Drive to St. Augustine

We had a quiet morning and enjoyed eggs with the leftover pork steaks from yesterday. It was just as good as the day before. After breakfast we started to pack for our trip to St. Augustine and the Space Coast. The morning was very cool again in the mid 30s with a breeze. Packing was complicated because the next two days will be cool and rainy then the weekend will be back in the 80s. 

We left the house at 11:30 to make the two hour drive to Sanford airport to pick Mary up from her Allegiant flight from Lexington. Her friend, Itchy, dropped her off at the airport so she wouldn’t have to leave her car there. 

We were disappointed that our EZ Pass didn’t work on the Sunshine Parkway so we needed to pay the $10 in tolls along the way. There was rain on and off on the drive but was otherwise uneventful. We picked Mary up at the terminal and made the 90 minute drive to St. Augustine where we checked into the Day’s Inn. We talked to the desk clerk about the trolley and tickets for area attractions.  

Based on TripAdvisor reviews we selected Sunset Grille for dinner. It is about 5 miles from our hotel in nearby St, Augustine Beach. We were surprised that the parking lot was empty but there was music playing at the restaurant. The lights were off and the doors were all locked. We later learned that they were closed for the day for cleaning and repairs so we consulted TripAdvisor and went to Panama Hattie’s which was only a block away from Sunset Grille. 

Steve ordered the shrimp dinner but Marcia, Mary and I had the fish and chips. All our dinners were huge and delicious. Everyone enjoyed the meal. The food and service were both excellent. We saw another couple there that we met trying to get into Sunset Grille earlier. Our only criticism was that the upstairs room where we were eating was very noisy. The open room with vaulted ceiling made it difficult to have a conversation at the table. 

After dinner, we made a quick stop at a Winn Dixie grocery store to get food for breakfasts and lunches this week. Unlike most Day’s Inn motels, this one didn’t appear to offer an included breakfast, probably because there is a Denny’s Restaurant in the motel. We got cereal, milk, yogurt, fruit, peanut butter, bread and crackers. 

We returned to our rooms at the Day’s Inn and unwound watching television before turning in for the night. We are looking forward to exploring St. Augustine tomorrow.