We took a drive south to Washington Oaks Gardens State Park to ride our bikes along the trails there. This park (about 10 miles south of where we were staying) was an old estate that was donated to the state by the wealthy couple that developed it. It features a formal garden and land that spans from the ocean to the river. The big live oaks were are real treat.
On the ocean side, this park is famous for its large blocks of coquina, cemented shells that are used in construction. The early Spanish settlers made their forts from this material. It is soft and "absorbs" the cannonballs, rather than allowing them to crack or crumble. This coquina is part of the 1.5 million year old Anastasia formation.
After leaving the state park we stopped at the Flagler Beach boardwalk, site of former hotels along the dunes. Why a boardwalk here? The hotels were demolished and the dune had to be reconstructed with metal sheet piling. The boardwalk now covers that site.
We also stopped a the Mala Compra (bad contract, in Spanish) archeological site. During the Seminole Indian conflicts, plantations such as this one were routinely burned. They're now looking at the site for clues as to early 19th century settler's life in north Florida. While there, we saw this beautiful bird.
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