back home in Florida -- away too long!
Wound up leaving Charleston in the afternoon yesterday (Monday), since the whole idea was to GET to Vero Beach, not really to discover new secrets of the familiar route. But with the late departure (and some construction) slowing our pace, we only crossed into Florida about 5:00 -- and just couldn't handle the 250 miles on to Vero.
So we fetched up on Amelia Island, 25 miles east of Interstate 95 -- where we found a nice hotel on the shore and later explored the charming 19th-century town of Fernandina Beach.
I'd never been there, though Joanne had visited it a few years ago. A pretty setting AND some wonderful old municipal buildings, including a evocative old courthouse and the awesomely ornate 4-story post office -- seemingly designed for a lot more significant place. (The politics of that delightful boondoggle would be interesting to look into...)
Tuesday morning we enjoyed the lovely beach, then hit the road south -- not returning to ol' 95 (which we've driven dozens of times in the past decade), but tracking the coast on A1A (which, as you Jimmy Buffet fans know, hugs the shore all the way down to Miami).
After several deliciously lush and solitary islands, plus a ferry ride across the St. John River, we skirted the city of Jacksonville, keeping to A1A all the way to the historic town of St.Augustine (the "Oldest City in the US" -- and the Spanish capital of Florida for several centuries). We know it well, so skipped it in favor of pressing on to Vero, which we reached by mid-afternoon. We hit the market for essentials, then left the mainland again for our place south on the barrier island.
Neighbors had us over for dinner and a catch-up on mutual doings. Then home to bed! (Separately, as you longtime readers probably guessed -- and which I'll no doubt explore with you in coming weeks!)
So we fetched up on Amelia Island, 25 miles east of Interstate 95 -- where we found a nice hotel on the shore and later explored the charming 19th-century town of Fernandina Beach.
I'd never been there, though Joanne had visited it a few years ago. A pretty setting AND some wonderful old municipal buildings, including a evocative old courthouse and the awesomely ornate 4-story post office -- seemingly designed for a lot more significant place. (The politics of that delightful boondoggle would be interesting to look into...)
Tuesday morning we enjoyed the lovely beach, then hit the road south -- not returning to ol' 95 (which we've driven dozens of times in the past decade), but tracking the coast on A1A (which, as you Jimmy Buffet fans know, hugs the shore all the way down to Miami).
After several deliciously lush and solitary islands, plus a ferry ride across the St. John River, we skirted the city of Jacksonville, keeping to A1A all the way to the historic town of St.Augustine (the "Oldest City in the US" -- and the Spanish capital of Florida for several centuries). We know it well, so skipped it in favor of pressing on to Vero, which we reached by mid-afternoon. We hit the market for essentials, then left the mainland again for our place south on the barrier island.
Neighbors had us over for dinner and a catch-up on mutual doings. Then home to bed! (Separately, as you longtime readers probably guessed -- and which I'll no doubt explore with you in coming weeks!)