{"id":21004,"date":"2017-05-13T20:19:24","date_gmt":"2017-05-14T00:19:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tourdebocrie.com\/?p=21004"},"modified":"2017-05-13T20:19:24","modified_gmt":"2017-05-14T00:19:24","slug":"day-23-saturday-may-13-st-augustine-to-fernandina-beach-on-amelia-island-florida","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tourdebocrie.com\/?p=21004","title":{"rendered":"Day 23. Saturday, May 13. St. Augustine to Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, Florida"},"content":{"rendered":"

A heavy sky and thick humidity joined the cool 74\u00b0, when we left the still sleeping St. Augustine. \u00a0Without people everywhere, we could see so much more of\u00a0the town. \u00a0But it was only a couple of miles before we crossed the bridge\"\"<\/a> to take us back to the barrier island. \u00a0Yesterday’s breeze had switched to the south,\u00a0to keep us cool and lend assistance to our pedaling.\"\"<\/a> \u00a0Every now and then\u00a0we had a light sprinkle, not enough to get us wet, but it did drop the temperature a few degrees.<\/p>\n

Once again, homes were precariously perched\"\"<\/a> on what was left of the narrow sand dune.\"\"<\/a> \u00a0At least half the homes showed some damage\"\"<\/a> or repairs in the process from the sea’s wrath.\"\"<\/a>The sea, within fifty feet of their back door, did not hinder the amount of money \"\"<\/a>people would spend on\u00a0homes insistent on a front row view of the sea.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In Ponte Vedra, home of Sawgrass and the currently playing\u00a0TPC Tournament, we saw only a few\"\"<\/a>\u00a0of the huge homes,\"\"<\/a> but the street side landscaping was luscious.\"\"<\/a>Golf courses \"\"<\/a>and beautiful homes\"\"<\/a>were abundant along our ride through this very exclusive area.<\/p>\n

After 32 miles, we came into (regular) civilization to find something to supplement the coffee and juice we had for breakfast earlier. \u00a0\"\"<\/a>A very popular local diner served it up just right.<\/p>\n

We continued through \"\"<\/a> quiet streets\"\"<\/a> populated with only\u00a0people exercising. \u00a0Condos,\"\"<\/a> homes and beach cottages\"\"<\/a>all shared this pretty space by the beach. \u00a0Jacksonville Beach seamlessly merged into Neptune\u00a0Beach.<\/p>\n

We stopped for a moment through the neighborhood and were visited by this very friendly \"\"<\/a>neighborhood watch cat.<\/p>\n

In Atlantic Beach, we lost our beach ride, gained a sprinkle and rode\u00a0through marshland\u00a0\"\"<\/a>next to the Mayport Naval Air Station.<\/p>\n

We arrived at the St. John’s Ferry, just as it\u00a0arrived. \u00a0Perfect timing as we had been concerned with cooling too much while waiting to board. \u00a0But the rain stopped and the crossing of the St. John’s River provided wonderful entertainment\"\"<\/a> and a stowaway.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Once on Amelia Island, we traversed through several parks\"\"<\/a>\u00a0 with huge protected dunes\"\"<\/a>and spectacular marshland.\"\"<\/a>There was a beautiful bike lane\"\"<\/a> that ducked in and out of the park, but we had no idea how far it went, so we stayed on our nice road \"\"<\/a>with ample bike lane. \u00a0Every now and then the sun tried to break through, but we had a lot of shade from the large overhanging trees.<\/p>\n

Fernandina Beach obviously has setback laws for building,\u00a0\u00a0so the really nice homes\"\"<\/a> had a better chance to survive. \u00a0The town also provided\u00a0parking and beach access\"\"<\/a> about every block; a real forward thinking, populace friendly area.<\/p>\n

Over five hours in the saddle, we were ready to stop. \u00a0We knew we had picked the right place to stay, when we saw this\u00a0painting behind the front desk.\"\"<\/a> \u00a0Not long after checking in, thunder and lightening came roaring through with a downpour. A short break in the storm gave us enough time to cross the street for dinner, before the storm came through for round two.<\/p>\n

Though the fresh local shrimp was delicious,\"\"<\/a> the hush puppies, lima beans and collards (pronounced “caw lurds”) \"\"<\/a>stole the show.<\/p>\n

We justified the dessert \"\"<\/a>by the 65 miles we’d pedaled today.<\/p>\n\n\t\t