Georgia and Florida

     

       We have been in the state of Florida for a couple of weeks now. Traveling through the state has been a breeze considering the flat terrain out here. The heat is overwhelming for us since we're not use to biking in such hot and humid temperatures, but being too hot is far better than being too cold. 

   Before we arrived in Florida we toured our new favorite city on the east coast. Savannah, GA. It is gorgeous and so historic everywhere you go; weather it is the shopping districts, neighborhoods, or city parks full of monuments and statues. The city is laid out in such a way that every three to four blocks there's a park or very large square where locals and visitors picnic, play, and socialize. There are bike routes all over the city and it sits right next to the ocean. The oak trees are some of the oldest and most beautiful that we have seen anywhere in the south. My favorite part about Savannah is it's amazing homes. We were not able to spend a night there, but instead spent half a day touring the city on our bikes. We defiantly want to go back and spend more time there when we get the chance. 

       Once we got into Florida we started down A1A, the furthest most coastal highway down the Atlantic seaboard. Our first great stop was at Fort Clinch State Park, located at the top of the state right on the coast. We payed to get into the park and spent the day walking around the fort and swimming in the ocean.  To save on money we snuck off into the sand dunes on the beach and camped for a night instead of paying for a campsite. That day we spotted a large turtle in the sand dunes, a couple of armadillos, and many large insects and dragon flies. 

     Having not showered in a couple of days, we woke up and biked into an official campground to use the showers and do laundry. I gave Ryan a haircut and we both took turns taking showers. While we sat outside the shower house reading, waiting for our laundry to finish, we met many of the campers in the area who were curious about our bike tour. A couple who talked to us for a while invited us to share their camp site with them for a night. We gladly excepted and spent the rest of the evening with Jim and Judy along with other friends of theirs that were also RVing at the camp sites. We set up our tent on the other side of the lot and had a restful, sand free sleep.  Although the abundance of raccoons, armadillos, and possums wondering around our tent lasted throughout the night.

      From there we continued down A1A and when it was necessary, hwy. 1. A1A turns into hwy. 1 at certain junctures depending on the coastline. Camping on the beach is not the most comfortable place to be come morning when you wake up and realize that everything is sandy despite your good efforts to keep sand out of the tent.  Ryan and I have found great camping spots in small patches of trees by the highway, behind gas stations surrounded by wooded areas, and boat launches. They're usually the most comfortable spots.

     About a week ago we were staying at a boat launch when we had a severe tier blowout. We couldn't fix Ryan's front tire and didn't have a spare. A couple of police officers stopped by the boat ramp to check on the property when they spotted us trying to fix the tire. Instead of chiding us or giving us a citation for trespassing they asked us what it was we were doing in the first place. One of the officers had some free time and drove me to a bike store to get another tire. The whole ordeal took us about two hours and we were so grateful to have had the help.

     Our first Warmshowers hosts we stayed with live in Port Orange, FL. Jerry, Jenny and Zoe, their daughter, invited us to stay with them for two nights. Our first night everyone took us out for dinner at a great local seafood restaurant in Daytona Beach. The next day it rained all day and Jerry, Jenny, Ryan and I stayed in talking and getting to know one another better. That evening after the rain had cleared we went on a tour of the area with them. We had such a great time with Jerry, Jenny and Zoe. It's so nice when you get the opportunity to stay with like-minded people. Thank you so much for all your generosity.

      We are about 85 miles from Miami and hope to be there in two days. 

Allegra and Ryan.

 

        

     

     

   Light house right next to New Smyrna Beach.

     Jenny and Jerry, our wonderful hosts in Port Orange, Fl.

Savannah, Georgia. A beautiful city.
The old Cotton Exchange building in Savannah.The view from River Street in Savannah.
Savannah is filled with beautiful houses like this.
A great bike sign. I wish everyone was riding these kind of bikes. 
Row houses in Savannah.
Allegra's little friend she made in the middle of nowhere, Georgia.
A great meal of pork chops and collared greens. 
A great old church in Midway, Georgia.
The old cemetery in Midway, Ga.
The tree is slowly opening this grave from 1808.
Grave stone in the roots.

Legs in an ancient oak tree in the cemetery.

The bridge in Brunswick, Ga. These are the only hills along the coast. 
The most honest antique store sign ever.
See, Florida.
Our Florida friend we met in Fort Clinch, Fl.
Fort Clinch, a great old fort from the Civil War. This is in the North East part of Florida.
Inside the fort.
Legs and a cannon.
Me and a cannon.
This is me on the ferry that took us across the St. Johns river. We saw the shuttle launch from the Kennedy Space Center during the ferry ride.
Castillo De San Marcos Fort in St. Augustine, Fl.
Fort Matanzas, a very old Spanish fort on the outskirts of St. Augustine.
Daytona Beach. 
The view from the Port Orange bridge looking back at Daytona Beach Shores.