{"id":1315,"date":"2016-04-03T22:03:56","date_gmt":"2016-04-03T22:03:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thewachs.com\/wachsacrossamerica\/?p=1315"},"modified":"2016-04-11T11:10:45","modified_gmt":"2016-04-11T11:10:45","slug":"forts-and-castles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/thewachs.com\/wachsacrossamerica\/2016\/04\/03\/forts-and-castles\/","title":{"rendered":"Forts and Castles"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>On our Florida trip 12 years ago we visited St. Augustine and the Castillo de San Marcos. \u00a0I remember being really impressed with the castillo and so I was excited to share this with our kids. \u00a0We had a short drive day from Manatee Hammock up to the Pepper Tree Resort just south of St Augustine. \u00a0Despite the name, I didn&#8217;t really think there was anything that warranted being called a resort other than the price. \u00a0It wasn&#8217;t even an RV park but a mobile home park with a few transient sites. \u00a0It was a tight turn to get Ava situated on the pad but after a few attempts we got set up. \u00a0AND we still had time to explore a little bit. \u00a0So we headed to Fort Matanzas just a ways south of where we were staying.<br \/>\n<a title=\"Cool climbing tree\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/136797225@N05\/25696762443\/in\/album-72157664608047883\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/farm2.staticflickr.com\/1637\/25696762443_e102584fae_n.jpg\" alt=\"Cool climbing tree\" width=\"320\" height=\"240\" \/><\/a><script src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>I had not paid attention I guess during our last visit that, in addition to the castillo, there was a fort protecting\u00a0the &#8220;back door&#8221; of St Augustine at the mouth of the Matanzas river. \u00a0We showed up and got our free tickets for the ferry boat across the river to the fort but they had canceled the previous trips due to wind and it wasn&#8217;t looking good for the next one either. \u00a0The kids grabbed Jr Ranger packets anyway and we went off to explore the nature trails and such. \u00a0We also watched a short video on the history of the fort and how it got its name due to a butt whoopin&#8217; that the Spanish gave the French&#8230;matanzas is Spanish for massacre. \u00a0The last 2 ferrys of the day were canceled so we decided to come back another day.<\/p>\n<p>We went across the road to a public beach to splash a bit in the water, collect some shells, and to jump! \u00a0This time I was able to grab a picture of Steph catching some serious vertical!<br \/>\n <a title=\"Steph jump\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/136797225@N05\/25696760503\/in\/album-72157664608047883\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/farm2.staticflickr.com\/1668\/25696760503_b25da1dafd_n.jpg\" alt=\"Steph jump\" width=\"240\" height=\"320\" \/><\/a><script src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><a title=\"Huck jump\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/136797225@N05\/26026651610\/in\/album-72157664608047883\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/farm2.staticflickr.com\/1546\/26026651610_2ed65df7e7_n.jpg\" alt=\"Huck jump\" width=\"219\" height=\"320\" \/><\/a><script src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Back at home we enjoyed dinner outside and then a nice, or maybe not so nice, game of Bohnanza where team Brielle and Papa took the trophy with their passive leftovers strategy! \u00a0I think travel days are getting easier&#8230;today&#8217;s move seemed pretty relaxed and we had plenty of time to still do some exploring and playing.<\/p>\n<div id=\"flickr_72157664608047883_2100\"><div class=\"slickr-flickr-slideshow landscape medium \"><div class=\"active\"><img src=\"https:\/\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1637\/25696762443_e102584fae.jpg\" title=\"Cool climbing tree\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Cool climbing tree<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1454\/26273563196_7f5b514bf8.jpg\" title=\"Matanzas board walk\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Matanzas board walk<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1503\/26207083512_79af5dde27.jpg\" title=\"Big beetle\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Big beetle<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1673\/26273562926_db96ecbca5.jpg\" title=\"Ranger lessons\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Ranger lessons<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1704\/25694645214_f549ebb794.jpg\" title=\"Matanzas boat dock\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Matanzas boat dock<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1663\/25694645104_3cf9f4e817.jpg\" title=\"I love the beach\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>I love the beach<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1624\/25696761423_9cb26f2eab.jpg\" title=\"&quot;Do NOT get your clothes wet&quot;\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>\"Do NOT get your clothes wet\"<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1677\/26273562556_c586a73df7.jpg\" title=\"Will they get wet?\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Will they get wet?<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1550\/26299514615_f176e0830d.jpg\" title=\"Crab\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Crab<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1573\/25696761033_5438292b87.jpg\" title=\"Wach!\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Wach!