Fit to be Tide.

Flagler Beach, FL – I carved this into the sand free form this evening, knowing the words would soon be drowned out, all traces of them erased from the history of Flagler Beach.

My memories of a great evening sitting quietly as dusk and increasing waves rolled in, however, will last far longer.

sands of time
Toes, curled in the sand, | the dancing waves trip over themselves | encroaching on the footprints | we have left behind. | The sky sighs at memories lost | but not forgotten, | stolen by the tide | but not from the mind.

Whale of a Time.

St. Augustine, FL – St. Augustine is the oldest city in the continental United States, and its oldest port. It may also be one of the tackiest.

Fearing rain, we opted to take the 45-minute drive up the coast this morning to see what St. Augustine had to offer. In typical North American fashion, the historic city has been commercialized to the hilt. From long lines of school buses to van loads of seniors escaping the beach, it was a tourist haven. So much history painted over with the spectre of cheap plastic figurines and commemorative coins.

It was neat to see Castillo de San Marcos, a fort constructed in the late 1600s out of coquina (small shells that have bonded together to form a stone similar to limestone), and to wander around Flagler College, whose gorgeous campus is situated on the grounds of the old Ponce de Leon Hotel. Several other structures made great subjects for photos.

Sightseeing trains chimed through the streets and the historic district teemed with tacky souvenirs. Coming across the "oldest wooden school house in the United States," we were greeted by grotesque mechanized people in period costume, including one mannequin peering out a second-floor window behind a box of silk flowers. Does everything really need to be made into a theme park?

The day was redeemed by the presence of a number of fun photo opportunities and by the appearance of a Right whale just off the shore, north of Flagler Beach.

Catching it out the corner of my eye, we pulled over and watched it swim past for a half hour. As most of already migrated north, the siting caused a long line of traffic to join in with binoculars and cameras.

What Will a Pier?

Flagler Beach, FL – As I waded under the Flagler Beach pier this morning, a rickety sky of molten greys rolled in with the increasing waves. Fishing poles traced fine lines to the sea.

“Not much biting today,” said one fisherman, indicating that dolphins had, a little earlier, chased away most of the fish. He had, however, caught a small shark and a stingray. This is the ocean.

The farther I traipsed from the shore, the more I was painted with a gouache of white caps that threatened to pull me and my camera asunder. I braced myself, lens held high. Pelicans darted overhead in search of a salted lunch in the roiling surf, which was also being sewn up by a number of neoprene-clad long boarders.

A storm is coming.

In Cycles.

Flagler Beach, FL – The moon rose majestically over a ferocious tide that crashed into the shore tonight.

Nature: such violence in peace.

in cycles
The naked moon stares down | at white caps, torn | from the puppet master's strings, | frothing at the dunes, eroded | in unchained rage. | In cycles, the seemingly random, | ordered.

Breakfast with Flipper.

Flagler Beach, FL – Dolphins. Really, I could stop right there, having seen several of the muscular mammals leaping in the waves from the balcony this morning. My day could have happily ended with that.

It was, however, also extremely nice to fall asleep and wake to the tune of the ocean’s crescendo drumming against the shore, a cool breeze creeping against my skin. Fresh. Peaceful.

The drive to Daytona Beach this morning was pleasant, if not kitschy. The afternoon, spent burying my toes in the sand, offered therapeutic relaxation. A lone sandpiper pecked at the shore, as a salty dusk descended with a shrug.

But having awoken to dolphins frolicking in the waves, planes preparing for an airshow and pelicans flying in equally tight formations made breakfast, and the day, so much better.

Bliss.

La Florida.

Flagler Beach, FL – “What does that indicator light mean?” A tug on the steering wheel while pulling through an intersection in Savannah, Georgia provided the answer: power steering failure.

Thankfully, turning the car off in a strip mall parking lot allowed the car to reset and we were able to continue toward the coast – with an ever-wary eye cast at the dashboard. Approaching Florida, a significant increase in traffic flow punctuated the point that not all snowbirds had yet begun to migrate north.

Upon entering the state, we were greeted by anti-abortion billboards that lined the highway every mile or so, and cars that were adorned with “Choose Life” license plates sporting drawings of children. Even more disturbing was the billboard displaying a large automatic weapon and the tagline, “Relieve Yourself.”

Welcome to the south.

Vitals:

• Time: 12 hours
• Distance: 780.8 kms
• Weather: Sunny and warm
• States: South Carolina, Georgia, Florida
• Wildlife: None
  

Georgia on my Mind.

Savannah, GA – Walking through Savannah, Georgia this afternoon, Spanish moss hung from wispily bearded trees, giving them the appearance of wise sages looming over historic homes and budding boulevards.

Shedding our shoes for sandals in the 27-degree heat, we made our way to the market, traipsing past old trains and through one of the city’s historic cemeteries. Again, the web-like gauze of moss added mystique as we ambled past sepia-tinted tombstones, their faces hauntingly blank. By contrast, hundreds of people had carved their names into the leaves of an enormous cactus standing sentry by the wrought-iron gate that guided us back to the world of the living.

Must be a fun spot at Halloween.

Nearby, students from the South Carolina College of Art & Design bustled about with fancy leather portfolios. We passed City Hall, the old Cotton Exchange and many other buildings that hold their own place in history books. While you could taste the humidity on the tip of your tongue, it wasn’t overly sticky. Our highlight in Savannah was a nice lunch at Belford’s in the market, where we sat on the patio watching passersby, delighting in southern-style chicken salad, shrimp with applewood-smoked bacon, collared greens and grit cakes.

While renowned for its beauty, charm and hospitality, however, I still found Charleston to be prettier.

A Caricature.

Spartanburg, SC – Weaving through hilly switchback cicatrices and past the French Broad River in the back country of North and South Carolina, we finally had our first deviation from the Interstate on this trip. Naturally, the day had begun to yawn.

A rock slide in Newport, Tennessee had caused us to detour an hour out of our way, which not only provided fun driving in the hills, but the most eye-opening experience of the journey thus far. It was a prime and timely opportunity to reflect on our good fortune, even in the face of current adversity in our lives.

Like a sad caricature, a young pregnant woman stood smoking on the rickety porch of a fallen-down trailer nestled in the trees. A half-dozen baby carriages in various states of disrepair sat perfectly aligned, much like the weathered, parted-out pick-up trucks to the side. I almost expected the moment to carry a New Yorker-type quip underneath.

Throughout the area, decrepit trailers and clapboard homes shrugged like depressed shoulders. Perching on the edge of the riverbank, they lacked doors and sported window frames that slouched into diamonds. A pauper’s garden of refuse dotted the lawn.

It really made us think, even as we careened through the fun-to-drive hills and curves – extreme poverty exists everywhere. Though unexpected, it was the day’s highlight.

From the time we entered Tennessee, however, we could tell from the spicy, humid aroma of the air and the red and white flowering trees that blossomed like small puffs of smoke that the onset of spring was already here. With budding trees comes a budding season and budding promise for the journey ahead.

And Carolina barbeque for dinner wasn't a bad way to end a day, either.

Vitals:

• Time: 14 hours
• Distance: 1,323.3 kms
• Weather: Predominantly grey, warming up in the afternoon; rain in major cities in the north
• Province/States: Ontario, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina
• Wildlife: None