Florida - Day 6 - St. Augustine and down to Flagler Beach

Tomoka State Park, Ormond Beach

Friday, 20 January 2023

today's route

Not far out of Starke, I passed an orchard of some kind - with all the branches bare at this time of year, I couldn't tell what those trees produced.  But I can say they were very tall trees, so not something obvious like oranges - which are growing all over the place, even in the winter.  I also saw lots of Spanish moss everywhere.

I heard on the radio about a Care Compare website the government offers that lets people using Medicare compare performance information about doctors and clinics that are enrolled in the Medicare program.  Here's the link if you're interested.   

https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Patient-Assessment/Care-Compare

I heard something on the radio that made me think another name for Gainesville is Hogtown.  And some research has told me that's sort of right.  Probably what I heard was a notice that this weekend was the middle of 3 weekends for the Hoggetowne Medieval Faire, which is about what the name implies.  But also there was a place called Hogtown back in the early 1800s that was a tiny community where Seminoles raised hogs.  In the 1830s local settlers and the US government tried to shove them off their land and force them to move west of the Mississippi River (aka "Trail of Tears").  When this particular group of Seminoles resisted, a nearby militia tried to massacre them, which effectively displaced them from their land.  That Hogtown village was eventually incorporated into Gainesville, though many merchants use the name as an unofficial nickname.

Farther along the road I was surprised to come to the JC Penney Memorial Scenic Highway and a town called Penney Farms.  That seemed too strange not to look up, and I learned that the Penney of department store fame tried to start a town in 1924 that he envisioned as an experimental farming community.  He had to revamp his plans after the stock market crash and instead created this as a community for retired ministers.  Today it's still a retirement community oriented around Christianity with 655 residents at the last census.

At Green Cove Springs I passed the fairly elaborate Clay County Courthouse.

Clay County Courthouse

I'd been driving in some fairly dense fog all this time, but it finally lifted in time for me to be able to see the school zone areas I came to, which was a relief.  I made it to Constitution Plaza in St. Augustine by 8:45.  I'd come early because I hoped to be able to find a parking place near here so I could walk around - and I did, so I did.

Constitution Plaza and environs

Founded in 1565, St. Augustine is the oldest continuously occupied European-based town in the Lower 48 (there's an older one in Puerto Rico).  Dexter and I walked all around the plaza, which was clearly the original center of town when the Spaniards created it.  I took lots of photos.

Ponce de León
I had a hard time getting this photo
because the sun was coming up just in the wrong place.

I thought this sign with several accommodations
for non-sighted people was interesting.
It says this statue is like the one in San Juan,
Puerto Rico, at de León's grave.

This is the inscription
on the statue itself.

These next photos were taken across the street at the plaza itself.

And this is the market.

St. Augustine Foot Soldiers -
plaque enlarged at right

The inscription on the monument.

There was another of those signs for the visually impaired nearby that said some of the same stuff as in the inscription above, but it also said this bronze marker was erected in 2011 with community support.

Then there were 2 signs that contrast the respective receptions given by the local folks to 2 different groups.

I think this is the Government House -
the sign (below) was across the street
but faced this building.

This sign was across the street but
faced the building above.

A band shell is at left rear,
with the Constitution Monument (see below) next to it.
Across the street from the plaza are shops and churches.

Constitution Monument

And across the street on the other side of the plaza from the view above is a famous and very old church.

The Cathedral Basilica of 
St. Augustine.

Nobody wants to tell me what this
building is.  It's separate from the
cathedral though, as you see,
immediately next to it and quite
elaborate.

Some close-ups:

Nearby are several pedestrian-only streets.

This one is next to the Cathedral.

On a different one, I found this "Oldest
Wooden Schoolhouse in the USA."

City Gates

Dext and I walked to the somewhat preserved original city gates.

The gates.
That small plaque is shown below right.

I took a closer view of one of the gates because I've been trying to figure out what this "coquina" stuff is that these gates and the Cathedral itself were made of.

You can't really see very well in the photo, but there are sea shells showing in these blocks.  You may remember I ran into questions about the word "coquille" back in Oregon or Washington, I think.  And learned then that this word means "shell" in French.

