April 11, 2015
St Augustine to Yulee
We woke to a beautiful morning with plenty of sunshine, although Happy indicated there were predictions for rain from St Augustine all the way to our destination point in Yulee, east of Fernandina Beach. I chose a long-sleeved shirt as I expected cooler than normal temperatures, but it was fairly warm as we departed down Charlotte Street, possibly a bad choice as it is lined with cobblestones, but it at least warmed up our butts for the long ride ahead.
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As we crossed the Francis and Mary Usina Bridge over the Tolomato River, we were treated to spectacular views of the harbor and Vilano Beach. A1A then turns north, and we remained on it till we arrived in Fernandina Beach, about 55 miles down the road.
Vilano Beach is nice but definitely not the upscale community you see south of St Augustine. Still, the views of the beachfront are nice (although blocked by homes). The better view, however, is to the west, where large parts of the real estate comprise the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve and the Guana River Wildlife Management Area. Views of that well-preserved land are pretty spectacular and extend more than five miles northward.
By then you are entering San Pablo Island, and this is definitely upscale with lots of fancy homes with gated entrances. And no convenience stores! And we wanted our Gatorade! We finally found some right before our turn onto Ponte Vedra Boulevard.
After more miles of nice homes and posh environs, we finally entered Jacksonville Beach, bringing us closer to our roots and economic class. I guess Jacksonville is a bit of a Navy town, as the beach was distinctively working class, mate. It was pretty scarce for a Saturday, but it was a bit overcast at this point, although no rain!
I won't bore you with the rest, but we passed through Neptune Beach and Atlantic Beach and skirted around Mayport Naval Air Station before arriving at the ferry landing for the St Johns River (a.k.a. Mayport Ferry). Ferries are always fun to ride, and this one in particular deserves a note as it is part of the East Coast Greenway!
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After the crossing, there are a few restaurants, one convenience store, and boiled peanuts. The boiled peanuts are a clue as to where you really are. The plates may say Florida, but the food says Georgia.
The balance of the ride to Fernandina Beach is stunning in its own respect. You pass through one state park after another and can choose the bike lane on A1A or hop onto one of the adjacent bike paths. We did both and were not disappointed.
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As we approached Fernandina Beach, I was determined to try some boiled peanuts (the virgin that I am), so when we slowed down in front of Terry's Produce and were drawn into a chat with Katisha, Happy and I were treated to the local specialty, an acquired taste, we were warned. Happy and I walked away with slightly different impressions, mine something akin to chickpeas and Happy's more along the lines of split peas. One legume or another!
The balance of the ride was pretty standard fare, but we were now headed west on A1A. There was quite a view from the bridge over the Amelia River.
We rolled pretty quick into Yulee after that big descent, with the only drawbacks being some hooting and hollering from young dudes in beat-up cars (I believe this comes with the boiled peanuts; you can't have one without the other) and about one mile of construction we had to bike through where we had no bike lane. We confidently took the right lane and were respected the whole way through. I have to say that dealing with drivers so far (from day one) has not been an issue.
Today's ride: 69 miles (111 km)
Total: 780 miles (1,255 km)
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