Castillo de San Marcos

The Castillo de San Marcos national monument is the oldest masonry fort in the United States and the only standing 17th century military construction. Built of coquina, a soft limestone composed of broken shells, this native material gave the Spanish an advantage. Instead of cracking or collapsing, coquina walls absorbed enemy projectiles allowing Spain to guard its possessions and keep its people safe.

​THURSDAY 3/3/22 - Saint Augustine, FL
We started the morning with a quick breakfast (cereal) and then turned over the van to drive mode and packed up for the beach. We left at about 9:15 and drove about 3 minutes to the beach (we didn’t realize it was so close maybe tomorrow we’ll walk.) We found a parking spot pretty easily, but after unloading everyone and everything we realized we were at a fishing pier and there wasn’t easy access to the open sandy beach so we had to load up and drive to a different spot for closer access. It was okay though because in that short time we talked to so many people. They just kept striking up conversation with us. While Nick and Enzo  talked to this guy who was going surfing and offered to let Nick borrow a board — Ozzy, Fitz and I talked to a bunch of elderly couples who each commented on my cute kids and then a guy who told us all about the rocket launches that have been happening at Cape Canaveral by Elon Musk. My point is, people were very friendly. We did leave that area and found another place to park about 1 minute away, 

which gave us the access to the beach we were hoping for. It was so beautiful! There was sand of course, but more of the visible ground was covered in crushed up seashells! We spend several hours there and it was just perfect. Enzo napped under the sunshade. Ozzy and Fitz played in the sand and waves. We brought some surfer dude toys that Oz was especially entertained by. We ate snacks and then jumped off mini sand dunes. It really was perfect and in that moment I knew every challenge leading up to this moment was well worth it! After leaving the beach we drove a few miles away so we could go grocery shopping. We were getting pretty low on food. Fitz and Enzo fell asleep so Nick stayed in the car with them while Ozzy and I shopped at Publix. After leaving the grocery store we decided to go to a fishing shop for some ocean flies. While Nick was inside, me and the boys ate lunch in the van. Then because we were all fed and rested, we decided to stop in downtown Saint Augustine at Castillo de San Marcos National Monument. It was really cool. We walked around the outside and stayed for about an hour before heading back to the campground for dinner, showers, and then bed. It was a fun day!  ​

Recommended>>

Day 1    Day 2    Day 3     Day 4    Day 5    Day 6    Day 7    Day 8    Day 9