<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1694\/25696760963_24441649c0.jpg\" title=\"Hands in the air\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Hands in the air<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1559\/26207082662_88c289ea51.jpg\" title=\"Us\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Us<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1546\/26026651610_2ed65df7e7.jpg\" title=\"Huck jump\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Huck jump<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1470\/26026651560_eacc1dd782.jpg\" title=\"Dacen jump\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Dacen jump<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1622\/25696760613_42b4dc31e8.jpg\" title=\"Caden jump\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Caden jump<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1443\/25696760543_a908ce79e7.jpg\" title=\"Brielle jump\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Brielle jump<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1668\/25696760503_b25da1dafd.jpg\" title=\"Steph jump\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Steph jump<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1675\/26273561956_3c5fc1c70e.jpg\" title=\"Dinner time\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Dinner time<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1550\/25696760403_f9af2229ac.jpg\" title=\"Bean farming\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Bean farming<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1491\/26026653020_4c82901cd7.jpg\" title=\"We are the champions\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>We are the champions<\/p><\/div><\/div><script type=\"text\/javascript\">jQuery(\"#flickr_72157664608047883_2100\").data(\"options\",{\"delay\":3000,\"autoplay\":true,\"transition\":500,\"link\":\"next\",\"target\":\"_self\",\"width\":\"\",\"height\":\"\"});<\/script><div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The next day we headed into St. Augustine proper with the primary goal of exploring the Castillo de San Marcos. \u00a0We snagged\u00a0a parking spot in the pay parking garage at the visitor center. \u00a0Being surrounded by all the tiny, sleek bodies in the lot the Beast asked, &#8220;does this parking lot make my butt look big?&#8221;<br \/>\n <a title=\"Does this parking lot make my butt look big?\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/136797225@N05\/26233334111\/in\/album-72157666899168115\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/farm2.staticflickr.com\/1551\/26233334111_391ed4382e_n.jpg\" alt=\"Does this parking lot make my butt look big?\" width=\"320\" height=\"240\" \/><\/a><script src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\nDacen&#8217;s 4th grade National Parks pass scored us free entry to the castle and we showed up just in time for a cannon firing demonstration. \u00a0The participants were in full Spanish uniforms and they did the entire cannon drill in Castillian Spanish. \u00a0It took about 15 minutes to ready the cannon for each shot. \u00a0But the range of these primitive weapons was impressive&#8230;1 to 3 miles depending on the cannon!<br \/>\n<a title=\"New recruits\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/136797225@N05\/26026737130\/in\/album-72157666899168115\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/farm2.staticflickr.com\/1495\/26026737130_3e4a12e30f_n.jpg\" alt=\"New recruits\" width=\"320\" height=\"240\" \/><\/a><script src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The castle has a very cool shape and is made of local cocina rock. \u00a0Cocina, donax variabilis, shells that have been compacted and fused together with calcium carbonate turns out to be an incredibly robust building material&#8230;even against cannon fire!<\/p>\n<p>We had a picnic there and the kids got both a Jr Ranger badge AND a patch. \u00a0The patches are SOOOOO much cooler than the plastic badges. \u00a0Even though they require a little more work to earn, our kids always go for the patch if they are available. \u00a0We thoroughly enjoyed our time at the castle and found the rangers and volunteers to all be very well informed and excited to share their knowledge.<br \/>\n <a title=\"Picnic at the castillo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/136797225@N05\/25696844773\/in\/album-72157666899168115\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/farm2.staticflickr.com\/1447\/25696844773_6f755c5877_n.jpg\" alt=\"Picnic at the castillo\" width=\"320\" height=\"240\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>We strolled along the main drag of St Augustine which is pedestrian only. \u00a0It is a bit too touristy for my liking but still neat. \u00a0We went into the Oldest Schoolhouse gift shop which had all kinds of toys and trinkets geared towards kids. \u00a0But the woman at the register was MEAN. \u00a0Maybe she was being &#8220;in character&#8221; as an old fashioned teacher. \u00a0But any time someone new came in the store and picked something up to look at it, especially kids, she would say in her thick eastern European accent, &#8220;no touch!!&#8221; \u00a0What the heck? \u00a0Its not like its an art gallery or something. \u00a0The stuff is clearly designed for kids and to be played with. \u00a0If I want to buy without touching I can do that on Amazon, for a heck of a lot cheaper than in this tourist trap gift shop. \u00a0I was happy to not spend any money in there.<\/p>\n<p>We visited a dugout canoe exhibit that was free, informative and really well done, but we were getting tired and the kids had made it known that they observed an interesting pattern&#8230;about every 3rd shop on the main drag sells ice cream. \u00a0&#8220;Boy, I sure could use a pick-me-up snack right about now.&#8221; \u00a0So with the promise of ice cream the kids hustled to pick out a place to grab a treat. \u00a0I kind of wanted to try a gourmet popsicle from <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thehyppo.com\/\">Hyppos<\/a>, but got an old fashioned ice cream cone instead.