Apr 5 – 6: Canaveral National Seashore >> Castillo de San Marcos, St. Augustine >> Fort Matanzas, St. Augustine >> Fort Caroline and the Kingsley Plantation - Jacksonville, FL
Weather: 87F/69F (St. Augustine), 76F/53F (Jacksonville)
Driving Route:
Wifi/Cell Signal: good signal in all locations
April 5th
Last two days has reminded me how long that drive felt when we moved from Jacksonville down to Key West. Was up early because it was a 6-hour drive into St. Augustine. Broke it up a bit by stopping at the Canaveral National Seashore to stretch our legs and let Benny turn in the Junior Ranger book I had downloaded earlier. He’d completed its content as we drove. It was a pretty cool little booklet to be honest. So was the one for Fort Matanzas which was our next stop.
The Junior Ranger Program encourages kids of all ages and their family group to explore the history, nature, and wildlife around Fort Matanzas. Didn’t get to do as much as I expected because the ferry to the fort was closed, but it was very easy to see what was of interest and do some of the activities with Benny. We watched the movie in the visitor center theater, took a self-guided nature hike, walked on the beach across from the fort about a half hour, and there were a ton of informational signs to read.
From there we headed to the St. Augustine visitor center to park. Fifteen bucks for parking a car! And they said the van wouldn’t fit and I would have to park in the RV lot which was even more expensive. Yikes! So I headed down to the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park where the parking was free once you bought your tickets and it was a place we intended on going anyway. Instead of heading right into the park we hoofed it to the Castillo de San Marcos as our first stop. It was just passed lunch so Benny and I ate our lunches as we walked – Cantaloupe Salad with Basil and Mozzarella[1]
in individual plastic containers and Walking Taco Salad made with Frito Corn Chips[2] (gluten-free) made in the chip bag. The backpack I was wearing was weighted down with two large liter water bottles of water but not just because of all of the salt. It was warm. Maybe not as warm as Key West but I wasn’t the only one sweating.
The Castillo was cool, but Benny remembered Lawrence and me bringing him here, last trip we took as a family during a week that Penny was visiting one of her sisters, which made him kind of sad. I tried to encourage him by saying, “Just think, no matter how old you get, you’ll always remember your Dad lifting you up so you could see over the castle walls. I know there are pictures of that someplace on my cloud drive.”
A little hopefully Benny asked, “Are there really pictures Aunt Gus?”
“There are really pictures. I saw them a couple of weeks ago when I was organizing some of the photo folders.”
That seemed to soothe him, and we finished our visit with an enthusiastic, “Dad would be proud of me!”
“You betcha Little Bear. And I’m proud of you too,” I told him.
He rarely mentions Penny. I need to help him remember there were good times with his mother. I just don’t want him remembering how few those times were after Lawrence left us.
After the Castillo we walked around the historic district on an easy self-guided tour. The homeless population was very prevalent, especially in the green spaces near Flagler College. Many seemed mentally ill and/or off their meds though they were interacting with each other rather than the general population. I did have one man approach me and ask me if I had really been a naval cadet. I’m proud of the insignia but they do occasionally cause comment. Pulling Benny behind me, trying not to be too obvious about it, I straightened said, “Yes Sir.”
He chuckled. “Don’t get so defensive kid. Was just asking. Take it the boy is why you didn’t enlist.”
“He’s my nephew. My brother … didn’t come home. My brother took responsibility serious. He raised me after our father died. I’m doing the same for my brother’s son.”
That seemed to change his tune. He nodded slowly. “Raise ‘im right. Don’t let him forget. Everyone forgets. But don’t you and don’t let ‘im. Everyone always forgets.” He wandered off talking to himself.
“Sir?” He turned. I can’t even begin to describe the look in his eyes when I saluted him. When he turned and wandered away he wasn’t quite so out of it, or so it seemed. And it was time for Benny and I to move on because we were drawing attention.
“Aunt Gus? Was he one of the lost people that Preacher Phil talks about?”
“Preacher Phil” is a lay-preacher that serves the rougher areas in The Keys. A couple of Groucho’s biker friends brought him to the shop when his old VW bus blew a gasket.
“Could be, but I don’t think we should judge him either way.”
“Could Daddy have been like that if he had lived?”
Startled I asked, “What?!”
“Mommy said that he was better off in Heaven than if he had lived with all his inj … in ja …”
“Injuries?”
Damn Penny and her loose cannon mouth. I bent down to tie Benny’s shoe and told him, “There are some things that are above our paygrade Little Bear. We can’t live on might have beens or could have beens, and your dad wouldn’t want us to. We can only live with the way things are and accept that’s the way it happened. When we get to Heaven we can ask all the questions in our head and hearts and get the answers because there are no tears in Heaven.”
“Is Daddy there waiting for us?”
“That’s what I believe. But he doesn’t want us getting there too soon because living this life to the fullest and learning to be honorable and fulfilling our jobs here is important too. That’s why we have to use our noggin’ for something besides hanging our hat on.”
He was quiet for a little bit but within ten minutes he was back to his normal self. Thank goodness for whatever our Creator gives kids to make it through the rough times. I pray I am up to the task I’ve taken on. Mostly I am repeating what my grandparents, Dad, and Lawrence said to me about life. It helped me, I hope it helps Benny.
We didn’t go inside any of the historic buildings, didn’t need to for the experience, and then we headed back to the archaeological park that was actually not the tourist trap I was expecting. It wasn’t cheap - $18 for me but Benny was free because he was under six. The place was surprisingly well worth it. The biggest funny of the day was that Benny almost wouldn’t drink the water from the “fountain” as he didn’t want to stay a little kid forever. He made the other adults listening laugh. The exhibits through out the park were all pretty neat … cannon, historical rifles, how the original inhabitants built canoes … and the peacocks were incredibly noisy. Added a friend for Little Bear and Gus the Pelican. Percy the Peacock. A small plastic toy. I had offered to get Benny a stuffed version, but he only wanted a particular plastic one for some reason. This may become a thing, Benny sure is getting a kick out of it.
Last stop of the day was Nombre De Dios park that was beside where we had parked. Free and very, very nice with just enough history to go with the park-like setting that I wished we had more time in St. Augustine. I should have allotted another day here, but we have a schedule and I guess I just take Florida for granted having lived here my entire life. Benny was getting hungry and so was I, but I was not doing take out or fast food again for a while so that meant cooking.
We stayed the night in Anastasia State Park, another place I wish I had allotted more time at. There were a couple of short hikes Benny and I went on but it would have been nice to have spent a day on the beach; we just didn’t have it to do. I need to look over our itinerary to make sure I’m not pushing things too fast ‘cause I tell you trying to get dinner cooked that night I felt rushed. If Benny hadn’t been so hungry I might have settled for smoothies.
Dinner was a gluten-free Caprese Pasta Salad. Basically you cook gluten-free rotini-shaped pasta by following the directions on the box. You chop and saute some fresh asparagus. You slice some cherry tomatoes in half. In a blender put 2/3 c. olive oil, a handful of fresh basil, 2 cloves of garlic, 1/3 c. rice wine vinegar, and salt & pepper to taste and give it a whir until smooth. Mix everything together then add some olives and mozzarella pearls and mix again. Then I flaked a small can of salmon and tossed that in. Even Benny will eat a plateful. I put half of it in the frig so that we could have it for lunch the next day and then I had us wash up and hit the hay.
April 6th
Took an early morning walk on the beach to help Benny and I get the wiggles out. Breakfast was a smoothie that caused most of the wiggles. He thought that was hilarious, also a result of the sweet smoothie. Gonna need to watch out for the sweet stuff at breakfast. Smoothies are convenient and packed with fiber and plant protein powder but that isn’t always wise when they also have sugars, even if they are of the natural variety.
After leaving the campground we drove up A1A and pulled into the St. Augustine Lighthouse for a quick peek. We didn’t get too close because they charge just to enter the grounds but we did walk the sidewalk along the marina and read the signs that told of whales that use the area for migration. I’ve seen one whale in all the years in Florida, and that was Killer Whale at Sea World. Maybe one of these days I’ll manage to see a real whale. Wouldn’t that be something.
An hour drive into Jacksonville and our first activity was to drop off the boxes at the storage facility. Made a lot more room in the van and it made the galley usable and meant I wasn’t sleeping in half a bed anymore. Hooray. Benny laughed when I said that. On the other hand, I’m going to miss the kayak. It was one of my few personal belongings that I brought from Jacksonville when we moved to Key West. But it was time to try something new. I’ll envision the van – The Ark – as our ship and the roads and highways our river. I’ve never been landlocked and I have a feeling driving in some parts of the country are going to be a learning experience for me.
I could really feel the difference in how the van handled as we headed to Fort Caroline for part of the day. Of course we started with a Junior Ranger program after finding out that national parks aren’t the only ones that have those types of programs.
Where St. Augustine was settled by the Spanish, Fort Caroline area was settled by their enemy, the French. Contrary to popular assumption, the Spanish and Indians worked well together for the most part, had peaceful relations, and intermarried. In 1565 the Spanish brought Christianity to North America. We learned that at the Nombre de Dios mission as well as the archaeological park. In direct contrast the French used one tribe to subjugate all the other tribes in the area and then forced them to defend against the Spanish because the French were basically squatters and trying to take land that Spanish explorers had already claimed for Spain.
Fort Caroline didn’t fare well, even in the beginning. The French colonists were ill-prepared for how difficult life would be and were soon at odds with local, indigenous populations, and running out of supplies and were starving. They were resupplied in the nick of time but then when those reinforcements took their ships to attack the Spanish, they were decimated by a hurricane. Those that made it to shore were soon captured by the Spanish and that’s where Menendez, the leader of the Spaniards, ordered nearly 350 men to the death penalty. Spain gave mercy to the women and children that survived, and they were allowed to escape, with the few men that survived at Fort Caroline, and return to France. France would never again have much of a presence in Florida.
