Hike to Bulowville

A little south of St. Augustine off Old Kings Road in Flagler Beach is the Buelow Plantation Ruins Historic State Park.  A drive down a one lane sand road leads you to the ranger station.  From there you take a short hike under an old growth tree canopy to the ruins.  We felt really out there and back in time and were surprised at the lack of other people.  If you like hiking you can keep right on going on 6.8 miles of cleared trails in this and adjacent Buelow Creek State Park.  The 13 mile Buelow Creek Canoe Trail starts at the ranger station and had canoe's for rent.  Next time maybe.

In 1821 the Buelow family acquired 4,875 acres of wilderness and using slave labor cleared 2,200 acres.  The plan was to grow sugar cane, cotton, rice, and indigo, which makes your Levis blue, and transport the products to St. Augustine by boat for further sale and distribution.  They also turned sugar cane into molasses but did not make rum like some plantations did.  The plan worked until the Second Seminole War when the Indians burned the plantation.  The coquina stone structures, however, are still standing and are in remarkable shape for their age.     http://www.floridastateparks.org/bulowplantation/default.cfm

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Northern Road Trip

This year our summer break consisted of a trip back to our roots.  Well my roots to be more specific.  I was from Ohio and Barbara was from Illinois.  This summer I had a Galion High School class reunion, an Ashland College Kappa Sigma Fraternity reunion, a Columbus Public Schools Southeast Career Center reunion and most importantly family to see.   When Barbara and I lived and worked in central Ohio we spent many happy weekends on a boat in the western island area of Lake Erie.  Time would not allow us to do it all so we choose the high school reunion, the relatives, and a trip back to some favorite haunts on Erie.  My parents had a cabin and boats on Erie long before I was in diapers so there were a lot of haunts.  Cedar Point Amusement Park, Put in Bay on South Bass Island, Middle Bass Island,  Catawba Island, Marblehead, Huron, Vermillion, Port Clinton, Sandusky, Peele Island, and Kelley's Island were on the short list.  We made it to seven with our favorite the ferry ride to Kelley's Island and the golf cart ride around it's five mile by five mile scenic shoreline.  Lake perch and walleye fish diners are still quite tasty.  The lake usually freezes in winter so you have to enjoy your short summers. http://www.kelleysislandchamber.com/

         

         

Brought to you by: Team Gledhill, Prudential Network Realty Buying or Selling Property in St. Johns Co? Call 904-874-2588 or email info@teamgledhill.com

"Sharing Our Community with Buyers & Sellers...One Snippet at a Time"