On Tuesday, May 6, we left the Tampa area and drove northeasterly across the state to St. Augustine on the Atlantic Coast. Neither one of us had been there before and it was a pleasant surprise.
It was a little touristy perhaps, but nicely done.
There is a lot of history here. I knew it was founded by the Spanish but didn't know it was a British "Loyalist bastion" during the Revolutionary War
There are probably a few Native Americans who would take issue with the idea of Juan being the "Discoverer" of Florida, but I guess he may have been the first European guy here. Did he ever find the Fountain of Youth or is he still dead?
I think that is old Juan Ponce's ship out there in the bay.
OK, enough history. After searching for maybe 10 minutes we found an Irish pub in which to gain strength for the rest of the day by having a Guinness or two
Here are the two Guinness's:
And here I am with one of the local Irish lasses.
We were having so much fun is St. Augustine that we decided to see if the local Best Western had any rooms available.
Sure enough, they did, and this is it. Check out that giant tub!
So we moved the car and checked into our room and decided on checking out a little more history.
The Castillo
This is called a "Sentry Box" where the soldiers kept an eye out for unfriendly ships. I bet the soldiers had other names for it.
Here's another one!
A view of the "dry moat"
One of the cobblestone side streets
The main tourist street - lots of shops and restaurants.
Another street with a Lorri on it.
The Tini Martini Bar - only the bar was "Tini", the Martinis were delivered in their own shaker!
And there they are!
We had a good time in St. Augustine, but it was time to move on.
We left the next day and drove all the way (almost) to Myrtle Beach.
We actually stopped at a place called Murrells Inlet, a few miles south of Myrtle. There is a place there called "Drunken Jack's" which has nothing to do with me, but is a good name nonetheless.
Here we are...
Murrells Inlet consists of bars and restaurants which abut a boardwalk along the water. The place is sort of unique in that you can order a beer or a drink to go, and stroll down the boardwalk with it.
Looking across the water you can see a small island which is the part-time home to a small herd of goats and a gaggle (?) of peacocks.
Here we see a goat
And here we see some more goats and a peacock
Here is a big fish I caught
Bubba's, one of the many watering holes.
The Bahama Mama. Wait, I thought a Bahama Mama was a drink?
Looking at the Wicked Tuna. I should have asked how they came up with that name.
Lorri with our "to go" beverages.
Another stop along the inlet.
Must be another Thursday night!
Lorri's Birthday Dinner
What a pirate wench she would have made!
Thar she blows!
Well, the next day we were feeling a little puny...
I guess we looked a little puny too. This was taken at Huntington Beach State Park, South Carolina, named after the son of the guy after whom Huntington Beach, CA, is named.
It's a nice park with an amazing beach
Looking up the beach
This is the outside of the little compound where the Huntingtons lived.
This is inside.
This is the driveway
These are alligator tracks. Yes we saw the actual alligators too!
If you look closely below, you will see an alligator too!
A large white bird, perhaps a heron
We had a nice time at Murrells Inlet, but it was time to go! We packed up the old Nissan and headed north to Williamsburg!