“Wow Aunt Gus. Those Spain guys were mean.”
I had been trying for a history lesson and didn’t think I was doing half bad. I told him, “Not really. It was a different world back then. You gotta remember Squirt that was over 400 years ago.”
“That’s a loooong time.”
“Yeah, nearly as long ago as since you’ve had a bath. And you eat the ice cream, you don’t wear it.”
He laughed. I’d bought us both an ice cream from a food truck and made the mistake in thinking we could keep it in the cone rather than on the front of our shirts.
From Fort Caroline we drove to the Kingsley Plantation … and yes, another Junior Ranger program. The Plantation covers a different historical era, the 18th and 19th centuries when a lot of different people moved to Florida. Florida’s plantation era was from 1814 to 1865 (the end of the US Civil War). The Kingsley Plantation has a rather unique backstory. I’ll quote the history texts:
In 1814, Zephaniah Kingsley moved to Fort George Island and to what is known today as the Kingsley Plantation. He brought a wife and three children (a fourth would be born at Fort George). His wife, Anna Madgigine Jai, was from Senegal, West Africa, and was purchased by Kingsley as a slave. She actively participated in plantation management, acquiring her own land and slaves when freed by Kingsley in 1811.
With an enslaved work force of about 60, the Fort George plantation produced Sea Island cotton, citrus, sugar cane, and corn. Kingsley continued to acquire property in north Florida and eventually possessed more than 32,000 acres, including four major plantation complexes and more than 200 enslaved people.
So a slave became the wife of a plantation owner and eventually owned slaves in her own name as well as land. Most of the Anna Kingsley story flew over Benny’s head but I found it fascinating and different from what is taught in school.
(www. .nps.gov/timu/learn/historyculture/kp_anna_freewoman.htm) Zephaniah Kingsley is equally as interesting. I’m finding that it isn’t just Benny that is going to learn on this adventure we are on. It is going to be school for me as well.
Gotta say that having Benny do the Junior Ranger programs is really motivating. I read on a blog that it is a good idea to get the kid motivated so they love learning, and you aren’t having to use a whip and chair to get them to do their school. Looks to be working for Benny, and frankly it is fun for me as well. I’m not doing the work for him … I’m the facilitator … but I’m learning things at the same time. Who could have guessed?
I never mean to replace Lawrence and Penny. But, if I’m being honest with myself, I like being more than just Benny’s aunt. I mean I will always be his aunt but maybe I can be more without taking Lawrence’s and Penny’s place in his life. I don’t want to be his stepparent, but I know I want to be something, already am something. I’m not sure if I will ever have kids of my own, hadn’t considered it to be in my future, for philosophical reasons and biological ones, but since my future seems to have changed from what I planned maybe … oh heck, that’s looking too far into the future. For now I’m going to concentrate on Benny and just let the rest be what it is. Not interested in having a guy complicate our situation but maybe it is a little more possible down the road than I was giving it. I guess we’ll see. But not right now. Certainly the surprise I got in Jacksonville gave me some other things to think about.
Rather than stay in a park or campground, one of my former Sea Scout leaders let us glamp in their backyard. Yes, I said glamp. Geez. Not a term I ever thought about needing to use but there’s a first for everything. I certainly got a surprise when we pulled in. He surprised me by having everyone there for a cookout. They even remembered that Benny had a gluten-free diet. Made a big deal out of the van. A couple of the people that had known me since I was a kid did question my plan, but that was par for the course and only because they cared.
Hopefully Benny is finally out for the night. He got a little wound up from all the people paying attention to him, once he got over being shy. I’m going back outside and do a little more catching up. Looks like I’m going to make a few more contacts that might be able to help out on the road. And several of them say they plan on keeping up with us through the blog. I had/have good friends. I wish I hadn’t lost touch with them when I could have really used their support, even if it was just some empathy. It sucks feeling alone.
Cumulative Fuel Expense: $552
Cumulative Accommodation Expense: $52
Cumulative miles: 727
Resources:
Anastasia State Park | Florida State Parks
Be A Junior Ranger - Canaveral National Seashore (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)
Fort Matanzas National Monument Agustin Explores Matanzas Junior Ranger Activity Book (nps.gov)
Castillo de San Marcos National Monument Agustín’s Adventure, Junior Ranger Activity Book. (nps.gov)
National Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche – Mission Nombre de Dios – St. Augustine, Florida (missionandshrine.org)
Fountain of Youth – St. Augustine Historical Attraction (fountainofyouthflorida.com)
Microsoft Word - foca jr ranger under 7 black box.doc (nps.gov)
KP-Jr-Ranger-7-and-under-4-24-14.pdf (nps.gov)
Anna Kingsley’s story:
www.nps.gov/timu/learn/historyculture/kp_anna_freewoman.htm
[1] Recipe: Cantaloupe Salad with Basil, Fresh Mozzarella & Onions | Kitchn (thekitchn.com)
[2] Walking Tacos | Cooking Mamas