September 11, 2016
The goal of the day was to get up early and head down to spend the whole day exploring the four parks that were in the St. Augustine area. As I have stated more than once, when State Parking, goals or plans for the day change constantly. We woke up at 9 am and decided that eating was the first priority. We needed fuel for a full day of adventure. Given the big day Casey had the day before, we decided to leave her in the A/C room. Brian picked an amazing diner for us to eat at and then we headed down to the St. Augustine area. Remembering that it was Sunday changed my plans dramatically! My Raven’s game started at 1 pm and it was the first game of the season, so that left time for us to see only one park instead of four.
We picked Washington Oaks State Park because it was the furthest south. When we got off of 95 I could not believe my eyes because everywhere I looked was amazing! We stopped at the store to get a drink and came out to the longest motorcycle brigade I had ever seen. I would say it was a least 20 minutes long. It was a beautiful tribute to 9/11 and our country as a whole.
Once we got back on the road I was hit with magnificent beauty again. We went through Crescent Beach, Summer Haven & Marineland; WOW! I fell completely in love with that whole area. We arrived a Washington Oaks Gardens and the name was not misleading. Oaks were everywhere which made traveling through the garden a treat. There was some construction going on so we did not get to see the pond filled but we were able to walk by the water and watch the people fish in the Matanzas River and spy on the few people playing on the island across the way. We even took a short walk on the beach before heading off into town to catch the 1st game of the season! When we got to the garden part, Brian actually stop and smelled the roses and I reenacted the scene from the Sound of Music for Brian at the Gazebo which was lost on his because he never watched the movie! This park is a beautiful place that I will go and see again and again!