Gillian and I vacationed to Florida to see my grandmother and to Virginia to do some hiking with some friends. We both had a blast and enjoyed every bit of fresh air we got.
In Florida, as we were walking from downtown St. Augustine to the coast, we happened to stump upon St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park . We figured we’d make a brief stop and head down to the coast later in the afternoon. However, brief it was not! The park was extremely fascinating and we ended up spending many hours strolling around and looking at various birds, gators, and animals. I even had a chance to hang out with my good friend, the komodo dragon. I’m glad he wasn’t shy with getting his picture taken!
During our travels, we also visited the Ravine Gardens State Park in Palatka, Florida. Since we were training for a half marathon at the time, this was the perfect place to be surrounded by beautiful flowers and run. If you are ever near Palatka, this is a worthwhile stop. My only complaint is that you can tour the gardens in your car around a 1.8 paved loop (people often do this at sunset). There are trails within the gardens that the cars cannot get to, but if you are bicycling or running on the loop, there is little room for both on foot and in car.
Lastly, our visit to Virginia was amazing. We went on two hikes. One, was a short hike, but it was straight uphill. I thought I was in pretty good shape until I went on that hike. Ya right! The second hike was on Saint Mary’s Falls Trail in George Washington National Forest. Besides the gorgeous waterfalls, the whole entire trail was beautiful. This is not an ordinary hike. You get to climb tree roots, rocks, travel through the river, and swim in the many swimming holes. I will definitely hike this trail again and I recommend trying it yourself if you are in the area!
St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park:
Ravine Gardens State Park:
Saint Mary’s Falls Trail: