With a dire weather forecast for rain, rain, and more rain, we reluctantly canceled plans for visits to Savannah and Charleston, packed our bags, and hit the road for St. Augustine. The drive up the coast toward our nation's oldest city was lovely, but a little scary. Billowing dark clouds and gusting wind, made the waves look gray and ominous. They broke tall and crashed toward the shore filled with white foam. Definitely NOT a beach day.
We finally arrived in St. Augustine and our first stop was the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum. St. Augustine is home to the oldest seaport in the United States. I love the stripes on the lighthouse. (Note: This picture is from the lighthouse site. Pretend it's raining and you'll experience what we did)
In our race against the weather, we had no time to explore. We did a quick tour through the museum and then headed for downtown St. Augustine, the oldest city in the United States.
The Castillo de San Marcos fort is the oldest masonry fort in the United States with construction beginning in 1672. It was built to guard against privateers. For its advanced years, the fort appears remarkably well preserved. Alas, we didn't have time to go inside.
Next we raced to the quaint downtown area that houses such landmarks as the first schoolhouse in the United States, small shops, and mouth-watering food. Each of these treasures line the narrow quaint streets of this truly historic city.
We wanted more time to look around, but the rain began pelting us hard and steady. We had many miles to go before reaching our overnight stay in Atlanta, so we said good-bye to St. Augustine. I hope to return someday and spend a lot more time exploring the history of this charming area.
After a brutal push to Atlanta, we collapsed in exhaustion and set the alarm for 5am. Then we were up and running with the mission of getting home as soon as possible. Though we couldn't stop to browse the area, we drove through the lovely Smokey Mountains, a mysterious and delightful sight.
Many hours later, we were finally back home again. Four weary travelers made a small pact. We would not disclose every mishap and mix-up we experienced on our road trip. (Disclaimer: I can reveal what happened as long as identities remain confidential-so there could be a story or two later-Bwahaha!)
And thus ends the girls' road trip. I could wax eloquent about friendships formed, bonds deepened, and lessons learned, but I'm still mulling it all over. Bottom line to readers: I highly recommend a girls' road trip to get real, get personal, and have the kind of fun you simply can't have when men are around.
