Rose Garden Family Restaurant, Astor, Florida

 

“I was at this restaurant. The sign said ‘Breakfast Anytime.’ So I ordered French Toast in the Renaissance.”

Steven Wright

On our way back to our week home in Ormond Beach, Florida, we found ourselves a little peckish from our fun at Alexander Springs that day. We had seen this quaint restaurant on the way to the spring and had planned on stopping there on the way home. We looked them up on Trip Advisor and saw they were a five star restaurant.

We pulled into the parking lot which had a bunch of Florida tagged cars and walked up to this restaurant attractively painted in barn red paint with a white trim. When we entered the restaurant, it was not crowded and everyone was social distancing. We were greeted by a nice hostess who lead us back to our table. This was a quaint family run restaurant with beautiful teal bench seats and tables along the front windows and set up diner style. There was also multiple tables in the dining area. The tables were adorned with advertisements from local companies. We ordered our drinks and looked over the menu.

They had a great menu and by the time the nice waitress came back, we had chosen what we wanted to eat. Joe picked the gyro plate and I picked the patty melt. We ordered and enjoyed the conversations between the different patrons in the restaurant. Many knew all the waitresses and you could tell they were regulars. Many were working at Lake George as boat repairmen, propeller repair, or working in the construction business and were getting out for lunch during their busy day. Lake George was only a short 11.6 km from the restaurant so it was an easy drive for them.

Many conversed table to table asking technical questions or questions about their different professions. These all were some big men dwarfing Joe and I by a lot. I looked at Joe and said, “They sure do grow them big in Florida.” It was like the land of the giants. We were amazed. Everyone was super friendly and enjoyed joking with the waitresses as well as each other.

Our food came out and it was delicious. We had a great meal and thoroughly enjoyed everything. They definitely deserved their five star rating. As we went to check out, we noticed they proudly displayed the American Flag about the register. They also have outside seating at the back of the restaurant that is in a screened in area.

This restaurant is open Tuesday – Sunday from 7 to 3. They serve breakfast and lunch and their breakfast menu looked yummy also with skillets, omelets, pancakes, and more. The food and service was great and we would highly recommend this restaurant. We always love going to eat where the locals are and this surely was the place. It is located at 1455 W. State Road 40, Astor, Georgia.

Till next time. Bye for now.

Alexander Springs Recreation Area in Ocala National Park

 

“The springs I remember most vividly were the ones you traveled to down long, sand-track roads through dry pine hills. The first sign of something different was the dark green of a clump of broad leaf trees; then you saw the spring boil like a blue gem in its setting of green hammock, its water tumbling up out of its deep birthplace and roiling the surface with little prisms that sprayed color from the slanting light in the morning. The clarity of the water was absolute."

Archie Carr

Alexander Springs Recreation Area is centrally located in Florida making it an easy trip from either side of Florida and for us it would be a quick trip from our vacation spot in Ormond Beach. When we saw this spring was not even an hour away, we decided to go and check it out. Springs are always top on our list of places to see while in Florida. We packed up our bathing suits and towels and headed out. This spring is special in so many ways. First, this is a First Magnitude Spring, one of only 27 in the state of Florida, and discharges 100 cubic feet of water per second. It is located in Ocala National Park, and is the only spring in a national park or forest. It is also the oldest spring east of the Mississippi River.

When we pulled up to the entrance gate of this park, we paid our $4 a person and drove in. This park looked like a tropical paradise with large trees offering a lush canopy offering lots of great shade. This must be a big plus in the summer when it is super hot. We started by changing into our bathing suits at the restroom before heading to the spring. There is a snack bar directly across from the bathroom but was closed. We were there at the end of December so the air that day was chilly probably in the low 60’s.

As we walked down to the spring, we passed lots of tropical plants, maples, sweet gum, and cabbage palms. We passed many picnic tables, benches, and great places to lay out a blanket on open grassy areas. Even in the cold weather, there were quite a few people here and in the water and we could only imagine how busy it must get on a hot day. We managed to get a bench to put our things down on and walked down to the spring.

The spring was a gorgeous aqua color and the water was crystal clear. From the edge of the water, you can see the flowing discharging water from the 25 – 30 foot deep spring which comes up the surface boil. There was a nice swimming area closer to the shoreline which measures 300 feet from north to south and 250 feet from east to west. The pool area base is mostly sand and is easy in and out with steps and a long shallow area that is gently sloped.

