Road Trip - Days 23 & 24: Key West - St. Augustine - Savannah

Day 23 - Key West - St. Augustine - a day of travel

Day 23 (January 23rd) was a day of travel along the freeway. We felt a little saddened to be leaving the Keys - and the warm weather that we had gotten used to. We had a 6 hour drive ahead of us and wanted to get to our next destination as quickly as possible so that we could be up early the next day for exploring St. Augustine.  

Apart from a few lemon tree groves, there was nothing out of the ordinary to see - and even those photos were blurry as we took them while in the car, so we have not included them here. 

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Day 24 (January 24th) Saint Augustine, FL - Savannah, GA

Wow - we couldn't believe how only two days ago, we were swimming in the Keys, whereas today, we actually donned our winter coats (no boots yet, though)! The temperature dropped to 35 degrees Fahrenheit, and only went up to 55 today, with a strong wind. That being said, we found St. Augustine to be all that we had expected - and then some. 

We took a trolley tour of the town to get a feel of where everything was, and from there it was easy to decide what we wanted to visit for a closer look. 

St. Augustine is billed as the oldest settlement in the U.S.A., and the buildings and architecture are very reminiscent of old-time Europe.

High Alter in the R.C. Cathedral

The various religious edifices bear testimony to the spiritual origins of the settlement, with Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Presbyterian, Greek Orthodox, and United Methodist denominations all historically represented through being the oldest buildings in the country for these communities.

Greek Orthodox Shrine

A huge steel cross dominates the city and purports to be the largest in the U.S. It marks the spot where the first missionaries arrived. 

The Old City Quarter is of special interest, and the uneven, cobbled streets and sidewalks were quaint - with buildings that had a charm all of their own. Of special interest was the oldest, wooden schoolhouse, that has remained intact through the centuries. I couldn't resist ringing the old bell in the courtyard - some things are never forgotten!

Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse in the U.S. 

School Kitchen

Time for lessons!

The Privy - or 'Meditation Room'

The city also boasts two replicas of Spanish Galleons - celebrating the arrival of Ponce de Leon (the first mate on Columbus' second expedition to the New World). They are in the harbour, tucked beside the working drawbridge. 

Enticing restaurants, wine-tasting tours, and chocolate factories continued to beckon us inside - but we were on the second day of a 2-day cleanse and were able to summon the necessary fortitude to withstand the temptations - until next time we visit!!!!

Finishing our sight-seeing for the day, we made our way north to Savannah, Georgia where we will be staying for two nights. On the way, we visited St. Augustine Beach and the height of the waves fired our excitement.

We were tempted to go for a dip - but the cold wind helped us to give in to common sense - something that is new to us!

The views of the Atlantic, however, were absolutely wonderful.

We noticed the subtle reminder of the ever-present threat of hurricanes and tidal surges as we passed several homes that were on stilts. I suppose this is the flip-side of the payoff of the normal sunny weather experienced by the local residents.

What we found particularly interesting was the sand dunes that skirted the ocean and over which boardwalks had been erected for pedestrians to access the beach areas. These dunes were home to a plethora of wild species and were protected by law. 

Upon arrival in Georgia, Mark decided that he wanted to have a very classy picture taken to prove he had visited the State. As you can see, he is very photogenic!

We are staying in a hotel just over the border, in South Carolina. It's 20 minutes away from Savannah, so it's not too far from our destination for tomorrow's day trip. 

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Road Trip - Day 22 - Key West

Day 22 - Key West

Para-Sailing - Swimming - Contortionists - Sunset

Mark at Marathon Beach

Waking up to clear skies increased the anticipation we were feeling about one of the major hilites of our road trip – Para-Sailing off the Keys!  We took a quick look at the beach in Marathon before heading south to Key West. Knowing that we would need to stop for a wi-fi connection (our hotel was not one of our favourite places for various reasons!!!), we left quite early as we had booked for the 1:00 p.m. event and needed to be there at least ½ an hour ahead of time.

Alan waiting for the Para-Sailing Team

The harbour, from which the boat leaves, is surrounded by luxurious hotels, restaurants, and up-market boutiques, dotted with ads for the various water activities available. Even though we were eager to get going, the environment was pleasant enough to allay any impatience!

Our captain and his assistant explained how to put on the safety harness and the procedure for ‘take-off’ and ‘landing’ on the back of the boat. It was so easy and it just seemed that we were gently whisked up into the air. The experience was both exhilarating and peaceful with views of the coast line and the expanse of the ocean as it spread out before us.

Ready to go

First 'Dip'

Second 'Dip'

Terrific view from up there!

