published 22nd of may 2022
In order to stay on what is probably one of the most beautiful roads in Florida as long as possible, we decided to take a ferry ride with the St. Johns River Ferry. This ferry connects North and South Florida. The maximum 15-minute ride cost us $14, with the crossing itself taking a maximum of 5 minutes. The little ferry was fully loaded with the Skoolie and an estimated 8-10 cars on board. In this respect, loading and unloading went very quickly.
Arrived in South Florida we continued our journey on the coast road to St. Augustin. St. Augustine claims to be the oldest city in the United States. It is a typical tourist destination. The many European influences - but especially the Spanish ones - cannot be overlooked and the alleys and their small shops inevitably tempt you to go shopping. But first we settled down in a nice sea food restaurant and enjoyed it accordingly.
Then we went to the center on foot or by wheelchair. I had decided to do some physical activity this time too, so I stayed in my active wheelchair. I was very happy when we finally reached the shopping mile, the many crooked curbs and the heat bothered me a bit. After the relatively strenuous march, the buying mood was only enough for a souvenir and a decorative part for the bus.
In order to find our next place to stay, we set off again and found a nice parking lot, which for no apparent reason was called a park (Varn Park). It was a parking lot with beach access. The sea could not be seen from the parking lot because of the dunes, so we were all the more surprised when we looked down the stairs at the end of the jetty and the sea and the sand had already taken up part of the steps.
The sea was stormy, wild and the wind not easy. If Seb' had wanted to get rid of me, that would have been his chance - one push and I would have at least experienced a spinal upgrade (higher paralysis) or even my final jump. However, the assassination didn't materialize and we were able to move on to eating leftovers. The sheriff who parked behind us shortly after we arrived stood there for a while after we got back from the beach. I waited for him to tell us that we are not allowed to stay here overnight, but his personal visit never came. The only thing we heard that night was the sound of the sea and the rustling of the palm fronds when the wind blew through. Splendid!
The next day was packed with various stops. The first was the most annoying. For a few days I've had problems with my small front wheel on the wheelchair, or rather with the ball bearing that is responsible for the steering wheel being able to move in all directions. The bearing kept jamming if it didn't go straight ahead. I found some kind of medical supply store in Jacksonville who wanted to take care of it. However, they did not have such a ball bearing and so it remained with some WD40 (penetrating oil). That should work for a while too – at least for now it does. Then we made a short visit to the beach between Ormond and the more frequented Daytona Beach.
A trip to a typical tourist beach shop was a must – with the appropriate trophies, of course.
A drive around the Daytona Speedway followed. Then we went back into nature, this time to Tomoka State Park.
A beautiful spot Lennox enjoyed as well.
On the same day, Seb' was able to indulge in his shopping spree in an outlet... I wasn't (you can hardly believe it) in a buying mood. After having dinner in the outlet parking lot, we searched & found a (free) spot for the night off A1A. Unspectacular, because not directly on the sea. But quiet and overnight parking was not prohibited. The day was long, we were tired and not so demanding anymore...
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