50 State, Day 287

  St. Augustine

 

"Success is not measured by what a man accomplishes, but by the opposition he has encountered and the courage with which he has maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds."

~Charles Lindbergh

 

Stupid me. I should have known. We entered Wally's World and QG stopped to get a prescription. Long line. I said I'd use the restroom and catch up with her. Afterward I decided to drop my jacket at the bike. Back to Prescriptions. No QG. We're shopping for groceries, so I hiked up and down the grocery aisles, seven times or so. Back again to the scooter, no luck.

 

Stupid me.

 

Checked the bike, the checkouts, and the groceries. The Greeter probably thinks I'm shoplifting stuff. Finally I found her with a few items. She'd been buying fabric. Should have known!

 

Today we took the trolley around St. Augustine and acted like tourists, clicking pictures of every bright thing and learning more about our country. St. Augustine was named after the patron saint of the day when it was discovered.

 

For a temperate place of paradise, it had its share of grief. The French lost control when they suffered at sea during a hurricane. It burned a couple of times, once by man and once by natural causes. Freezing weather killed crops and the city once, and in 1825 they had a real estate bubble burst. Some things don't change.

 

But what history. The jail was built in the 1700s, the city gates in the late 1600s. Churches, museums and stores stand together having overcome myriad attempts at their destruction.

 

Now the place is a tourist haven, and thanks to Mr. Flagler of Standard Oil fame and money, it has been since the late 1800s. He built a fancy hotel and laid railroad tracks to lure wealthy folks for a time of sun, sand and leisure. The Flagmeister was a real visionary.

 

Great job as the city is gorgeous, rich in history and architecture.

 

And now, all toured up, Quilter Girl!

 

The tour was great as they picked us up at the campground on the beach bus and hauled us to the city where we picked up the city trolley.  There are 20+ stops and lots of commentary while riding the bus.  These tour guides sure do know lots of stuff!  We left the fort for another day as we forgot the passport and opted for a free museum about the city then walked around the old town.  I shopped a bit while Kevin waited around with a bit of patience.  There is so much to see in the city I am glad that it is a three day ticket on the trolley. Coming back, we picked up the beach bus at 2:30 and rode the scenic route over Anastasia Island.  The beach bus is also a hotel bus, not just a KOA campground bus.  The driver explained that before we started, but there was one lady who complained at every stop we made.  Did she hear what the driver said at all?  It was a nice scenic ride back and he took a short cut into St. Augustine Beach that we didn't know about.  

 

We found a wonderful BBQ restaurant with a coupon in one of the 5 lbs of tourist magazines the campground gave us.  It was across the street from Walmart, so was convenient and we love that BBQ!  It didn't disappoint and had a sweet sauce that was superb. We are now huddled around the heater as once the sun goes down it gets cold.  Tonight we will probably need our extra quilt!  

 

QG

 

Tomorrow, Church Surch takes us to a beautiful building-but what's it like on the inside? And the Weekly Wrap-Up. See you then!