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Girls in the Park Turned One!

8/13/2016

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Happy Birthday to us! We've officially been around for an entire year.
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​* Photo courtesy of Popsugar.com
Ellison and I decided we needed a cake to celebrate our blog-birthday. Not a real one, of course,  because that would only add to the chaos otherwise known as the first week of school. But a beautiful fantasy online one that looks like it just magically appeared in the woods. Of course. So after we found the perfect layered woodland wonder (which was, for real, almost as fun as getting an actual cake), we went back through old posts, reliving memories we've made since last August 20, and put together a little numerical highlight reel. While we get out and hike more often than we blog about, this count only includes things we have posted on Girls in the Park. Enjoy it with a piece of pretend cake. ​

States: 5

  • ​Arizona
  • Florida
  • Hawaii
  • North Carolina
  • Tennessee

national parks: 3

  • Volcanoes National Park
  • Grand Canyon National Park
  • Smoky Mountain National Park

State parks: 15

  • Anastasia State Park
  • Big Talbot Island State Park
  • Devil's Millhopper Geological State Park
  • Gold Head Branch State Park
  • Hapuna Beach State Park
  • Kealakekua Bay Historical State Park
  • Lovers Key State Park
  • ​Manatee Springs State Park
  •  O'Leno State Park
  • Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park
  • Rainbow River State Park
  • Red Rock State Park
  • River Rise Preserve State Park
  • San Felasco Hammock Preserve State Park
  • Washington Oaks Gardens State Park

national/state historical sites: 5

  •  ​Pu'uhonua a Honaunau Historical Park
  • Captain Cook National Monument
  • Montezuma Castle National Monument
  • Fort Matanzas National Monument
  • Castillo de San Marcos

botanical gardens: 4

  • ​Bok Tower        
  • Washington Oaks                     
  • Kanapaha
  • Edison and Ford

rivers canoed: 2

  • Rainbow River
  • Matanzas River

oceans visited: 2

  • Atlantic
  • ​Pacific

trips to zoos/theme parks: 2

  • Sea World
  • Central Florida Zoological Park

Most popular post:

  • ​Summer in Sedona: Red Rock Hiking

Least Popular post:

  •  April Birthdays

My Favorite Post:

  • Bok Tower Gardens

Ellison's favorite post:

  • Girls on the Run 5K
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Such positive things have come from doing this blog and I can only say that we hope it's around to celebrate many more birthdays. ​There has been so much support and encouragement from so many people, both those we know in real life and online readers. While I don't want to formally commit by putting our travel plans out there, we do have some really cool trips in the works (state, national and international) for this year and I can only say that when we go, you can be sure we'll be posting about our outdoor adventures when we return. Thank you for continuing to read 'Girls in the Park'!
See you back here soon!
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Salt Run Canoe Trip

8/13/2016

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In honor of it being the last weekend of summer before we head back to school, Ellison and I decided that in order to properly celebrate it was necessary that we do something: outdoors, away from Gainesville (the return of UF students immediately doubles the size of the town and things get crazy) and involving water. So we headed to St. Augustine for the weekend and spent Saturday canoeing Salt Run around Anastasia State Park. 

We were already feeling like the weekend was a success because of the incredible shooting star we saw on Friday night during the Perseid meteor shower. We went to the beach and were hoping to still be able to see something even though it was early in the evening and hadn't gotten completely dark yet. We were about to leave when we all happened to look up and catch the brightest and longest-lasting shooting star Trevor and I had ever seen. Ellison had actually never seen one before so it was awesome that this got to be her first sighting.
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Every time Ellison and I have gone to Anastasia we've passed the kayak and canoe rental outpost promising that we would try it out on our next visit. This has been years of us saying the same thing as we drive by, seeing all the stand-up paddleboarders, kayakers and canoers heading out for the day. Well, we finally made it happen. We're slow movers around here. But it was worth the wait and we had a fantastic time. 

There are a number of places to rent kayaks or canoes in St. Augustine and you certainly don't have to go through Anastasia State Park to do it, but we decided Anastasia Watersports provided an easy launch site with protected waters that allowed us the option of either staying close to the marsh areas around Conch Island if it was windy or head into the Matanzas River (Intercoastal Waterway) if we wanted to venture a little farther out.
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​Paddling out from the rental office is convenient and since you are initially moving with the current, you can reach the headwaters of the Matanzas River relatively quickly. After Ellison and I spent some time watching the Roseate Spoonbills feeding along the shore, we paddled out past the lighthouse and beached the canoe on Conch Island. When we got there the tide was out, revealing a long sandbar that allowed us to wade out and catch a ton of sardines and blue crabs; but the tide moves quickly so after an hour or so we got back in the boat. 

The paddle back was considerably more difficult - we were going against the current and the wind had picked up. It was a beautiful day, however, and Ellison and I weren't ready to go home so we decided to paddle past the office and explore the end of Salt Run near the sand dunes. This is rumored to be the area with the best fishing and the fewest people so it was worth a look. We weren't disappointed- fish were jumping every few feet and there wasn't another boat in sight. Trevor caught the biggest ladyfish he'd ever seen and Ellison was excited to watch the redfish and mullet leap in to the air.
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The woman working at Anastasia Watersports was so nice that she even called us while we were out to make sure we were having a good time and to remind us how much time we had left on our rental. All the employees we dealt with were so friendly and helpful - I can't recommend them enough. It's also nice because when you're finished canoeing or kayaking,  you can head over to the beach since you're already in Anastasia State Park. And you can stop and get delicious fish tacos at Nalu's or a shaved ice (Ellison's favorite) on your way out. Awesome. 

The only negative I could think of was that they only have one canoe and if it's already taken for the day then you're out of luck. Maybe think of getting a second boat? They don't take reservations so you just have to get there early (they open at 9 am).  Luckily, the couple that had taken the canoe out Saturday morning came back shortly after we got there. 
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This trip was just so fun, y'all. I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone. Honestly, this summer has been a little frustrating in the sense that we didn't take a vacation or get away for an extended period of time - the focus has been on fixing up the house. Which is definitely much needed, but endless hours of painting house trim can get a little repetitive. This canoe trip, and the weekend overall, was a reminder that Ellison and I  live in an area full of fun things to do - a place that people travel from all over the country (and world) to visit. If we lived in anywhere else we'd be thrilled to come to Florida, and St. Augustine in particular, to see the sights and hang out on the beach.

​It's one of those things where familiarity and proximity causes a place to lose it's luster just a bit and to do something new rekindles your interest. For whatever reason, this canoe trip helped put my frustration in perspective and allow me to really appreciate my surroundings. It was exactly the kind of fun weekend our whole family needed before we head back to school. 
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See you back here soon!
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    Welcome! 

    My family and I love to get outside and explore every chance we get. My daughter and I started this blog as a way to chronicle not only the places we have visited, but also as a way to preserve our time together. We hope you enjoy it and will make a little time for a hike with friends! 
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