St. Augustine Camping

Last weekend, I crashed another one of my parents' camping trips. They went to St. Augustine again, but to a different campground. This one was Faver Dykes. It was a nice (and small) camground...and I never even knew it was part of St. Augustine - ha!

So we loaded up the rental and drove up there on Saturday early morning.

This is the long and windy entrance road to the campsite. It was like we were in a different state - not Florida!

We got there and went on a nature hike right away. We needed our legs stretched out from the drive. They're trying to find "the swamp" haha... it's the WHOLE cleared out land. But they didn't get that you couldn't SEE the swamp.

Finishing up the hike. I just love how my girls love my dad.

Then we went to the Farmer's Market on the Island - such a GREAT one!

Then we all loaded up in our car and headed out to downtown....because you can't go to St. Augustine and not go to downtown.

We ended up parking outside the main parking area, which was around my school. So I had to take a picture by the sign as we passed it. 

I took this same picture 15 years ago, the week I moved in to Flagler. And now...15 years later, life has changed and grown in so many directions.

We headed for lunch. We at lunch at "Forida Cracker" which was quite yummy! 

But one of my other favorite lunch spots is Pizzalley's. The best pizza ever!

Then, we headed to the NEW Tervis store! oh yeah - Caroline needed her own Tervis! Now we all have our own Tervis cups.  I call that a win!

(PS - that woman in the orange shirt?? That's my mom! Buying her first Tervis. I have passed on the addiction - I think I should start getting commission..haha!)

For dessert, we went to the Hyppo.

Um. Seriously. The best thing ever! I would get this weekly if we had one. It's ALL natural. No dyes, no artificial anything, just 100% goodness. My girls got the strawberry popsicle and I got the chocolate with sea salt. Yes.  It was so yum!!!

Then, after a few more shops, we headed over to the beach. With the hurricane, the waves were pretty good. Woody was drooling. It was beautiful.

back at the camp... cracking open some nuts we found on the trail that morning.

Time for another "hike" around the trail to explore and find bugs!

These leaves were so pretty! Almost translucent.

Collecting more nuts.

Relaxing before dinner.

Caroline entertaining us a little bit.

That night we had dinner and put the kids to bed...except Caroline was NOT having it. I finally took her for a walk in the stroller to get her to go to sleep. She did, but when I tried to move her to the bed. she woke up. I finally got her to sleep, but then she woke up screaming around 2:30... and after sitting OUTSIDE in the 60 degree chilly night for about 3o minutes, I got her back to sleep. But then she did it AGAIN around 4:30. I have NO clue what her problem was. With babies, it could be anything, sometimes.  I finally went in our car, strapped her in the carseat and put myself in the driver seat. I let her cry it out and we both slept in the car until about 7:30. 

For real. 

That was the least fun experience I've had with a kid in a pretty long time.  But we survived, and the next day, she was back to being all smiles.

I mean, how can you stay mad at that face!?!

My hot mess kids. I love that they love going camping. I love that we get to crash my parents' camping trips. I feel pretty lucky that I have my family here. This picture just says it all.  

Camping in the Florida Keys

This week, we crashed my parents' camping trip in the Keys.  Um... Yes, I wasn't going to let that one happen without me getting in on that action! ha!

They left a few days before we joined them...they stayed one night at {John PennenKamp Campground } and then they headed to {Long Key State Park}, which is where we joined them.

This is what the campsites look like.  So pretty!

Here's our site...

Yes, RV camping is the only way to go in the summer in Florida. Just think... heat and mosquitoes.

As soon as we got there, the girls were ready to head into the water!! They were bound to catch some fish, which Autumn did as soon as she put that net in the water!

We took the paddleboards out to have some fun.

Autumn is getting so good on the board! She can pretty much paddle herself!

Here's me and Caroline. I'm wearing that awesome mesh sling I talked about {HERE}. The wind was really blowing here, so I couldn't get on my knees.. I needed all the strength to pull with my arms.

A big seaweed fight ensued between my dad and Autumn.

Brooklynn started to get in on it. She pretty much stayed out of the whole time, being "protected" by Grandpa Woody...but then decided to start throwing some too.

We came in to make dinner. The girls were playing around in one of the beds int he RV. They love that thing!

Brooklynn's eyes just do me in.

And so do Autumn's...although you can't really tell here.

And sweet little Caroline's too. lol. We're in trouble.

 After dinner we went for a walk in the campground. The have a trail...that we didn't really walk in. For one, it was a hike just to get to the trail and with 2 walking kids, you can't last that much longer. But also, the mosquitoes were coming out pretty strong, so we bailed.

BUT, we did find some good photo-op spots along the way!

Along the way, we discovered TONS of crab holes...with TONS of land crabs!

Once Autumn discovered the crabs, she was chasing them all over trying to find some! She kept catching the babies. ha!

This tree. We walked by it and I was just mesmerized by it. I mean, look at it! It is the perfect picture of Florida...of the Keys.  And I love coconut trees.

BUT, the next day when I was walking by, the park rangers were CUTTING DOWN THIS TREE!!  I was so upset by it. I didn't understand why they would do that!  I mean, if the coconuts were falling on campers (tents/RVs), then just cut off the coconuts, NOT the beautiful tree!!

Well, a coconut fell on the ground and rolled to my feet. So I picked it up and brought it home with me. Now I can revive the tree in my backyard!

More fun on our walk.... 

Man, I wish I could take this driftwood home with me!

The pictures aren't bad either <3 

The next day, my girls were up early ready to go! They found the binoculars and kept themselves entertained for a while. Silly girls.

We spent the morning paddling around a different area. 

I, of course, didn't go snorkeling since I had Caroline strapped to me. But that's ok. Autumn was having a great time!

My dad found a conch, with a live animal in it!

What some people my not realize is that the Keys DON'T have any beaches. Unless it's at a resort or a house. If you want to go to the beach, you have to pull off on the side of the road and just play in the water there. The whole "thing" is nothing but a big causeway. And some places even have a sea wall...which is what we had this time when we went paddleboarding.

My mom and her dogs. They go everywhere with them.

That afternoon, my parents got Autumn a mask and snorkel set that actually fit her (because the one I got her didn't fit her face)...and they went snorkeling again!

Brooklynn just swam around with me and Caroline.

Back at the campsite, we played games while waiting for dinner.

Our last morning... not a bad view for your backyard, right!?

One last time snorkeling before we leave!

This time they saw about a dozen lobsters and school of fish! Autumn was in heaven!

 I was hanging back at the site with a sleeping Caroline and getting cleaned up to go home.

And then playing with Caroline when she woke up. 

 Brooklynn got bored out there (she wasn't really snorkeling..she doesn't like to put her face in the water for long periods of time just yet), so she came back in.

Then we all got cleaned up and ready to go home.

It was a long ride home... we kept hitting rain and thunderstorms all the way up. BUT, at least mother nature did my work for me and washed off my paddleboard - yay!

By the way, driving on the highway with a paddleboard on the roof of your car is more nerve wrecking than driving home from the hospital with your first born child...haha!! At least your first time doing it... on the way home, I was a tad more relaxed about it, but still checking on it every so often. In fact my neck is pretty sore from checking it so much!

Check out our other camping trips!

{St. Augustine}