Road Trip: Vilano Beach, FL

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. 

Anita and Fred at Searsport Shores, ME 2014

The beach is right across the street, a short walk from our campground.

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 

Road Trip: Shenandoah Valley, VA

After two days of driving, we decided to stop in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley for a few days. That's part of the fun of carrying our "house" (aka the Casita) with us on road trips. Within a mile of I-81 we were in the country and passing remnants of a world that looked as if time had somehow forgotten it.

I have a thing for abandoned buildings. I like to imagine what life was like for the people who lived and worked in them.

So, within a few minutes of exiting the highway, I was screaming to DH, "Pull Over! Pull Over!  I need to take a picture!" 

After a few stops to take pictures, we did eventually arrive at our campground . . . 

Unhook the Casita . . . 

And stare in amazement at the signs of Spring we are seeing here: Crocus in bloom , fields just turning green , baby lambs and calves with their mothers, and temperatures in the high 60's to low 70's.

After we got settled, we decided to go for a ride to explore the area's back roads.

As usual, I almost got shot!

It goes like this: 

Me: "Pull over! Pull Over!"

DH: "This land is posted; it says 'No Trespassing.'"

Me:  "Pull Over, anyway. I'm just going to take ONE little picture. We're in the middle of nowhere, Who will know? Anyway, I'm not Hunting or Poaching!"

DH pulls over. I get out and completely disobey the sign, walking all around the abandoned property with my camera and (as I realized too late) wearing my you-can't-miss-me blaze orange sweatshirt, when I hear the sound of a very large, very old, very in-need-of-a-tune-up pick-up truck.  I freeze behind the abandoned house. No more loud muffler sounds; the truck has stopped. I'm Dead!

I can't hide! I can only rely on D.H., who is very good with people, to save me. I come around the far side of the abandoned property to see a huge, rusty gray pick-up truck pulled up next to our SUV.  And a big guy in a t-shirt with a Confederate flag on the pocket, leaning into the driver's side.

"Oh, S**t, DH is toast", I think.

But, DH plays the "tourists from Maine" card and we're saved, at least this time!  I jump into the car with my camera and we take off. Big truck guy only follows for a mile or two.

DH and I are both fascinated by the Civil War. We passed many battlefield markers along the roadside and were saddened by the numbers of men who were lost in innocent-looking cornfields along the quiet country roads we traveled. 

At the end of Day #1, we came upon "Dan's Steak House" on a steep hill in the middle of a mountain pass. On a whim, which is how we always seem to discover great places when we travel, we made a U-turn.  And enjoyed the best dinner we've had in a long time, everything homemade, with a mountain view to die for, and all for $20.00 each. Sometimes, you just have to take a chance!

On Monday, our 2nd day in the Valley, we decided to get off the beaten path and take old Rt. 42 south from Harrisonburg. What a beautiful ride! In many places, we were reminded of the English countryside as we drove along narrow curvy roads high above the valley.  In most areas, the little roads followed rushing streams with fat black cows grazing in almost every field. 

And then we came to the village of  Stokesville. All that was left of this once-thriving village was the abandoned railroad station . . . 

And a narrow train bridge that now carries a little road over the nearby stream.

A random "Which way? Left or right?" decision in the middle of nowhere led us to Virginia's Natural Chimneys.

"The Shenandoah Valley was once the floor of a great inland sea. Centuries ago, as that sea receded, the forces of nature carefully etched out an awe-inspiring formation of solid rock. The seven Natural Chimneys tower as much as 120 feet above the pastoral terrain of the Valley." 
~from Natural Chimneys Park website.

We got so "into" our surroundings that, when we decided to head back, we realized that we were almost 70 miles away from our campground.

Today, we're headed to Charlottesville to tour Thomas Jefferson's home at Monticello. We also have tickets for the Sally Hemings Tour, which focuses on the life of Jefferson's slaves.

 Looking forward to another interesting day in Virginia,

On the Road Again & Heading South!

We've spent the day packing the Casita for what is becoming our annual March road trip to visit friends and favorite places "down South".  We're anxious to get an early start tomorrow morning.

We'll spend tomorrow night on the road so the bed in our little Casita is all made up with our new Gee's Bend Quilt.

I thought I'd wait to make new curtains for the camper to match the quilt, but . . . waiting is just not in my DNA so I sewed them up this morning. They have vintage campers on them, of course!

When we get  home from this trip, I want to slip cover the dinette cushions in blue denim. After 10 years, this little camper deserves a face lift!

I love collecting postcards from places we've loved along the way and displaying them on the soffit in the camper. South Carolina is up there front and center. I love the Low Country and am convinced I must have lived there in another life!

The Casita has a little kitchen in it with a two-burner gas stove, sink, frige, freezer, and microwave (hidden in the cabinet) so we're pretty self contained. When it's raining, or we're just not in the mood to go out to eat, we can cook right in the Casita.



We have a little bathroom too, with a small sink and shower. The older I get, the less I want to walk to a campground bathroom at two a.m. This is perfect!

Looking out at our driveway from the Casita (aka "Cassie") this afternoon, I realized that we'll soon be trading those snow banks for palm trees. Yay!

So - my bag is packed . . .

As are the toiletries . . . and we're ready to go.

Just the thought of watching the dolphins from the deck of Red's Ice House in Mt. Pleasant, SC . . .

While sipping a frosty cold Margarita with garlic shrimp, has me counting the hours 'til morning.

We'll head out at dawn, leave the snow behind, and spend a few weeks exploring. We love leaving the proverbial beaten path and discovering little towns and old buildings that time has forgotten.  Although we live in Maine, we love the culture of the South and enjoy exploring its back roads, kudzu and all.

 I'll be posting from the road so I invite you to follow along.

It's always an adventure!