Up the St. Johns River we go. We pass downtown Jacksonville, a popular winter resort since the Civil War. Marina facilities line both sides of the river.
On the north side, Jacksonville Landing offers complimentary dockage at a festival-type marketplace with many shops and restaurants, as well as outside concerts and entertainment.
We had a short delay as a train passed from Jacksonville’s north to south shores.
The bridge automatically closes for the train, then opens again for marine traffic.
Jacksonville Air Station is just up river. Large refueling planes, like the ones cousin Jim used to fly, were practicing touch-and-goes, with the flight path right over our heads.
Today we pass by the town of Green Cove Springs, in a shallow pretty cove on the west bank of the St. Johns River. Named for medicinal sulfur mineral springs found here, Green Cove is actually our legal residence, where our “PO Box” is. We didn’t stop this time.
Jerry really liked this boathouse. Monarch would fit perfectly.
We approached Palatka, which marks the spot where the St. Johns River transitions from a two-mile-wide brackish waterway, to a winding, jungle-lined channel.
The town was served by seven steamboat lines in the mid-1800s, but today featured one small cruise ship, the American Glory. The industry appears to be the paper mill which produces a half million tons of paper products annually.
The city’s waterfront park is the centerpiece of the town. The Navy is commemorated with this torpedo statue.
Just one-half block from the waterfront, Angel’s Diner is purportedly the oldest diner in Florida. While new landscaping has been done and the streets are clean, the downtown seems in a state of prolonged stagnation, with more empty than occupied buildings.
In addition to existing city-owned fixed docks, Palatka constructed two new floating docks with Florida Waterway funds; the docks are complimentary. That’s where Monarch docked for the night.
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