The spring stays at a steady 72 degrees which would feel lovely in the summer but felt a little chilly on a December day. I put my feet in and got up to about my knees but stopped as the cold breeze chilled me. Joe got in and swam out to the spring. He said it was gorgeous and could see to the bottom easily even without a mask. Which brings up, you can not rent masks or snorkels there so bring them and flippers with you.

  

Along with this park having an amazing crystalline spring, there is a gorgeous 1.1 mile wooden boardwalk loop trail called Timucuan Trail that goes through a lush hardwood and palm forest that leads you down to the river. The day we were there the trail was closed. I reached around and snapped a picture and it looks wonderful. This is the area where the Timucuan Indians once lived, fished, gardens, and hunted.

Alexander Spring Run is a great river to paddle down as the river is 60 – 80 feet wide and slow moving. Paddling down the peaceful river, you will pass over native aquatic grasses and through a lovely 7,941 acres of wilderness that passes within Ocala National Park. It is an eight mile run that goes till it reached St. Johns River. It is great for view native birds and because it is so clear, you can get great views of the fish life below.

After leaving the spring area, we drove through the campground and really loved the large sites and how private most sites where. There are 67 RV sites and most are well shaded. We passed two restrooms with showers and many children riding their bikes with their parents around the campground.

This state park is so worth a visit. It sits on 383,000 of wilderness acres to enjoy. We loved our day here and will return.

Till next time. Bye for now.

WWII Coastal Watch Tower, Ormond Beach, Florida

 

“But there is one front and one battle where everyone in the United States – every man, woman, and child – is in action and will be privileged to remain in action throughout this war. That front is right here at home, in our daily lives, and in our daily tasks.”

Franklin Delano Roosevelt 1942

We chose to do a bike ride along part of the 30 mile Ormond Scenic Loop. We started our ride on the beach and then after about a mile, we crossed to street to the sidewalk that is part of the loop and takes you to Flagler Beach. We pedaled down about 3.5 miles of the Ormond Scenic Loop before turning around. I guess we are just not as young as we used to be or as in shape. It was a nice scenic bike ride out but coming back we had the wind in our face so it made for a long three miles going back.

On the way back, we spotted this tower up on the beach and had to stop and check it out. It was a neat looking 30 foot high wooden tower that stands around the 2100 block of Ocean Shore Boulevard aka Route A1A which runs next to the ocean and has beautiful views to enjoy along the way. We crossed the road to check it out. The sign stated it was a coastal watch tower and stands here today as a monument to the civilian men and women who served the country when the country needed them most. We had seen watch towers before up in New Jersey and Delaware that were tall cement cylinders, but this was very different and pleasing looking up against the shore line.

Just after the attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941, the American government went on high alert and put the Civil Defense Force as a high priority. Just five days after the attack, fifteen locals from New Smyrna Beach, took and passed the exam to become Coast Guard Auxiliary Members. They became a part of the Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 44 which was called Flotilla 1-3 during WWII. When they built this wooden watch tower in 1942 and they treated it with creosote to protect the wood and it is one of the last watch towers remaining in Florida. 

It was staffed by volunteer “spotters” which was a part of our ground force. During WWII there was always at least one spotter on the tower at all times to search for German submarines, aka U-boats and at least one spotter searching for enemy aircraft. They were only armed with a pair of binoculars and a telephone so if they did spot anything suspicious they could report it. During that time, even with the shores being blacked out, our ships became easy targets in that area when the Cape Canaveral Light illuminated their silhouettes. Twenty-five of our ships were sunk in the area between Daytona Beach and Fort Pierce, Florida and as many as 19 U-boats destroyed.

This tower was only one of 15,200 observation posts spread out about every 6 miles on the Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific coast and still a haunting memory of that scary time in our history. During WWII, a total of 650 US merchant ships were sunk and as many as 6,000 merchant ships worldwide. In May 1944, the watch towers were abandoned when Germany was no longer a threat to our nation. 

There were steps to the top of the tower but they have been removed to prevent anyone from getting injured on the well worn flooring above. The tower got refurbished in 2003 and later in 2018 it was deeded to ICU Homes which is part of the Verona Community. This is a wonderful reminder of what our country went through during WWII. It is hard to imagine now looking out over the peaceful ocean that at one time, there were enemies lurking in the waters just off the coast wanting to harm to us. Many thanks to all the civilian volunteers that helped protect our country.

Till next time. Bye for now.