4/9/26
Hello from Richmond, Virginia! I’m slowly making my way north and west back to Portland, but I have several Florida adventures still to share.
Today’s installment: my very pleasant ride from St. Augustine south to Flagler Beach, which included a spontaneous stop at Washington Oaks Park. I love oak trees, so this sounded like my kind of place, and I was picturing some manicured live oaks with Spanish moss. I did find some of that, but also much more, including a very jungle-like trail that I strolled in for about an hour.
First things first. I departed my St. Augustine hotel on the St. Patrick’s Day weekend, and there was a large Celtic music festival in town for the weekend. I wove my rig through the crowds lining the military-and-bagpiping parade, and headed south from one of the very oldest European buildings in the USA.
From there I crossed the iconic Lions Bridge, and I happened to hit it just as the bridge was going up. It’s always a little surreal to see a bridge lift. (It always reminds me of some of my colorful nightmares!)
From there it was a pleasant ride for some miles, with some nice water views.
Then it was time for the park. I’ll just share the pics in the order that I encountered these environments. There were so many different kinds of natural spaces in that park. I wished I could have another couple of hours to fully appreciate the whole place.
Coming out of the park, I continued along scenic roads and bikeways, until I reached the home of my wonderful Warmshowers host Susan.
We shared a nice meal and some great conversation. She told me that Washington Oaks Park is one of her favorite parks, and that her late husband’s uncle had been a major supporter of the park. I love all the human connections I make in my journeys, especially when they intersect with the beautiful natural spaces I get to see.
Next up: sleeping on a boat in Daytona Beach!
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