of walks around the island. We did try to secure a couple of more days here but no luck so will be moving on March 8th.

 I made reservations at the Bryn Mawr Resort in St. Augustine. We stay there every time we come to or leave Florida. It is one of our favorite CG's because it is right on the ocean. 

Unfortunately we were not able to get an ocean front site this time bu that is OK. We will be slowly working our way back up the coast to home. 

Day 65 - March 4, 2016 Long Point Park Melbourne Beach, Florida

The day started out quite beautiful. After breakfast we took Jewel for a walk and then sat outside watching the wildlife.  Once again we had a visitor. The egret came up to our campsite and looked us over for quite some time. Jewel didn't know what was going on but she was good and did not chase the bird. 

Egret

Ron found out they don't like pretzels! LOL 

Later our neighbors came out to go for a kayak ride with their dog.

Their dog is  twelve years old and loves the water. We can't get Jewel near the water! LOL She runs the other way. 

After lunch we took a ride to the beach to get our  ocean fix. The wind had been non-existent in the morning but picked up just as we were heading to the beach. When we arrived it was a full gale wind and people were chasing their umbrellas down the beach and across the dunes. 

Windy!

We stayed at the ocean for about 30 minutes and finally gave into the wind and dropping temperatures  and went back to the CG. When we arrived our neighbor was pulling in his awning and chasing down some of his lawn furniture. 

The wind didn't really die down for several hours. After dinner we put on long pants and jackets to take Jewel for a walk.

We were happy to get to see the dolphins swimming past and Ron was able to capture at least one good picture. 

The dolphins and the pelicans appeared to be playing together. So cool!

As we were walking we saw a group of people in the middle of the road looking up toward the sky. How lucky are we - they had just launched the Space X Falcon 9 Rocket and we got to see it's ascent.

Then we saw the rocket boosters break away.

What great timing. We don't usually take Jewel out until  later in the evening but decided to go at that time. We have always wanted to see a launch but were never here at the right time. 

Another great day here at Long Point park!

Day 64 - March 3, 2016 Long Point Park , Sebastian Inlet, Melbourne Beach Florida

Despite this park being full to capacity it is very quiet and we got a great sleep. We woke to sunshine and clear skies. 

It is so nice to get up to the sound of the water lapping on the shore and chirping of the birds. It is quite the bird sanctuary here and we had some fine feathered visitors. 

We took several walks around the campground. It is actually a small island with 170 camp sites. 113 sites are on the perimeter and face the water. There are huge green spaces in the middle that have not been set up for sites making it very park like and less crowded. 

We took a walk over the bridge to Scout Island where they have group camping available. There are lots of birds along the river making themselves comfortable on the railings.

Every site is full and we enjoyed seeing some of the older unique trailers. There are a lot of people here that have not moved past the 60's and still adhere to the "Flower Power" generation.

The people in this cute camper still dressed in sixties attire and were quite interesting. 

Back at out site we sat and enjoyed the views and good weather. 

We spent a good deal of time  talking  to our neighbors and enjoying their company. It was a great day and  we are looking forward to more of the same. 

Day 63 - March 2, 2016 Long Point Park - Sebastian Inlet, Melbourne Beach , Florida

We  left Little Manatee River State Park around 9:30 am. But not before we had to get Jewel out of her hiding place. 

I'm Not Going!

We Can Still See You!

After picking Jewel up and physically putting her in the MH we were on our way. 

Ron opted to take the less traveled  routes to our next destination. He didn't feel like dealing with the traffic on I-4. It was a nice ride/drive and very scenic. For some reason once on board Jewel did not do her usual shaking routine. We think she sensed we were on our way back home?????

We arrived at Long Point Park by 12:30 pm and it was a madhouse. Lots of people checking in and many people in line to change sites. We lucked out and got a site right on the water. When I called I thought I had booked for seven days but actually was booked for six. We were just fortunate to get in on a cancellation because the place is packed. 

Site 52 

We were put on a double site so have a lot of room to our right. The people to our right had some of their stuff in our site but that is  a non-issue.

Nice View

Later that evening we had a pretty sunset. 

We are very pleased with this lovely place and feel fortunate to have been able to get a site here. 

Day 61 & 62 Little Manatee River State Park, Wimauma, Florida

Day 61 - February  29, 2016

Didn't do much of anything today. Did some hiking, sat in the sun I read a book and Ron spent time on the Kindle Fire. Getting mentally prepared for our trip back home. 

Relaxing in Her One of her  Dirt Beds!

Day 62 - March 1, 2016

Well, another month has zipped by. It is hard to believe we are in month three of 2016. Jewel is not having a good day. She has been vomiting and looking a little sickly. Hopefully she will recover quickly. She hasn't had thing different to eat bu maybe she caught one of the many lizards here. 

Spent the day cleaning and doing laundry. Did I mention that Jewel likes to get on the bed in the morning after we get up. That is where she first vomited so I had go to the laundry to wash the bedspread. 

Met some very nice people doing their laundry. One woman told me she and her husband sold everything in July and are now on the road full-time (Ron's dream). Still cannot wrap my head around that idea but may consider a year on the road. We'll see.

As the day progressed Jewel was better but we kept her food to a minimum. Hopefully by tomorrow she will be back to her old self.

We made a final run to Publix to pick up some incidentals  then stopped at Bubbaques for lunch. We had the best barbecue we have ever had. The Tuesday special was two pulled pork sandwiches for $6.00. Good deal. 

We will be moving in the morning to our next destination in Melbourne. Ron is not happy about  heading home but we do have many commitments so have no choice.