Marineland is several things:
- a very small town about 15 miles south of St. Augustine, FLA.
- a marine oriented theme park for tourists. In fact one of the oldest theme parks in FLA. They specialize in dolphin shows and have a celebrity dolphin that is 60 years old.
- home of Marineland Marina, where we have been residing since we arrived last Wednesday. Life on the plug with copious electricity and real showers.
- very nature oriented, with nature trails, bike trails along rte A1A, and the beach just a short walk away.
- home to all sorts of critters (can you ID them?) :
- home of U of FLA Whitney Center for Marine Research.
That's some of what's here. Now for what isn't here : no stores, no restaurants, no bars. We rented a car for our first 2 days here. Enterprise picked us up even though we are 20 miles from their office. We then drove to grocery and bar and restaurant about 4 miles from here, also back to St. Augustine for some last minute Christmas shopping and shipping, and to a bike store where we bought Sheila's present. We now have two aboard and can run errands together. The grocery store is a nice half hour ride (no hills!).
The dogs love the beach and nature trails. We 4 have done a couple of trips in the dinghy to explore a bit. We 2 have done some bike rides, including back to the nearest bar/restaurant. So its all good with just one small problem - THE HEAT! The last 3 days have hit over 80, with strong sun and high humidity. I see why most local cruising boats have AC. We have a fan which helps some but mid-day exertion is largely limited to 12 oz. curls.
The heat wave ends later tonight, and we'll be back to temps in the 60's which is more normal for December. It'll be a relief.
Tomorrow there is a farmers market right here at the marina, which we are excited about. Wednesday is of course Christmas which will be a quiet day for us. Thursday we hope to take a guided kayak tour. So we'll probably resume southward travel on Friday, well rested from our stay at Marineland.
Posted with Blogsy
Merry Christmas to you guys from Capn Pappy in Fairhope, AL. I have thoroughly enjoyed following along with your cruising. My wife and I hope to get proficient enough this year with our 30' Sea Ray to begin a cruise like yours!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas Sheila and Bill! Thinking of you in your heat while we get chillier and chillier!
ReplyDeleteMiss you
Brenda
Nice bike Sheila! Excellent choice.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, heat is not the problem in Maine. I cycled into work this morning in fresh snow and ice. Parts of me wish for warmer weather, but winter biking is pretty fun too.
Don't exert yourself too hard with the 12oz arm-to-mouth curls.