The morning bike rides are not as frequent as I’d like these days and I’ve been reluctant to ride on the beach after a hefty repair bill to the now not so trusty steed, the initial issue being sand in the gears, augmented by my inept knowledge of bike maintenance. Much fiddling, sweating, and swearing later I conceded defeat and went to the experts with it much worse than when I started. Any how you do see some interesting things on the beach and here’s a few photos I took on one morning ride before the bike fouled up. This is the furthest south I have been down the sands and this is actually classed as Ponte Vedra beach, the posh end! There’s some properties down there well over the million dollars mark, and a large and luxurious golf course but I was more interested in these shattered wooden poles.
Monday 25th May was Memorial Day here in the USA. It is to commemorate those who lost their lives fighting for their country, and is a national holiday although many stores stay open. Tina was also off work so we decided to do something with her two youngest boys. 
But before we picked them up we had an early morning bike ride for an hour or so before it got too hot, taking the back roads down to the start of Ponte Vedra Beach, admiring the colourful and impressive houses along the beach front. We came back along the beach for most of the way until the combined force of the sun, and the resistance of the wet sand enticed us back to the easier roads for the last stage of the journey.
The afternoon was spent at Fort Clinch State Park, home to a fine 19th century preserved fort. Although no battles were fought there, it was garrisoned during both the Civil and Spanish-American wars. We picnicked, wandered around the battlements, and then ventured out on one of the trails that runs through the park grounds. We were disappointed not to see alligators and armadillos like last visit, but nature is not like on demand movies, we dance to her tune. Here’s some more photos of the day…
More photos from May 2009
