Been Offline And On The Road

St Austine Florida
Camping with Janina

 I high-tailed it north in the Green Hornet a few days ago to visit my parents in central Florida. Cognizant of my move west and my ability to see family is evaporating,  I felt a little adventure in northern Florida would be prudent. Also another axe to grind was to see Janina, who planned out a couple of days of camping in St Augustine Florida.

St Augustine Lighthouse Established 1884

After two days of visiting with Mom and Dad and then dinner with two aunts, Janina swung by and collected me and my REI tent and bugged out for northeast Florida. We had such a good time. On the way we stopped by a hillbilly like blueberry festival, complete with shooting range and country band. By late afternoon we had found our RV Campground on the Vilano Beach side of St Augustine.

At the Blueberry Festival

Our Campsite..Really for RV's

The following day we pulled chocks and headed into Old Town for a day of touring. We hit the Castillo de San Marcos Fort and then a smaller Fort called Fort Matanzas. Also featured was a very cool Cuban restaurant on Alivas street, somewhat off the tourist beaten path.

Vittels Cuban Style

Onward to Anastasia State Park to slip into another campsite for the evening.

We awoke the next morning to thunder and lightning. Since this was Janina's first experience with camping, she got to experience the joy of breaking down camp in the rain. It was time to head back to my folks house where I was discharged.

But my week and a half was not finished. After a night of rest at the rents, it was time to head to Vero Beach to visit my 87 year old grandfather. Always love visiting him, as he is the one responsible for my nautical inclinations. After a night and two days with Pepe, I finally headed back across Alligator Alley and back to Naples.

I just couldn't find enough time to update the blog during my sojorn. I think this is the longest stretch of time I've gone in some time without an update. Sorry about that!

So I leave you with some more pictures from the camping trip and touring in and around St Augustine.

Capt Chris

PS: I do believe I will be sailing Christa north to FT Myers Beach tomorrow and snag a mooring for a few days. I am due to tie up at the shipyard in FT Myers on Tuesday May 25th, the mast comes down on the 27th and the truck arrives either on May 28th or June 1st. I also am scheduled to deliver a 35ft Cobalt from Sarasota to Naples, maybe this weekend. Stay tuned! It's all happening!