Nov 2nd to 5th - Florida

Nov 2nd - Sun - to St. Augustine, Florida
We had picked an RV park for today until Terry started reading some reviews and we decided not to go there. So we scrambled to find another park this morning and ended up here. We stopped at a large visitor info center as we entered Florida and stocked up on reading material. Arrived at 1:20, set up, grabbed a quick sandwich and headed for the large flea market that is right beside the RV park. This is a true flea market with mostly used goods plus the usual new T-shirts, socks and dollar items. There was also a snack bar area with beer and karaoke - BAD karaoke.
We all made a trip to a grocery store, then back to the rig for happy hour and sorting through all the brochures that we picked up earlier. Cable TV here so we have lots of channels that we don’t want to watch! It started to rain just as we were walking back from the flea market but quit about 10.

Nov 3rd - Mon - St. Augustine, FL
The name of this town is pronounced like the month. It is the town that has been continuously occupied for the longest time in the U.S. - founded in 1565.
We had a great day today with Billy & Lauri. Relaxed start which gave me time to bake some poppy seed muffins for breakfast. Then we headed for the historic town and the beaches which are about 9 miles away. We stopped in town to take pictures of the incredible Flagler Memorial Presbyterian Church and then walked a block for a few shots of picturesque Flagler College which used to be a large hotel. On the way to the beach, we stopped at the St. Augustine Lighthouse. I did not have any takers to join me on the 219 steps to the top so we carried on to a long pier where we were charged 50 cents each for the privilege of walking on it. But the waves were really crashing in so Terry, Billy & I made the walk. Quite a few people were fishing from the pier.
Next a stop for lunch at the “world famous” Oasis Deck & Restaurant followed by a drive along a hard packed section of beach. Back into town, stopping first to explore the fort Castillo de San Marcos. Very interesting and beautifully restored. It took us longer than we expected and we returned to an expired parking meter. Luckily, the “meter maid” was just going down the opposite side of the row! We had noticed some shops around a big square so we paid for an hour of parking and set out. Then we saw a whole street of shops opening off the square so we got another hour of parking and continued - including a restorative stop for beer or ice cream.
A stop for diesel ($3.28) and we were back in time for a short happy hour before a light rain sent us in for dinner.

Nov 4th - Tues - St. Augustine, FL
Billy took over driving duties today as we continued to explore St. Augustine. But first we had to hit a Big Lots store (Lauri & my favorite!). We went to the Mission of Nombre de Dios - wonderfully manicured grounds with a huge cross on the edge of the river, trees planted in honor of loved ones, monuments, information plaques and huge numbers of squirrels. Checked out the Lightner Museum but decided we did not want to spend the money to view such things as china, old hotel rooms and replicas of old store window displays.
Next we crossed a bridge to Vilano Beach which is on a peninsula that starts not too far south of Jacksonville - as we found out. We stopped at a restaurant with an ocean view for a nice lunch and then continued driving north. There are huge, gated estates along the beach and also on the other side of the road which fronts on the Intercoastal Waterway. Hit I95 freeway for the trip back to the RV park.
I had tried to do a load of laundry before we left this morning but the park water was being shut off so I did it when we returned. Also helped Lauri on her computer.

Nov 5th - Wed - to Orlando, FL area
We are actually in Davenport which is a little southwest of Orlando - staying at the ThemeWorld RV park (CCUSA). The I4 highway is close by but we are a few rows back in the park so the noise is not nearly as bad as Savannah. It was only about 2 ½ hours to drive. We said goodbye to Billy & Lauri as they had decided to slow down a bit and stay for a week in St. Augustine. We hope to meet up with them later this winter.
As we were trying to get into our spot here, the guy across the road moved his truck to make room for Terry to maneuver. Then we decided that the spot would just not work as we had to back up really far for our awning to clear a tree. This put us on a hill which meant the front jacks would have been really high. So we thanked our neighbor for moving his truck, walked to the office to get a new spot and ended up parking right beside our thoughtful neighbor. Turns out they are from Newfoundland so even before we completed setting up we had met them and never quit talking! We have already made plans to do some things with them! Gotta love this lifestyle!
I am in desperate need of a haircut so we stopped at the office to get a recommendation. There is a lady in the park who cuts hair so I made an appointment for tomorrow. Then we found a grocery store - and I finally found my Yoshida sauce that I have been looking for for months.
Back at the park, Terry was heating up the barbeque when another neighbor (from Pennsylvania) came over to introduce himself. I am glad that we are staying a week since we have such nice neighbors.