Pursuing Balance Through Adventure

ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA

Activity: Sight Seeing, Scenic View

I visited my son, who is a Freshman, at Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, Florida. St. Augustine, a tourist town, is a little over a 30 minute drive South.

St. Augustine is known for it’s famous fort, Castillo de San Marcos National Monument. I love lighthouses and the St. Augustine Lighthouse is a good one to be sure, so after visiting the fort I headed for nearby Anastasia Island for the 150 year old beacon of light in the night, a savior of navigation for those upon the sea.

The lighthouse is 165 feet tall and is 219 steps to the top and the view is fantastic, as you might imagine. St. Augustine Light Station is a working lighthouse and it is fascinating to talk to the folks on hand regarding how it was lit all those years ago and how it casts light upon the sea today.

The Light House and it’s grounds are exquisite. Besides being beautiful there are plenty of exhibits regarding the Lighthouse history and it’s story. There is even live skiff building on the grounds. The boat builders are happy to answer questions and the property has displays of period craft to enjoy. There is archaeological restoration on site which is interesting to see as they careful clean treasures found from ship wrecks and such.

There are multiple buildings on the property to include the Lighthouse Keepers residence. It is a step back in history that is well worth the price of admission which was approximately $15.

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“There are times when the ocean is not the ocean–not blue, not even water, but some violent surge of energy and risk: ferocity on a scale only gods can summon. It tosses itself at the island, sending out spray right over the top of the lighthouse, biting pieces off the cliff. And the noise is the roaring of a monster whose anger understands no limitations. Those are the nights the light is required most.”
– M.L. Stedman

Thanks for making the climb with me today to the top of St. Augustine Lighthouse, around the property and on the nature paths beside it. If you enjoyed this post I invite you to checkout my blogs regarding ‘Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’ which chronologs my outings in nature- hiking, backpacking, 4 wheeling, kayaking, canoeing, SUP and others activities enjoying the bounty of nature. The menu at each website connects you to other locales and activities. We all need a little break from the rigors of everyday life and nature is away to put it all back together. PBTA is my attempt to inspire and recommend getting off the couch and to enjoy life, fill your lungs with fresh air, feel the trail under your feet, touch the trees, take in the sky and feel the glory that is nature. If you like my cap I am wearing in the YouTube clip please visit SHOP APPAREL for top quality Adventure Wear with the PBTA logo and mantra.

Happy Trails-

Roger Jenkins

Pursuing Balance Through Adventure

LOOMIS, WASHINGTON

When you visit the country there are certain things you expect to see: farming, ranching, and in Okanogan County Washington lots of Apple Orchards. So tractors, pick-ups, cattle and horses are pretty everyday sights. Hard working, salt of the earth people, ranchers and farmers, and don’t forget the fun loving people like fisherman and hunters. There are rodeos in the country with real live Bronc Bust’n, Bull Riding, Calf Rop’n Cowboys and Barrel Racing Cowgirls and Rodeo Queens. There are Cowboy Hats and Boots, and Rodeo Fans parked a country mile. There are other outdoorsmen as well such as hikers, backpackers, and climbers. These things are quite common in the country.

Why last year while visiting, I saw a cattle drive taking place right down the main road- that was pretty amazing I thought. What I was surprised and taken back to see is this Summer was something I will refer to as “Herd Hiking.”

Making there way down the main road along Palmer Lake, just outside the small town of Loomis, Washington, were some hikers. That in itself is not unusual as the Pacific Northwest Trail runs right along the area. The Pacific Northwest Trail is 1200 of hiking from the Continental Divide in Montana through to the Olympic Coast of Washington. So we certainly see hikers as they make their way on this long distance trek. The 3 hikers we spied were hiking with 3 dogs… okay no big deal. What was different in this case was the 3 hikers we saw and their 3 dogs were herding just under 20 goats, one of which looked like the big goat from ‘Three Billy Goats Gruff’. The big billy goat with the monstrous horns had on a pack. That was just the beginning as also in this troop was a camel, that’s right a camel! The camel had two large humps as a built in pack, but also carried a large pack. That still isn’t the end of the craziness there were a couple shaggy haired large yaks with huge packs and a calf or would that be a yakky?

Still not done with the craziness, the leader was the nicest guy and happy to talk about their journey. I asked him, you aren’t doing the Pacific Northwest Trail are you? He said that they were on part of the trail. They had just hopped on the trail not that long ago, and they were headed for Kettle Falls, which is over 100 miles away. He said from there they would forge their own route. He said they have to think about crossing the Okanogan River. They had been told of a place that they might ford the river, but otherwise they will just go across the bridge with the traffic. Okay…

He had long thick brown hair and was quite tan and fit. I thought that his get up was a bit strange, but a neighbor reported that she also talked with him and that he was wearing some sort of homemade leather loin cloth and slippers, and that he went by “Jesus”.

The Nomadic Shepards were pretty self sustained they had milk and cheese from the goats and yaks as well as jerky. He told me that they calculated that this made up more than 70% of their caloric intake.

Well, that is certainly not something that you experience everyday I will say that. The Herd Hikers and their flock went on about there merry way disappearing around the bend.