Jacksonville, FL - Mar. 14 - 20, 2007

We arrived back in Jacksonville on March 14th via the appropriately named red-eye flight from Sacramento.  After starting out in Sacramento at 1:30 AM, we pulled our rig out of storage in Callahan and headed for Pecan Road RV Resort in Jacksonville at 1:30 PM the next day.  After picking up a couple of satellite systems that had been delivered to the park and re-stocking the refrigerator we crashed - only to discover soon after that we were directly below the Jacksonville International Airport (JIA) flight-path and uncomfortably close to an airbase that periodically scrambled fighter jets.  On the plus side: no trains.  The Pecan Road RV Resort itself is very nice and clean, with large, level spaces, great roads and easy access - if they could just change JIA's flight path it would be great.

We had a lot of tasks and planning to take care of while in Jacksonville, including developing a strategy for purchasing a Honda CR-V, registering, licensing, and insuring the car and new coach, etc.  Additionally, we were really concerned about how, where and when to sell our truck and fifth wheel.  All these concerns plus Point & Surf tasks kept us pretty busy, but we did manage to get in a little sightseeing.

Our first trip was to Amelia Island, a lovely barrier island with broad white sand beaches on the Florida - Georgia state line.  We visited the historic island village of Fernandina on St. Patrick's Day where shamrocks and green beer were in abundance.  After lunch we walked the village streets and admired the 19th Century architecture.  Except for the main street revelry the town was very peaceful and perfect for leisurely strolls.  We also went to the marina where there were numerous picturesque, net-draped shrimp boats and opportunities to enjoying the gorgeous view over cocktails.

Further north on the island is Fort Clinch.  Built in 1847, the fort provided safe haven for blockade-runners during the Civil War - or War of Northern Aggression, depending on your viewpoint.  The fort was still active during the Spanish American war, but then abandoned and is now a state park.

No trip to northeast Florida is complete without visiting St. Augustine - and the St. Augustine tourist bureau clearly knows it.  This city is a tourist magnet - but it is definitely worth braving the hordes.  The first thing Susan wanted to do was follow the lead of Ponce de Leon and dive into the Fountain of Youth.  But alas, she came to her senses and decided to forgo this particular tourist trap.  Our first stop was the old city jail (free parking) and then a trolley tour to absorb a bit of the history and flavor of the city. 

Founded in 1565, St. Augustine is the oldest European city in the US.  It has an interesting and multi-national past including Seminole, Spanish, French, British and American.   And, of course, there are the swashbucklers and pirates that add such a spicy flavor to the city's history.

The old cobblestone streets still reflect their 16th century Spanish heritage, and the city retains several of the original structures from its Spanish colonial days, including the 17th Century Spanish fort, Castillo de San Marcos, the city gates, walls and plazas, the governor's residence, and many others. 

In 1883, Henry Flagler (oil tycoon, Rockefeller partner and the guy who built the railroad to Miami and Key West) came to the city. He was so impressed that he invested in St. Augustine's restoration and development as a winter resort. Flagler contributed some of the cities grandest architecture, such as the Alcazar hotel (now the Lightner Museum), the Cordova, the Ponce de Leon (now Flagler College) and the Memorial Presbyterian Church.  As we admired Flagler College's Moorish architecture we wondered if after four years the students become jaded to its beauty.  Surely not.
 
If in the area, we highly recommend you spend time in this town.

It is time to leave Florida.

We arrived in Florida on November 13th, and except for our brief visit to Sacramento spent four months in the Sunshine State.  While we greatly enjoyed are winter home, it was time to start moving north. 

On March 21st we crossed the state line into Georgia and moved on across the Savannah River to the Hardeeville RV Park in South Carolina, our first stop in our trek to Indiana to pick-up our new home.