Look at that fellow! Rick and I meandered up a creek that flows into the St Johns River near Palatka (for those of you following us with a map), and we've seen three alligators. This was the only one who remained out of the water for us to photo. Several others splashed wildly into the water ahead of us before we could glimpse them.
We saw two gators swimming along the surface, and this was one of them. We decided to anchor in here for the night, and take a quiet dinghy trip, using the oars, in search of more. We paddled for about two hours in the afternoon, but did not see any. Maybe this morning (Tuesday, March 8). It sure has been beautiful in this creek. All to ourselves and totally peaceful. Birds galore.
This picture was from last Friday morning, when Rick and Beth went searching for manatees. Alas, they did not see any. We had heard they might be where the warm water was discharged from a nuclear power plant on the way into Jacksonville on the St Johns River. We anchored off to the side of the river, and off they went. It was still very windy, so I stayed back to make sure the anchor held. We then continued west to downtown Jacksonville.
Look where we docked for the next two nights! And it was free! We were right in the thick of things, a few steps from the exciting downtown happenins. We got to people-watch as hundreds and hundreds strolled/jogged along the walkway. The only bad part was that we were exposed to swells from the wide river, and we jostled quite a bit. But it was worth it, as this was a fabulous setting and location.
Jacksonville Landing is where we were, and there was a big square filled with restaurants and shops, and people. We found Happy Hour specials, such as those $4 margaritas on our table. A dance troupe and choral group was rehearsing in the square, with its water fountain. A rock group was setting up for free music later, which we returned to hear after our dinner at an Irish Pub (a long waterfront stroll away, but worth the walk cuz it was a blast there!). We were happy to be part of the Friday night scene, such a perfect place to be.
The next morning I took an 18-mi bike ride, and snapped this picture from one of the bridges on my return. Do you see the glass-front building right behind Breaking Away? That was the concert hall, and guess who was performing there right next to us? Diana Ross on Fri night and John Cougar Mellencamp on Sat night.
Before I took my ride, we had hundreds of citizens out jogging along the waterfront next to us on a sunny Sat morning. But the most noticeable thing was the "boot camp" group immediately next to us, with the "drill sergeant" yelling encouragement to his charges as they did push ups, pull ups, running sprints, and much more. He must have had about 40 die-hards out there toiling to his commands.
Then there was the big street event a few yards away - the bed races. It was a fund-raiser for the homeless. Lots of dressed-up contestants and racers, all dancing to music on the closed-off streets. Fun to wander among them having so much fun.
Here are the dancers for their finished performance in the square on Sat afternoon. The choral group is on the stage. They were dance majors at the local college. It was a fabulous show (modern dance style). Later in the evening, a different music group performed for the crowds. They did oldies, and they WERE oldies, but we loved it. We even ate dinner right on the square and could continue to listen and watch impromptu dancers, mostly children, performing for the crowds.
Here we are enjoying our scenery on Breaking Away during our Happy Hour Saturday afternoon. We had on the oldies radio station and you can see Rick singing away. A wedding party came along and we watched them pose for about 30 minutes. We were in their background for some! All in all, you can see why we loved this spot and stayed two days.
Isn't the view at night so incredible? Lots of bridges in the downtown.
Beth left Sunday morning for the airport. She flew to Rhode Island to visit Sarah, Anthony, and little Bonnie. Great having Beth join us on the trip for a few days. Too bad she never got to see a manatee.
Rick and I headed south on the St Johns River, which is upstream. We arrived at a little village called Green Cove Springs. This picture shows the spring. It emits 3000 gallons/minute @ 78 degrees, and flows directly into the swimming pool. At the far end of the pool, it flows out and down a stream to the St Johns River where the pier was that we were docked at.
It had been continuously windy ever since Rick and Beth joined my on Feb 28, and that afternoon was no exception. Usually the wind was from the northeast, but luckily when I docked in a tight slip at the end of the pier, headed straight in westward, the wind was coming straight at us from the west. It made the docking easy. We had electric and water hook ups, and it cost only $10 (vs the usual FL marina cost of about $70). I paid the fee at the police station!
I got to watch the finish of the 1st stage of the Paris-Nice bike race, while we also watched the Lakers plaster the Spurs. We were in a cozy bar n grill across from the park. Nice. We then grilled chicken for dinner in our delightful spot on the river.
Here's a waterside church, from 1879, that we walked past yesterday morning before departing Green Cove Springs. We were carrying back some groceries from the market, and stopped into this pretty little find.
Here's where we anchored for the night, and are still here as I am typing this. It was like going on our own personal Jungle Cruise as we came in here yesterday, and what a serene and quiet creek. One of my favorites on the entire trip. Now we will go see if we can see any more gators. I'll let you know!
No comments:
Post a Comment