More rain!

It rained much of the night and when we woke it was very wet outside. As we prepared to leave our motel it started drizzling. We decided it would be better to get soaked than put our wet weather gear on. From Hinesville, Georgia we rode east on US 84 until we reached US 17 south. The drizzle went away and we enjoyed a pleasantly cool run.

Yesterday we left the mountains and travelled through undulating hills. Today the landscape was a carpenter's dream - as flat as a board. We stopped briefly at a petrol station to refill our bike.

We ran into more light rain as we reached Darien, where we stopped at a bank to refill our wallets.

An airplant seems to take over some trees. It drops like shredded cloth and f lows gently in the wind. 

Apart from a wading white egret, carrion birds were seen eating dear, armadillos or possums, casualties of road kill.

The rain picked up in intensity as we continued. We were soon fairly wet, especially in the legs.
The wetlands looking over the bridge were difficult to photograph in the rain.

We tried to dodge or out run dark clouds all day.

We desperately stopped for lunch at Larry's Giant Subs - as much to get out of the rain as to actually eat. Shock! Horror! They didn't sell coffee! The rain eased while we were busy eating, so we opted not to wear our wet weather gear. Although wet, we were never cold. Inside, a metal sculpture depicting bridge workers.

We drove around walled or fenced estates, believed to house retirees. The accompanying churches are huge and look well to do. We can only assume......

Todays route was supposed to be easy but we realised we were driving around in circles after seeing this landmark twice, so we set our GPS.

Eventually US 17 merged with I-95 just south of the Florida State Line.The rain dried up and we started drying out. At a brief stop in a Gate service station for coffee we picked up a magazine and were amazed.

We ran through Jacksonville on US 1 and south towards beautiful St Augustine.

St Augustine is the US's oldest city. The Spanish established it in 1565, some years after Ponce de Leon claimed Florida for Spain in 1513. Between 1672 and 1695 the Spanish built the Castillo de San Marco, a stone fort that replaced 9 earlier wooden fortifications.

In 1702 the English besieged the fort unsuccessfully for 50 days, burning the town of St Augustine before leaving. The fort survived another siege by the British in 1740. It changed hands several times between the English, Spanish and Americans between 1763 and 1821.

The old town of St Augustine is now a tourist mecca. We rode apround it before booking into a motel just outside the old city and shopping for groceries for our evening meal.