We had a good night’s sleep in St. Augustine, Florida. Friday morning, the Budget Inn didn’t offer breakfast, so we used Google to find some food on the way. Sheila’s Cafe at Anastasia Kitchen is a tiny place that has outstanding food. Only after we ate did we find out that they only took cash! When we were younger, my mom used to give us kids a hundred-dollar bill on each of our birthdays. Fortunately I still had three of them in my wallet, (after 20 years), so we didn’t have to spend the day washing dishes to pay for our breakfast.
While we were having breakfast, we noticed the St. Augustine light house just behind the cafe, and we drove over and had some after-breakfast sightseeing.
Our destination was Ocala, Florida, in the center of the state. Rather than going there directly from St. Augustine, we drove down the coast to Daytona Beach. The sun was out, there was almost no wind, and, when we could see the Atlantic, it had two-foot high clean waves, with a scattering of surfers.
Unbeknownst to us, Friday, October 16th was the second day of the 34th Biketoberfest, which brought thousands of motorcyclists to events at the Daytona International Speedway. Many of those riders found their way to the coast road, and, traffic was a little hectic.
Instead of driving all of the way to Daytona Beach, we turned off on Florida 40 at Ormond Beach, which was probably a good idea. (In addition to all of the bikers, we did see one large turtle, scuttling along the sidewalk on the tips of his flippers. I always thought that turtles were slow, but he was going really fast.
We got to Silver Springs State Park, near Ocala, at about 3:00 PM. I thought that we could take one of the glass-bottomed boat rides, and maybe see some alligators to go along with the turtle. First, though, we had to eat, since we hadn’t had anything since breakfast.
Near the kayaking concession we found the Paddle Trail Grill. Kathy had a southwest chicken wrap and I had a BLT. They say that the best food you’ll ever taste is the food you eat when you’re really hungry. We were both really hungry, but it was so hot and humid that the food didn’t seem that exceptional.
I have to admit that Kathy and I are both wimps; the heat and humidity, and the thoughts of an air conditioned hotel room, drove all thoughts of a glass-bottomed boat ride from our minds. We left the park and drove to Ocala, and settled in. Kathy had planned to meet another of her cousins in the evening, but that didn’t work out.
Saturday on the Space Coast
When we left Ocala, it was raining, so it took us a little longer to get to the coast. As we were driving, all of a sudden the traffic just stopped. Ahead, we could see the flashing lights of a police cruiser. He was stopping to let a group of Sandhill Cranes cross the road. Once they were across, the line of cars started moving again. However, when our car got to the cross-walk, the cranes decided to cross back, so we had to wait again.
We had originally planned to spend Saturday at the Kennedy Space Center. The night before, when I went to buy the tickets (about $200 for both of us and parking), I decided to read some blogs. I asked Google “Is the Kennedy Space Center Worth It?”, and then spent the next couple hours going down the rabbit hole. Most people thought that it was worth the price, but one blog went into detail about the long lines in the hot sun. That was really a deal breaker for Kathy and I, because we haven’t been adapting well to the heat and humidity.
Instead of the NASA site, we went to the Sands Space History Center, just outside the gates of the Space Force Base on Cape Canaveral. This is a small, one-room museum, dedicated to the original, military part of Cape Canaveral, including artifacts from most of the original launch sites.
There were no large rockets, or interactive exhibits, like the space shuttle simulator at the Kennedy Space Center, but it was very interesting seeing the history of space flight from the 1950s. Kathy and I spent a little more than two hours there, which is our comfortable limit.
The Space Force docent, Chris Bannister, spent much of that time talking to us personally, and explaining the different missions that went out from Canaveral.
Chris encouraged us to take the longer, guided tour that included many of the original, decommissioned rockets and control centers, but we couldn’t do that because you have to apply 72 hours in advance to get a security clearance. If we went again, though, I think I’d do that.
We got back to our hotel in Titusville around four. After checking in, we went looking for dinner, and ended up at Sonny’s BBQ. Sonny’s is a chain, like Lucilles, in California. The food was great, and pretty inexpensive.
Kathy had pulled chicken, green beans and cole slaw. I had the three-pork platter with pulled pork, sliced pork, and ribs. You can see there was a lot of food. With tip, the bill was $38.00. We couldn’t do that in California.
Sunday in Vero Beach & Jupiter, Florida
On Sunday, our destination was Jupiter, Florida. Halfway between Titusville and Jupiter is Vero Beach, where Jim Gallagher is pastoring Calvary Chapel of Vero Beach. For several years in the 1980s, Jim was on the pastoral staff at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa. And, his wife, Kristie, was active in the CCCM Women’s Ministry, so Kathy knew them both well. By getting off of the side roads and picking up the highway, we were able to get there for the 11:15 AM service.
After the service, Kimberly Williams, who lead the morning’s worship, recognized Kathy, and took us in to say hello to Jim and Kristie. We were able to visit for a little bit, took a picture together, and then headed down the coast to Jupiter. Before we left, though, we asked for lunch recommendations, and ended up at the historic Waldo’s Restaurant and Bar, right on the beach.
There was a band playing Jimmy Buffet songs, kind of like the band that plays by the pool on every cruise ship I’ve ever been on. So, since it was hot, windy, and loud outside in the sun, Kathy and I snagged a table inside. The food was pretty good, and not too expensive, considering the location.
Our hotel in Jupiter was the Best Western Intracoastal Inn. Earlier in our marriage, before I discovered how easily I get seasick, I had dreamed of living aboard a sailboat on the Intracoastal Waterway. So, I was interested in seeing the scenery. Just in front of our hotel is the Jupiter Florida Riverwalk, a two-and-a-half mile raised walkway that goes along the shore and out into the bay.
Kathy and I walked about half of it. We saw some small lizards, and some coconuts washed up on the shore, but no alligators. Monday we’ll be heading for three days in the Florida Keys.
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