St. Augustine, Florida
December 11–12, 2021
December 11–12, 2021
My first night in Florida was spent at a grungy little makeshift campground at a private home in Jacksonville. I found it through Hipcamp, and the price was right, but the place was not. I was eager to get out of there and left as soon as I woke up the next day. The one bright spot of my time in Jacksonville was getting ice cream and catching up with my grad school friend Jazz.
My original plan had been to spend two nights at Faver-Dykes State Park in St. Augustine. I drove into the heart of the oldest city in the US on a cloudy morning, found oversized-vehicle parking at a tourist center, and decided to take the dogs for a walk and find someplace with outdoor dining. I didn’t bank on the fact that it was a Sunday in the height of snowbird season, which meant that every restaurant was full to bursting. Just as I made that discovery, rain started to fall. The dogs and I kept walking around the lovely old streets, but after about an hour we were completely sodden and ready to get back in the warm truck. I drove a bit further south to the park and was about to check in at the ranger station when it hit me: The only reason I was in Florida was to see my sister, so why would I not just drive to her side of the state right then? Why delay?
I checked with my sister, got nearly all my money back for the cancellation, and drove west across some rural roads that made Florida look pretty good, all in all.
My original plan had been to spend two nights at Faver-Dykes State Park in St. Augustine. I drove into the heart of the oldest city in the US on a cloudy morning, found oversized-vehicle parking at a tourist center, and decided to take the dogs for a walk and find someplace with outdoor dining. I didn’t bank on the fact that it was a Sunday in the height of snowbird season, which meant that every restaurant was full to bursting. Just as I made that discovery, rain started to fall. The dogs and I kept walking around the lovely old streets, but after about an hour we were completely sodden and ready to get back in the warm truck. I drove a bit further south to the park and was about to check in at the ranger station when it hit me: The only reason I was in Florida was to see my sister, so why would I not just drive to her side of the state right then? Why delay?
I checked with my sister, got nearly all my money back for the cancellation, and drove west across some rural roads that made Florida look pretty good, all in all.
