We left Virginia Thursday morning and, after two days on the road, we're finally in St. Augustine, Florida!
St. Augustine is a beautiful old city with cobblestone streets, Spanish architecture, tall palms and huge live oaks covered with hanging moss. Founded in 1565 by the Spanish conquistador Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, St. Augustine is the oldest continuously occupied settlement of European origin in the United States. To read more about the history of St. Augustine, click here.
Our campground is on Rt. 1A at Vilano/North Beach in St. Augustine. To get there, you cross a causeway from the city of St. Augustine to the beaches. I took this photo from the car as we crossed the causeway yesterday afternoon.
When you leave the causeway, you're in Vilano Beach. This is a view of Vilano Beach looking back toward the causeway and the city of St. Augustine.
Vilano is a little ArtDeco-inspired village that still shows remnants of its history as a tourist destination in the 1940's and 50's.
I love this hand-painted fence at the base of the causeway in Vilano.
Just North of Vilano on Rt. 1A is North Beach. This is our fifth year staying at North Beach Campground to visit our friends Fred and Anita. Fred and Anita retired in 2014, sold their home in Maine, and began to live their dream of being full-time RVers.
Sadly, our dear Fiber College/camping friend Anita passed away in 2016. We've continued to come here each year to spend time with Fred.
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| Anita and Fred at Searsport Shores, ME 2014 |
I took this picture of the beach yesterday afternoon while Hank was checking into the campground.
We're on site #52 . . .
Where the Casita is nestled into the palms.
In the site next to ours is one of the neatest vintage campers I've ever seen.
. . . A 1940 Zimmer!
These used to be nicknamed "breadloaf trailers" and were manufactured throughout the 1940's. I've never seen one on the road, until now. And it's turquoise; I love it!
By suppertime, we were all set up, just in time for a sunset pot luck on the river side of the campground at the Matanzas Inlet. The sun rises on the beach side here and sets on the river side so we get to enjoy both.
We had a great time catching up with Fred and his friend, Anne, who is from Rockland, Maine.
What's better than drinking wine with friends . . .
While the sun goes down over the water.
I'm writing this on Saturday morning. DH, aka Hank, was up early combing the beach for shells (no luck yet) while I slept in. Hank, who usually shies away from cameras, was so excited to finally be having breakfast outside that he asked me to take his picture!
The sun just came out and it's getting warm.
Today we're planning on a day of rest after all the driving.
Sunshine and a good book sounds perfect!
This post is linked to:
Happiness Is Homemade Link Party 262 at Bluesky at Home
I really love the vintage signs and the look of 40's and 50's. Remembering all the roadside "cabins" that spanned Rte#1 from Maine to Florida when my grandparents were snowbirds.
ReplyDeleteYou look cozy and snuggled in at your spot. Is it happy hour yet?
I love all the vintage 40's and 50's buildings in this area too. I'm glad to see some, like the Magic Beach Motel, being renovated while keeping their art deco facades. I love to take pictures of the old cabins along Rt. 1 - lots of memories there. We have a great little spot here. Had Happy Hour at Fred's, and dinner too. Miss our friends in Maine, but not the weather!
DeleteYour trip looks like so much fun, Cheryl! My hubby and I hope to do some traveling like that after we get our move done! It would be nice to get away from winter sometimes! We are finally getting a little warmer temps and snow is starting to melt! There's hope! I hope winter will be ending when you get back to Maine...safe travels...and have fun!
ReplyDeleteHI Linda, I hope that you and your hubby do eventaully get to do some RVing - it's so much fun. I love seeing the country and meeting interesting people along the way! I usually blog about DIY projects and home decorating, but I'm having fun doing these blogs from the road. I'm glad the snow is finally melting where you are; hopefully it will be gone when we get back to Maine! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. Hope you'll continue to follow along with me on our road trip ~Cheryl
DeleteCheryl, I figured out the link this morning! It's a nice blog. I can see why you like this campground. Please say hello to Hank and Fred.
DeleteWill do. Great to hear from you, Jim!
DeleteWe just took our first RV trip. Rented a 24' motorhome and drove from the Canadian border down to Arizona for some sun and softball games. We had a great time, but never encountered a potluck event like yours. Looks like a lot of fun and a good way to get to know other travelers. - Margy
ReplyDeleteHI there, So glad you had a chance to try RVing. We really enjoy it. I have a sister in Arizona and we look forward to taking our camper out that way someday soon. So glad you had such a good time on your trip. Thanks so much for visiting my blog and leaving a comment; hope you'll follow along as we continue our road trip - we're heading to South Carolina and Tennessee next.
Delete~Cheryl
Always enjoy visiting St. Augustine and go to Jacksonville quite often.
ReplyDeleteHi again, Dee. St. Augustine is beautiful, isn't it? We haven't done a lot of exploring in Jacksonville but do go there to enjoy the seafood (and the crazy decor!) at Clark's Fish Camp. Have you been there? Thanks for following along on our road trip with us. We're in Charleston now - one of my favorite cities! Have a good week, Cheryl
ReplyDeleteYes, been to Clark's Fish Camp on Hood Landing Road many times!!
DeleteIt's quite a place, right?
DeleteOh yes, their decor is awesome! I like their fried tomatoes, pickles, and onion rings while the rest of the family and the grandbabies always order things like calamari, mussels, shark, and crab!
DeleteHi Dee, You're making me hungry! We're in Charleston now where we're looking forward to shrimp and Margaritas while watching the sun set over the low country. Thanks for stopping by. Have a great weekend! Cheryl
DeleteEnjoy the shrimp and have fun!
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