Mile - 506 Jacksonville

As of February 8, 2008 at 8:00 AM
Steps: 1,195,093
Miles: 508.87
Miles to Georgia: 24.13


The crowd was on hand to watch from the dock.

The Virtual Walker has some pictures from the Voyage of the Houseboat so while I most definately cannot walk on water - there will be planty of water to be had since Jacksonville is surrounded by water at all sides. We left Orange Park bright and early in the morning, June 30, 2001.


A Scene from Jacksonville Beach.

While waiting for some last minute provisioning of the houseboat, we went to Green Cove Springs and to Jacksonville Beach. Here we see what "we" power boaters call a "Blow Boat." ironically under power. Don't get me wrong, on a good day*, I enjoy sailing as much as any other on the water activity.

* Nice wind, sunny but cool with few if any waves!


An Eye-In-The-Sky (An Alien View?) Photo of Jacksonville

I've added the labels and the route of the Voyage of the Houseboat.

Mile 499 - Orange Park

As of February 7, 2008 at 8:00 AM
Steps: 1,178,159
Miles: 501.66
Miles to Georgia: 31.34


Doctor's Lake Marina - Gee, that houseboat looks awful familiar!

The Town of Orange Park was founded in 1877 by the Florida Winter Home and Improvement Company, with owners and trustees predominantly from Boston, Massachusetts. As a direct result of hard times following the Civil War, the old “McIntosh” plantation at Laurel Grove was in shambles and changed hands several times. After purchasing several thousand acres of property in the area, the Florida Winter Home and Improvement Company created a new town and called it Orange Park!

The property was subdivided into building lots and small farm tracts, and the present street system was laid out which included Kingsley Avenue, River Road and Plainfield Avenue. To enhance the sale of the property that was marketed up north, many lots were planted in Orange Trees.

A large hotel was built at the foot of Kingsley Avenue, along with a 1200 foot wooden pier which extended well into the river and could accommodate steamboats which attracted the northern tourist (you can guess who by now, I am sure!) trade.

History Source


The Water's Edge

Orange Park was the starting point of a Real World trip.


My Dad, Mom, younger brother and I set sail from Whitney's Marine, Orange Park in the Water's Edge and spent several weeks voyaging up the Intercoastal Waterway to Bates Marina, Town Creek, Oxford, MD. A journey of about 800 miles producing more than thousand memories.


Whitney Marine from Overhead

Whitney Marine is located on the St. John's River where Doctor's Creek flows in to it. The creek flows under the bridge (partially shown in the first picture). The first voyage I took on the Water's Edge was from Whitney Marine to Doctor's Lake Marina under this bridge (a trip of about 400 yards!) to get some gas (probably over a hundred gallons of it!)

The Center of My Known Universe

As of February 6, 2008 at 7:50 AM
Steps: 1,160,818
Miles: 494.28
Miles to Georgia: 38.72


While I don't approve of the choice of "commuting vehicle", the picture on the fake licence plate made me stop to snap a picture. It says End - US Route 1 - Key West.

This "thing" was parked in a lot at Betzwood, next to the Schuykill River Bike Path and not far from the 10 foot in diameter Alien Spaceship Spheres.

So it's obviously a case of Real meets Virtual meets Alien worlds.

Mile 488 - Green Cove Springs

As of February 5, 2008 at 8:05 AM
Steps: 1,143,414
Miles: 486.87
Miles to Georgia: 46.13


The rich history of Green Cove Springs is tied to the natural springs and the St. Johns River. The area was first settled in the mid-1800s and was called White Sulfur Springs. After that and around 1850, Green Cove became a prime attraction, famous for the warm, therapeutic springs.


The spring is in the round well. The water flows from there directly into the swimming pool. I've had the delightful pleasure of swimming here with my brother, Mom and Dad on a fiercely hot day.

The sulfur springs brought wealthy visitors down the St. Johns River by steamboat to vacation at the grand hotels like the Clarendon and Qui-Si-Sana. Visitors of the period included Henry Flagler and his new bride, the Astors and Vanderbilts.

The spring is one of approximately a dozen sulfur water springs in Florida and is still popular today as a tourist site and a public swimming facility. The water boils up from a large fissure, some twenty feet below the surface at the rate of approximately 3,000 gallons per minute. The water is crystal clear.


Here we see a Banana tree thriving on the clear spring water.

The visitors drank from the spring believing in its medicinal values. It is said one local physician prescribed the spring water for various chronic ailments of the liver and kidneys. There are those today that still have confidence in the therapeutic value of the springs and can be seen daily drawing water from the spring for consumption.


The 78-degree spring feeds the municipal pool and then flows down Spring Run into the St. Johns River. The spring and pool are both located in beautiful Spring Park.


The spring water flows into the St. John's River near the site of the public dock. My Dad and I rode a dingy just past the end of this dock in an exploration trip of a creek formed by Magnolia Springs, just north of Green Cove Springs.

History and Facts Source


I had the good fortune to spend some time in the vicinity of Green Cove Springs. The first trip was to board a houseboat and motor it from here to Oxford, Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay. The second time, my parents and I spent a week motoring around in the Semper Fi, which we called the Big Red boat. Here I am in the Semper Fi's dingy, getting ready to explore one of the many creeks off the St. John's River.


My Mom and Dad wave to me from the Semper Fi. I will always remember both of these waterborne trips, they were both experiences of a lifetime.