To St. Augustine: Anastasia

April 7, 2024

At 5 am it's 45 degrees in the RV Park. I don't have enough layers for that so I'm sitting in the heated bathroom, cramming on the journal. Once the sun is up I venture back out to find that Barry has stuffed the sleeping bags, rolled up the mats and is ready for breakfast - our usual granola habit. He's very sweet about subsidizing my writing time by picking up the camping chores.

While we eat, three kids are speeding up and down the gravel road on their bikes and talking about the gator in the ditch that runs right behind our tent. He hangs out under the bridge across the middle of the ditch and seems quite sociable. The kids have named him Billy. He's not very big, maybe six feet long. According to the park owners Billy is 8 years old.

Billy surfaces when the kids clap their hands.

Billy poses for us under the bridge, like a troll

Then he swims on over to the side, no doubt hoping for some kind of food. We're not feeding him.

Billy has a buddy they call George who is hiding somewhere in the ditch. That ditch is not very big. I wonder if there can really be enough food down there to support two of these creatures. This all satisfies my curiosity about gators. I'm glad we're moving on from here.

Riding out from the campground through an historic sugar plantation

We pedal east on a bike path next to busy Moody Boulevard. The path takes us over the Intracoastal Waterway into the town of Flagler Beach. Just past the bridge, a sign for craft donuts calls to me. "Come on over. Just have one yummy little donut. Don't worry, you'll work it off." I doubt we're doing enough miles today to offset the Boston Cream Pie donut that I wolf down here. Worth it.

The A1A beach road is especially pleasant today. For awhile there's a good shoulder running along the waterfront. Then a swoopy bike path veers away from the road, taking us through a shady tunnel in the woods, far from the traffic which is pretty light.

An A+ beach road, where you can watch the surf breaking on the shore from the saddle.

The Matanzas River runs behind this strip of houses. It reminds me of the coves that flowed behind the beaches in Chatham Mass. We'd wade around at low tide collecting horseshoe crabs.

In St. Augustine Beach, A1A veers off the main traffic road to a strip lined with shops and restaurants. We're just three miles from the campground, time for lunch. This is my favorite plan - a nice meal in the afternoon and snacks for dinner later on. At the Sunset Grill I have a perfectly delicious seafood salad with lobster, shrimp and crab meat over greens and veggies.

While we stuff ourselves, Mike has ridden ahead to Anastasia State Park, checked in and sent us a map and the gate code to get to our site. Thanks buddy! The park is on Anastasia Island, named for Saint Anastasia the martyr, not the mysterious daughter of Czar Nicholas II.

Nice big site with water, electricity and caterpillars galore

These wooly little guys find their way into the tent, the bags, my shirt. They seem harmless enough but I don't love them crawling on me.

Once the tent is up, the hammock is next for Barry

Other than Key West, this is the only advance reservation I made because it sounded so beautiful, and it is. Less than a mile from our campsite we walk out on the boardwalk to four miles of wild unspoiled beach. Other than the park building there are no homes or buildings. You can walk for miles in solitude.

High on the beach our feet slide through silky white powder. Near the water the sand is coarser with patches of sharp crushed shells. The water feels so nice that I wade in far enough to get my shorts wet, but at high tide the pull of the waves is too strong to jump in all the way. Just walking through the shallow waves is therapy.

The sand is firm enough to ride with wider tires

Time for supper. We have a layover day tomorrow to soak in more of Anastasia.

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Today's ride: 38 miles (61 km)
Total: 563 miles (906 km)

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Rachael AndersonWhat a great day!
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7 months ago

Janice BranhamTo Rachael AndersonIt surely was a great day Rachel, one I want to remember.
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7 months ago

Pat HallShelly's sister has a place just north of Palm Coast. We have spent many weeks over the years camping in Anastasia. I'm just catching up on your journal today. It's been gloomy and rainy in Buffalo so this is the perfect time to follow your sunny adventure.
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7 months ago

Janice BranhamTo Pat HallGreat to see you here Pat. I hope we'll get back to Anastasia for a longer stay. It's really special.
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7 months ago