We were ‘dipped’ three times (two more times than the other three parasailers) and felt that we were up there for longer than the ten minutes that had been allotted to us. It is definitely an experience we would recommend and we’re certainly going to repeat it in the not-too-distant future.

Upon our return, we made our way to the Southernmost Point on the Continental U.S. Typically, there were signs up claiming to be ‘The Southernmost Hotel’, ‘The Southernmost Guest House’, ‘The Southernmost House’ etc. etc. It was kind of interesting to be just 90 miles from Cuba.

Just 90 miles to Cuba

After pics were dutifully taken, we took a swim in the ‘Southernmost Beach’ where the water was warmer than the cool air around us.

There were a few others who were also swimming, but we stayed in the longest – probably because it was too cold for people from warmer climates. Crazy Canucks!!

One of the things we have noticed is that there are roosters roaming everywhere in the town – not sure why – but you can hear them crowing all day long!

Roosters crowing everywhere!

We spent the afternoon strolling around Duval Street and its surroundings, stopping for a slice of Key Lime pie – a must when you are visiting here! Ernest Hemingway had a home here, and frequented the saloon round the corner. (Of note, the place where we parked had a sign to say that he had passed out in this spot!!!)

We had found out that every evening, people gather in Mallory Square for the Sunset Celebration - where street performers and musicians display their skills and talents. We watched a young man and his wife put on a show that was not only unique in some of the stunts/moves that they made, but that was thoroughly entertaining – thanks to his superb humour and great timing. He had the crowd eating out of his hand. He is an acrobat, and his wife is a contortionist. This combination is what made them unique.

Acrobat and Contortionist - very entertaining!

One man steel band!

I don’t think we’ve ever taken so many pictures of a sunset as we did here! Out of the 80 or so that we snapped, we have included the one we thought was best.

We kept wondering why they were called ‘Keys’ and not Islands. According to Wikipedia, "Key" is derived from the Spanish ‘Cayo’, meaning small island. Mystery solved – thanks, once more, to Google! Actually, the Wikipedia site is good for reading about the history of the keys.

From here, we start heading northwards – moving towards cooler temperatures and eventually back into the snowy areas. We’re gonna make the most of good weather while we can.

Happy, Fit, & Free !

Road Trip Day 21 - Fort Myers - Key West

Day 21 - January 21st - Fort Myers - Key West

After bidding farewell to our wonderful hosts, we headed across to the Florida Turnpike and then turned south towards the Keys. The weather started off with some mild drizzle, and it stayed like that for most of the journey until we headed south. When we got to the beginning of the keys, it ranged from clear blue skies, to being very windy and pelting rain. It was interesting to see how quickly these changes came about.

Key Deer on No Name Key

We checked in to our hotel in Marathon, and then headed for the tip, stopping at Big Pine Key to take a look at the miniature Key Deer – an endangered species that are protected by law. Much to Mark’s delight, we spotted several of them in the populated areas, as well as further out at No Name Key.

One of the proprietors of the Refuge Museum was explaining that – to my surprise – there ARE crocodiles as well as alligators in the area. He told us that at a nearby lake, they are breeding them with the hopes that they will help to reduce the invading Burmese Pythons that are now rampant in the Everglades since Hurricane Andrew destroyed a reptilium and set them free. He also said that many people by pythons, anacondas, and boa constrictors when they are young and small and then have second thoughts when they get too big to handle. At this point, so many people set them free and then they take over the habitat.

He also told us to visit the ‘Blue Hole’, which is a the only fresh-water pool in the area, as an alligator had been spotted there. We took a drive out and were rewarded with a close up shot of the creature. He was still for most of the 10 minutes we were there, except for a slight move of his front leg, which satisfied us that he was, indeed, the real thing!

6 ft long alligator

Continuing on the Overseas Highway, we found the surroundings increasingly interesting.

Couldn't believe the colour of the ocean

Ibis - which proliferate this area

Seven-Mile Bridge

Human ingenuity was the topic of conversation as we marveled at the construction of the Seven Mile Bridge and couldn’t help thinking of the bridge scene in the movie, True Lies. We noticed several breaks in the older (railroad) bridge, which ran parallel to the one we were on.

Old Railroad Bridge

We had been disappointed with Key Largo – which, from our perspective, was a little on the shabby side. However, our disappointment was assuaged (and then some) by Key West, itself. Much bigger than we had realized, we made our way to the end of U.S. Hwy 1, parked the car, and then sought out information for our para-sailing adventure tomorrow – now booked and eagerly anticipated.

Roosters can be seen all over Key West! 

Completing the day with a healthy salad at a restaurant overlooking the harbour,

Duval Street at night

we returned to Marathon for the night. Really, really looking forward to tomorrow!!

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