Another great day of riding. 105 miles, spending the night in Titusville Florida. Great scenery along the ocean, lots of rain and plenty of headwinds. Got started a little late because of a downpour right before sunrise. The rain stopped and the sunrise was amazing. I'm always looking for the unusual picture opportunity....perfect one this morning of the "large animal capture" near the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. Some early morning fishing in the ocean and wide open beaches. Not much open space on the ride other than a lone pasture.
Titusville is the centerpiece of Florida's Space Coast, being near the Kennedy Space Center. It is said to be the only place on the planet where rockets launch, sea turtles nest and soothing sunrises give way to inviting surf. It wasn't always Titusville. Founded in 1859 when a post office was established and originally called Sand Point. The post office closed and In 1867 Henry Titus arrived intending to build a town on land owned by his wife, daughter of a wealthy planter from Georgia. Legend has it that Titus challenged a local military man to a game of dominoes for the right to name the town. Titus won and in 1873 renamed the town Titusville.
A couple of items left out of my post yesterday. Yesterday's picture of the granite looking blocks was one of the walls to the Castillo de San Marcos (Spanish for "St. Mark's Castle"), the oldest masonry fort in the continental U.S. The fort was ordered to be constructed after raids by the English destroyed much of St. Augustine's wooden structures and fortifications. It was constructed with "coquina" rock consisting primarily of shells and sediment. It was an excellent material for the walls of the Castillo because of the "softness" of the rock cannonballs would sink into, rather than shatter or puncture the walls...totally frustrating the English when they attacked numerous times. Lastly, I stayed in St. Augustine at the Kenwood Inn, the same place I stayed in 2008 on another ride across the country. If you are ever in St. Augustine I highly recommend it. Great boutique B&B type hotel. Excellent hosts, amazing breakfast including Bloody Mary's and outstanding service at reasonable prices...all in the historic district of St. Augustine.
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