The Spanish word for shell is cáscara, which makes it look like it was the French influence that resulted in the coquina naming.  (Despite the Spanish claiming to be the first Europeans here?)

This sign was near the gates.

Castillo de San Marcos

Those gates (above) are across the road from Castillo de San Marcos, the "oldest masonry fort in" the Lower 48.  I'm guessing that the original wall the gates were part of was also a part of the wall of the fort.  The fort is now an official national monument and is managed by the National Park Service.

I had to get some distance away to get the whole thing in view.
 

text enlarged below

from the display above left

I didn't go into the castillo but I heard a park ranger explain to a group of school children that this structure is actually the 10th version of the fort.  The previous 9 had been built of wood.  He asked the kids for reasons why the wood hadn't stood the test of time and they came up with a long list of reasons - including termites, which surprised me that kids would have thought of it.  But even version #10 has been there a really long time: the sign above says since 1672.

All of these sights are close to a beautiful bridge, known as the Bridge of Lions, across the Intracoastal Waterway.  The name comes from 2 pairs of carved lions, one pair at each end of the bridge.  The lions are standing on all fours, except with one front paw on a ball.  I'd intended to take a photo of the lions but didn't see them when I walked by on the other side of the street.  Later when I drove across the bridge I saw them but wasn't in a position to take a picture.  The bridge was built in 1927.

Huguenot Cemetery

Also nearby was the historic Huguenot Cemetery.

Because God forbid we should bury the Protestants with the Catholics.
Though my guess would be that God doesn't forbid any such thing.

Old Spanish Trail Zero Milestone

And right next to this cemetery is a sight that is almost hidden from any tourists.  Actually, it's in plain sight, but because its back is to the street, nobody would know it was there.  I knew it was there but had to do some serious hunting to find it.

Zero milestone on the Old Spanish Trail
which ran from St. Augustine (FL) to San Diego (CA)

I think that milestone is really cool.

Fort Mose

At the north end of town is Fort Mose Historic State Park.  "Mose" is pronounced moe-SAY.  I couldn't quite tell if there were any structures still standing because apparently access was via a long walkway across a marsh, which I wasn't willing to make.  Instead, I learned about the site from the historic marker and the 8 informational markers at the parking area.

side 1

side 2

Sign #1 - text enlarged below right

enlarged text from sign #1

Sign #2 - portions enlarged below

enlarged from sign 2, on the left

enlarged from sign 2, in the center

enlarged from sign 2, on the right

sign #3 - some parts enlarged below

enlargement of sign #3, left side

enlargement of sign #3, center

enlargement of sign #3, far right

sign #4 - some parts enlarged below

enlarged from sign #4, center

enlarged from sign #4,
far right

sign #5, enlargement below

enlarged from sign #5

sign #6 - enlargement below

enlarged from sign #6

sign #7 - enlargement below

enlarged from sign #7

Sign #7 also said that it's unknown whether any of the Mose residents returned to Florida, but that more research was needed into documents found in Cuba.

After that sign fest, Dext and I walked a short way along the boardwalk.

And I learned a few things along the way.

I took this photo over the side railing, showing little animal tracks
left in the sediment after the water receded.  Lots of bird tracks,
and maybe a raccoon.

I've seen this term "hammock" a lot here
in Florida - more info below.

A mostly unique visitor here.

In desperation, because nothing I've seen so far explains what a hammock is if it's not hanging from a tree, I turned to Wikipedia.  This kind of hammock is, they say, a term mostly used in the southeastern US (like Florida), and refers to a stand of trees that forms an ecological island because they grow in an "elevated" area (the area may be just a few inches higher than its surroundings), and the trees are surrounded by wetlands that the trees can't live in because they need drier conditions, so instead they form a little colony in the slightly drier land that's elevated above the wetlands.  That's what a hammock is.  Here's the link if you want to know more and see some photos.   https://en.wikipedia.org/Hammock

I also saw a plaque that said in 1994 Fort Mose was declared a National Historic Landmark.