<\/p>\n<p>Another fun day spent together as a family!<\/p>\n<div id=\"flickr_72157666899168115_286\"><div class=\"slickr-flickr-slideshow landscape medium \"><div class=\"active\"><img src=\"https:\/\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1447\/25696844773_6f755c5877.jpg\" title=\"Picnic at the castillo\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Picnic at the castillo<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1441\/26273644346_e3c890a0a2.jpg\" title=\"Draw bridge going in\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Draw bridge going in<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1668\/26207169082_9f25e02453.jpg\" title=\"Weapons demonstration\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Weapons demonstration<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1495\/26026737130_3e4a12e30f.jpg\" title=\"New recruits\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>New recruits<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1487\/26026737070_7f63dba185.jpg\" title=\"FUEGO!!!\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>FUEGO!!!<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1627\/25696844943_acd768d764.jpg\" title=\"Bastion\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Bastion<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1545\/26207168732_117e003ce7.jpg\" title=\"Cannon\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Cannon<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1606\/25694730844_be0ec0ffde.jpg\" title=\"Castillo bedroom\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Castillo bedroom<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1442\/26207168542_9eb391d661.jpg\" title=\"Inside the castillo\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Inside the castillo<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1694\/25694730584_b58568bd08.jpg\" title=\"Conquerors\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Conquerors<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1604\/26207168292_235ef7fa7b.jpg\" title=\"Fam at the fort\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Fam at the fort<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1524\/26299597755_a55a3f3006.jpg\" title=\"Wiley Coyote\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Wiley Coyote<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1718\/26026736270_7bde604008.jpg\" title=\"Jr. Ranger badges\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Jr. Ranger badges<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1657\/25696844183_b97c0a411e.jpg\" title=\"Draw bridge going out\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Draw bridge going out<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1486\/26207167652_541abb4b1d.jpg\" title=\"Oldest school house\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Oldest school house<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1537\/26026735770_689e5b0f48.jpg\" title=\"Dugout canoe exhibit\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Dugout canoe exhibit<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1592\/25696843873_c49fa7a103.jpg\" title=\"Wanna lick?\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Wanna lick?<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1537\/26299597155_4ec5b6fa7c.jpg\" title=\"Ice cream\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Ice cream<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1703\/26168625030_ec36a18fa6.jpg\" title=\"Drugstore\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Drugstore<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1485\/25694729664_75e58c0126.jpg\" title=\"Caden Ave\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Caden Ave<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1551\/26233334111_391ed4382e.jpg\" title=\"Does this parking lot make my butt look big?\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Does this parking lot make my butt look big?<\/p><\/div><\/div><script type=\"text\/javascript\">jQuery(\"#flickr_72157666899168115_286\").data(\"options\",{\"delay\":3000,\"autoplay\":true,\"transition\":500,\"link\":\"next\",\"target\":\"_self\",\"width\":\"\",\"height\":\"\"});<\/script><div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On our Florida trip 12 years ago we visited St. Augustine and the Castillo de San Marcos. \u00a0I remember being really impressed with the castillo and so I was excited to share this with our kids. \u00a0We had a short drive day from Manatee Hammock up to the Pepper Tree Resort just south of St [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[13,35],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/thewachs.com\/wachsacrossamerica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1315"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/thewachs.com\/wachsacrossamerica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/thewachs.com\/wachsacrossamerica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thewachs.com\/wachsacrossamerica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thewachs.com\/wachsacrossamerica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1315"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/thewachs.com\/wachsacrossamerica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1315\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1330,"href":"http:\/\/thewachs.com\/wachsacrossamerica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1315\/revisions\/1330"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/thewachs.com\/wachsacrossamerica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thewachs.com\/wachsacrossamerica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thewachs.com\/wachsacrossamerica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}