Of Evanescence and Anastasia

After 2 days of driving and some rest stop sleeping (Ponce de Leon Springs), we righted the only wrong of the trip (not surfing the closed Inland Surf Park in Austin) by finally getting some waves in St. Augustine. We managed to get a spot at Anastasia State Park and immediately head to the beach for a side shore wind fest. It wasn’t great but it was better than driving on I-95.

Tyler’s Van at Anastasia island State Park

On the beach, we met Tyler who had just road tripped to Florida in his Ford Transit Connect set-up. What’s great about road trip vehicles is that they come in all shapes, sizes and price points… and, it doesn’t matter what you have or how you set it up. It only matters that you are doing it by taking off and enjoying your environment.

After surfing, we set out for historic downtown St. Augustine and the Columbia restaurant with their famous 1905 Salad. As a native Floridian, I will admit to never eating at the Columbia, but the salad was as good as advertised as well as the empanadas, yucca and crab cakes that we devoured. I washed this all own with a Jai Lai India Pale Ale from Cigar City brewing.

We cruised back to the campground in slightly heavy traffic due to the Evanescence concert at the amphitheater that borders the campground. If you ever want to see a show at the amphitheater, you should try and get a space at Anastasia State Park (if you can). It’s a convenient set-up because you can walk to the show and avoid all the traffic.

The Sprinter at Anastasia State Park, St. Augustine

Since St. Augustine is my favorite city in Florida, It’s an easy recommendation because of its unique history, culture, and proximity to the ocean. A must add to your road trip list.

Sounds of the Trip: