Travels with Sasha Day 16

February 4 

Today I want to do the Alligator Farm, but it’s raining. It wasn’t supposed to rain until afternoon. As I wait for the shuttle, a yellow cat is by the door, so I go out to talk to him. I sit on the bench and he gets up beside me and for some attention. He makes me miss Pele even more.

Pam is the shuttle driver and when I explain my problem getting on and off the trolley yesterday, she says the front car usually has one of two wider seat entrances for people with walkers and such. She’s right as I climb aboard the last seat in the first car. It’s still an effort to pull myself up, but it’s much better than yesterday.

The rain isn’t heavy and the temperature is warmer than yesterday. I get off at Stop No. 16 and wait about 15 minutes for the bus to the beaches on Anastasia Island and the Alligator Farm. The trolley driver said the bus drivers are not tour guides and do not tell stories, however this guy chats and it’s good. Gosh, I wish I could remember all the stories and information that all these people provide. He’s good at explaining about the return, too. The Alligator Farm is the first stop, so I don’t get a chance to see the beaches.

There are many more alligators than I remember. Lots of pictures are taken along with different signs so I can make identifications later. There are many different types of ‘gator and even a few crocodiles. I’m eager to see the rookery and all the birds and make my way around in the opposite direction from my visit in 2013.

Unfortunately, the rookery is a bit of a disappointment. There were many herons and roseate spoonbills, but they were all sleeping. But the alligators! Oh, my God, are there alligators! They are more interesting and there a little food machines along the way so people can feed them. There are so many! Thank heavens that the boardwalk is high above the ground and waters. There are alligators everywhere and all different sizes!

I also photograph Galapagos turtles and some African birds. Some of the exotic birds are behind thick mesh fencing so pictures are impossible. That’s disappointing. It starts raining a little harder. Good thing I’m near the end. I pass through the gift shop and sit on an outside bench awaiting the bus back to town.

Of course I am aching from walking the Alligator Farm, but when I get off the bus, I head down Aviles Street, one of the oldest streets in St. Augustine. This road has areas set up in old Spanish style like an old hospital. Pam, the shuttle driver from this morning, had said to see this, but at the moment, I don’t feel like paying any more and keep walking… and walking. I cross King Street to the waterfront and make my way back to the bridge. I’d love to walk across to get pictures, but there’s no way. I hobble back to the trolley stop.

There are two places back at Stop No. 1 for which I have tickets. Thankfully they came with the three-day trolley pass because the Tea and Spice place wasn’t doing a tour until later and the Old General Store Museum had a tour in progress. I didn’t want to hang around and Pam took me back to the hotel. She tells me, on the way, that St. Augustine is all decked out in white lights in December and January and they give special night tours. December is very busy, but January is their slow month. She says I should come back next January.

She drops me at Blondi’s, a diner in the parking lot. I haven’t eaten all day and enjoy a delicious burger, fries, and a glass of white zinfandel. Then I hobble back to the hotel. Oh, I ache after another day of a lot of walking, but St. Augustine is a wonderful place and worth every step.