Other St. Augustine sights

Ft. Mose is on the north side of town, and I drove back through town heading to the beaches in the south.  But my earlier stops had by no means covered all the sights there are to see in this town.

Villa Zoryada

This is the sort of building that makes you think "what was that?" as you pass it.  I didn't know it was there, so I was really surprised.  This photo is off the internet and doesn't really do it justice.  The Villa Zoryada was built in 1883 by an "eccentric Boston millionaire" (per Wikipedia), "inspired by the 12th century Moorish Alhambra Palace in Grenada, Spain."  Apparently it's now a museum and visitors can ooh and aah at the various oddities inside.  Except that they charge $13 admission for seniors, which seems a little steep, I'd love to visit if I had the time (and money).

I also passed the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche, on the grounds of Mission Nombre de Dios.  The mission, Catholic of course, was founded in 1585 and is believed to be the oldest mission in the Lower 48 still in existence.  The shrine was built in 1609 and named in honor of the devotion of Spanish settlers to an image of Mary nursing the infant Jesus.  It's one of the oldest sites of devotion in the Americas still in use.

I passed several trolleys which are used for tours - and seem to be very popular.

St. Augustine Lighthouse

I got to the St. Augustine Lighthouse in the south part of town, thinking I could park and walk Dext around the grounds (the lighthouse admission at $12.95 for seniors being too high for me).  The lighthouse is 165' tall and was in operation by 1874.  It's Florida's first lighthouse and is still in use.

Sadly, the parking lot was completely packed.  It was an informal place of dirt among thick trees, with the tree roots everywhere, making parking difficult even if I could have found a spot.  I got there about 11:30 but that was apparently too late for the Friday crowds.

This photo is from the internet.  I chose this view because it's actually what I saw.  Next visit I'll know to come earlier in the day.

From there I picked up the A1A Scenic Byway and drove along a series of beaches: St. Augustine Beach, "Historic" Butler Beach, Crescent Beach - along a long string of beach houses and condos and a few hotels.  Butler Beach is historic, by the way, because Frank Butler, a successful Black businessman, bought land on the beach between the St. Augustine and Crescent Beaches.  Black people had been arrested for using those beaches, and Butler decided it was time for them to have their own beach.  He ran into continuing roadblocks (literally when he tried to get a road built into the area), but by the 1950s and into the '60s it had become a very popular place.  He died in 1973 and the land was eventually turned over to St. Johns County.  It's now used not only for recreation but also (and especially) to preserve the dunes that are home to the endangered Anastasia Island Beach Mouse and the gopher tortoise (the only tortoise naturally found east of the Mississippi), considered a "keystone species" because other animals depend on its burrows for their own homes.

Sadly, none of these beaches allowed dogs.

Eventually we made our way south to Flagler County Beach where dogs were allowed.  But the county had closed most of the stairs that crossed the dunes from the parking area to the beach, and by the time I found access we'd already walked a long way so I gave up on taking Dext to the beach.  But I did learn some things I hadn't known before.

the Atlantic Ocean from Flagler Beach

Finally - an explanation of coquina rock.

And this is coquina rock.

We drove a little farther south to Ormond-by-the-Sea (known as a popular place for retirees), crossed the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, found some back roads, and then ended on the Old Dixie Highway.  

Dext and I saw several otters crossing the road.  Several signs said, "Ride Quietly Please."  And we got to the state park by 1:30.

That was early enough that I dumped my tanks (having to wait a long time behind someone who didn't seem to know what he was doing), cleaned the RV's windows, swept and swept and swept (hard to get this Florida sand off the floors), walked Dext again, and cleaned the AC filters.  By then I was tahred (as we pronounce it here in the South).  Really tahred.  Dext and I walked a lot today in St. Augustine.

We were in Tomoka State Park, an area where people have lived for centuries.  The park says it's "noted for its live oak hammock with arching limbs covered in Spanish moss" and various species of orchids, ferns and so forth.  It lies between the Tomoka and the Halifax Rivers, with nearby saltwater marshes, so the area provides habitat for a number of seafood, bird and plant species.  Apparently bobcats occasionally appear in the campground, along with the usual raccoons and such.